Minutes of St. Thecla Parish Pastoral Council – March 31, 2016
Present: Fr. Joseph McCarthy, Deacon Howard League, Chairman Steve Dodge, Finance
Committee Chair Joe Caputo, Barbara McMorrow, Sue Runne, Mary Doller, Christine Sullivan,
Peggy Reynolds, Lorna Rossi, Mimi Gallagher, Michelle Byrne, Matt Newman
Absent: Deacon Jack Sullivan, Mary Ann Simmons, Howard McEachern
Opening Prayer: Come Holy Spirit
Review of Minutes: Minutes were reviewed and approved with two additions. March 5 was
the date for summer religious education registration. Lorna was present at the February 4
meeting.
Steve called the meeting to order at 7:06 pm.
Religious Ed Director Search: As previously stated, Howard League will be retiring from his
position as Religious Education Director on June 30, 2016. Possible ideas for recruitment of
applicants were discussed. Howard will be attending a Sadlier (book company) meeting of area
DRE/Assistant DRE. The rep will ask around to see if there is any interest. The Archdiocese
Program for Minister of Arts in Ministry could be another option. A job description can be
mailed to graduates finishing the program this May as well as former graduates. An
announcement can be posted on the Archdiocese website. The suggestion was made that a
letter be sent to parishioners announcing Howard’s retirement and applicants can apply for the
DRE position. A bulletin announcement to area parishes could be posted. Concern was
expressed for the need for a custodian, but the limited hours offered could be challenging.
Resumes will be collected, followed by interviews with Fr. McCarthy. Mary Doller and Howard
will assist in this process. Decision will be made based on the candidates whether one full-time
position or multiple part-time positions will be filled.
Howard’s Retirement: Howard was clear in that he is only retiring from his position as Director
of Religious Education. He will stay on as a Deacon following his vacation. He would like to
continue to serve the Parish as a Deacon and be a resource for the Parish. A retirement party
at the Coffee Sunday in June will be planned as a celebration for the families and children to
thank Howard for his years of work for the Religious Ed program.
Empty Bowl: This event was held at the Knights of Columbus on March 12, 2016. There was a
wonderful turnout of parishioners and community members. A check for $6,000 was delivered
to The Pembroke Soup Connection/Firehouse Pantry this week. The commercial freezer unit
has been ordered and the electrician has been hired. Not sure if the Empty Bowl Project needs
to file taxes because of the amount of money raised or not because the money just passes
through the parish and is sent to the receiving organization. Sue will check with Pat Scampoli
on this issue. Howard mentioned the possibility of the next idea for the committee to consider
for next year. My Brother’s Keeper is looking for a “new” van for approx. $8,000. VERC Rental
has offered to help them with this purchase if $8,000 can be raised.
Entertaining Angels: Mary Doller and Michelle Byrne attended the workshop from the Parish
Council. Stephanie Whiting also attended. The workshop focused on evangelization by
reaching out to people through the Gospels and our own actions to help people to be their best
self. Taking the perspective that we are all children of God reminds us that we are here to help
build God’s kingdom and to look for the best in others. Our greeters and the welcoming
message before mass help to spread this message. Need to continue to invite people to come
forward for a blessing. Eucharistic Ministers need to be reminded of this. Mary and Michelle
will discuss putting together a presentation for the Parish.
Kitchen Issues: Several items need repair and a scrub down in the kitchen of Fr. Mahoney Hall.
Only one burner working on the cooktop and the freezer is not working. The layout and
function of the kitchen limits the programs that can be held in the hall that require food. Parts
have been ordered for the freezer and Chuck Battista will be working on it. Ken Cordi, from Our
Lady of the Lake, will be called regarding the cooktop unit.
Collaboration Update: The joint Parish Council Meeting with Fr. Soper and Bishop Dooher was
well attended and questions were addressed. St. Joseph the Worker and Our Lady of the Lake
are looking to move forward with the collaboration process. St. Thecla’s has not been
contacted yet by the Chancery for a letter to join a collaborative. The Archdiocese is looking for
volunteer parishes. No pastors/parochial vicars are applying for the collaborative positions.
Priests are uncertain where they will go. Archdiocese is holding strong to the idea of clerical
control. The Archdiocese is not putting four parishes together and is getting away from three
parishes together. Need to decide our next step as a Parish. There was discussion of the
collaboration timeline. Three options were discussed:
1. Sit on it for now - we are “comfortable” as a parish at this time so wait until asked to
provide our position.
2. Be proactive – write a letter declining interest at this time so others know our
position.
3. Move on it – write a letter stating that we are ready to form a collaborative with St.
Joseph the Worker and Our Lady of the Lake.
The Parish Council is not ready to move on the collaborative process at this time. The Council
likes having our own parish identity. Being proactive keeps our position transparent but could
be misinterpreted as not willing to work with the other parishes. All agreed that the faithful
respond well, but may only change when the issue is right in front of us. At some point in time,
it will be inevitable to join the collaborative.
Other Business:
Welcome/Go in Peace Signs – Barbara McMorrow will ask Holy Family where they had the signs
made.
Soup and Bread – Friday nights during Lent following Stations of the Cross, parishioners gathered
for soup and bread in the Parish Hall. $270 was collected in donations and given to the Pembroke
Food Pantry.
Pancake Breakfast – The Knights of Columbus cooked breakfast items and transported them to
the Parish Hall. 109 people attended between 9am and noon. The extra food was given to
Pilgrim’s Hope, a shelter in Kingston.
Easter Egg Hunt – An Easter Egg Hunt was held following the 10:00 mass on Easter Sunday.
Hundreds of eggs were filled and “hidden” for the children to find. A visit from the Easter Bunny
was popular with the kids. Next year, need to find a willing teen to dress up in the Bunny costume
and volunteers to hide the eggs.
Summer Religious Ed – The first car arrived at 5:45am for the 7:00 start of handing out numbers
for registration. There were 61 cars in line by 7:00am. Registration began at 9:00am.
Easter Mass (10:00am) – Choir added beautiful voices to the mass.
Next meeting will be scheduled for the end of April.
Closing Prayer: Mission Statement
The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Michelle Byrne