VPC MEETING MINUTES - FEBRUARY 2007

FEBRUARY 2007 MINUTES

MEETING MINUTES

Genesis Vicariate Pastoral Council Meeting

7 p.m. ~ February 12, 2007

St. Mark Parish

 AGENDA:

1.     Prayer

2.     Fisherman’s Fund

3.     Review of VPC By-Laws

4.     Election of Officers

5.     Report From Vicars’ Meeting

6.     Tracking Committee Update

7.     Vicariate Education Plan

8.     Open Forum – Announcements & Questions

9.     Tour of St. Mark’s New Facilities

FISHERMAN’S FUND PRESENTATION

The representative from the “Fisherman’s Fund” was unable to attend the meeting, but will be present in March.

REVIEW OF VICARIATE BY-LAWS

A copy of the proposed updates of the by-laws was distributed. The updates are:

          - Article III: Meetings (to be added between the 3^rd and 4^th section)

            A quorum shall be established to hold a business meeting. The quorum shall consist of

            1/3^rd of the Vicariate parishes plus one.

          - Article V: Notice of amendments shall be mailed to the entire membership of the Council

            at least 10 days prior to the meeting. The Constitution may then be amended at any

            Council business meeting by a 2/3^rds affirmative vote of the membership present.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

A suggestion to form an “Election Committee” was brought to the table and it was decided that more discussion will take place at the March VPC meeting. In the meantime, the St. Cletus and St. Louise representatives will work on an “ad-hoc” committee.

VICARS REPORT

Fr. Andy introduced Deacon Paul Stevens, the new Permanent Deacon for Transfiguration-Our Lady Help of Christians

& St. Ladislaus.

Fr. Richard Welsh, Pastor of St. Dorothy is in the hospital with heart trouble. He may retire earlier than June as was originally planned.

Fr. Norbert Maciejewski, Pastor of Ascension & St. Leonard is also ill. They are looking for priests to assist in saying masses. Our prayers are with Fr. Welsh and Fr. Maciejewski at this difficult time.

Fr. Andy is on the Vicars' Education Committee which is discussing a proposal regarding funding of the schools in our Vicariate. Basically, the proposal suggests that a percentage of each parish's income would be given to the schools in their area. However, the focus should be not only support of schools, but also support of all  “faith formation” programs. If people realize that they are responsible for the education of their youth, it may be easier for them to accept this proposal. This proposal remains with the committee only at this time and has not yet been brought to the Vicar’s Council.

The Vicars discussed the importance of “financial transparency”, which is making sure that parishioners are aware of their parish's  debts, so that all financial obligations are being met.  The Cardinal emphasized the importance of taking financial responsibility seriously.

Assignment procedures were also discussed. When an assignment is open, the Vicar over that parish should make any pertinent information known to the Assignment Board.

The Vicars are considering composing  a protocol for funerals for priests that have left the active ministry, so that, each person is treated in the same manner.

A salary recommendation of a 3% increase for the upcoming fiscal year were presented to the Vicars' Council. However, it was felt that in light of the poor economy in Michigan that percentage may be a little high. Therefore, it was proposed that a 2% increase would be more proper. These are just recommendations.

Pam Beach stated that each parish should have a Parish Council or Leadership Council which should consist of at least 4 people appointed by the pastor and a Stewardship Council which should meet quarterly in order to keep abreast of the parish's financial health. It is very important to be aware of any outside or rental property income, because if that rental is lost, it would greatly impact the parish’s budget. If your parish is subsidizing a school, the Archdiocese recommends doing so by 40%.

The Archdiocese is starting discussions regarding school closures, but no definitive information is available yet. It was stated that enrollment in some schools has dropped below the recommended minimum of 200. Some of the schools have only 90 to 100 students enrolled and need to be subsidized by the parish at a higher than recommended amount.

PARISH MERGING/CLUSTERING UPDATE

St. Dorothy, St. Leonard and Ascension Parishes are working on merging. Everything is moving along smoothly.  St. Raymond, Our Lady of Good Counsel and Our Lady Queen of Heaven are clustering AND NOT MERGING at this time, so that they may retain their individual parish autonomy.  Deacons or qualified Coordinators of Life would be in charge under the leadership of a priest/pastor. 

Each parish MUST have a cluster partner. Our Lady Queen of Apostles and St. Florian are to cluster, but have not yet formally submitted cluster information and has yet to be determined. St. Clement, St. Anne, St. Mark and St. Edmund parishes do not yet have a cluster partner. One of the problems may be that each parish might want to retain its autonomy. Identifying a cluster partner doesn’t mean that all parishes have to immediately cluster with the other parish, but will have a plan in place should something happen to the pastor. Parishes can select their own partner. If a pastor has been reluctant to have a cluster partner, the  Parish Council can suggest having this topic on the agenda issue. It was suggested that there be a 6-month deadline for parishes to find a cluster partner.

The facilitator of the Renaissance Vicariate approached Ms. Beach and indicated that St. Hyacinth parish is discussing the possibility of joining our vicariate. After a brief discussion, it was felt that St. Hyacinth should pursue clustering with a parish in Hamtramck.

St. Bartholomew clustered with St. Rita and moved to the Trinity Vicariate and would like to look at the possibility of rejoining the Genesis Vicariate.

VICARIATE EDUCATION PLAN

Fr. Andy stated that Catholic Schools are fewer and fewer may be pricing themselves out of the education market. It seems that the schools that succeed are the ones in more affluent areas. We need to look at the schools in our Vicariate (St. Anne and St. Clement) to see if they are sustainable. Their representatives have not been attending the VPC meetings, but Fr. Andy will continue contact them requesting their representation at upcoming meetings. On February 27th Ms. Beach is meeting with Bishop Boyea and the Tracking Committee and will bring this matter to the table.

OPEN FORUM

Our Lady Queen of Apostles will be celebrating their 90th anniversary and all will be invited to attend. Cardinal Maida has expressed his desire to help celebrate this momentous occasion.

St. Mark is hosting their annual “Warming Center” March 11th – March 17th for the homeless. They need volunteers. If you are interested in helping this wonderful cause, please contact the parish at (586) 759-3020.

The parish is also supporting SHARE, a group that meets weekly to help those suffering from anxiety, depression and panic attacks. St. Mark is also pleased to welcome Ascension’s AA group.

St. Sylvester has an NA group that meets there Sundays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted

Monica Archibald

Recording Secretary