* I informed the Council that the Director of Human Resources for the Archdiocese has strongly recommended a complete review of all our parish employee records and benefits. All of the job descriptions will have to be standardized and a confidentiality agreement will need to be signed by everyone. This is a process which is being encouraged all over the Archdiocese.
* I gave an update on the progress we are making in our search for our new Director of Music and Liturgy. Finally, the Pastoral Council discussed how we can help new parishioners feel welcome and become active members of our parish community. The members of the Council were enthusiastic about this type of project and are excited about getting started. The members of the council will be working together on this very important initiative.
After the Pastor’s Report, the Pastoral Council and friars worked on the Annual Parish Report we are preparing for the parish. The Annual Parish Report will include a review of our finances and the pastoral life of the parish and an update on the condition of our buildings. There was a very lengthy discussion on the report and the members of the Council offered a number of suggestions about what should be included and how it should be expressed. We all agreed that the Annual Parish Report should be transparent, simple to understand and reflect where we feel the parish is at the present moment. We agreed that I will present the Annual Parish Report at all of the Masses on the weekend of February 26th.
The Pastoral Council and I also discussed the quality of our parish membership records or parish census. These records have not been updated for several years. Sometimes people move away or go home to God and no one tells us. There are several people in our parish membership records that are 112 years old. The Pastoral Council strongly recommended that we go forward with a complete review of our membership records. Because of the confidentiality of parish records, this updating and review will have to be done by a member of the Parish Staff. It is also our hope to begin collecting the email addresses of all of our parishioners so that we can communicate with the members of the parish who have email in a much more efficient, cost effective way.
St. Paul Summer Camp
Things are progressing with the St. Paul Summer Camp. The committee working on developing the program will be filling us in on the details very soon. We will keep the parish up to date as information becomes available. I'm convinced that if we can pull it off, the St. Paul Summer Camp would be a great service to the young families of our parish. Let's keep our fingers crossed and remember this initiative in our prayers.
A belated but HEARTFELT THANK YOU
I want to thank everyone for the food and gifts the friary and the friars received during the Christmas Season. I tried to acknowledge every gift, but sometimes the kitchen was piled high and the tags fell off. If you didn’t' get a thank you, please know that we appreciated every single gift. To be honest, we are still eating the cookies , drinking the wine, and enjoying all the other thoughtful gifts which came our way, even the carrots and celery. Thanks, again, and may God bless you for your generosity.
Catholic Schools Week
This week we celebrate Catholic Schools Week. Someone representing St. Paul School will speak at each of the Masses. St. Paul School has been an integral part of the Parish Community for many years. Right now 163 of our parish families have chosen to send their children to St. Paul School. I have spoken to many of the parents about how they feel about our school. To a person, they have all been very pleased and grateful for the education their children are receiving.
When you walk into our school, meet the children, and see the dedication of the teachers and staff, it becomes so clear how worthwhile this very important ministry of St. Paul Church is. It is so worthwhile, in fact, that everyone involved seems to be willing to sacrifice for the privilege of a good solid Catholic Education. The Parish provides an annual subsidy. The parents are willing to pay both school taxes and school tuition. I know of grandparents who have gone back to work to help put their grandchildren through St. Paul School. Our very dedicated faculty and staff, who are qualified to teach anywhere, are willing to put in long hours for less compensation because they see the value of what they are accomplishing. Everyone involved in our school community knows that all of these sacrifices are worth it. I am sure you will agree that every moment and every opportunity we have to share our faith with our children is a precious moment indeed. A good solid catholic education in a warm nurturing catholic environment is an incredible opportunity for everyone involved to grow closer to God and get an excellent education at the same time.
Many years ago, when I taught high school in Florida, the Principal put a plaque above the door which read….
“Let it be known to all who enter here that Christ is the reason for this school,
the unseen but ever present teacher in its classes, the model to its faculty,
and the inspiration for its students”.
I believe that the parents, staff, students, administration and everyone at St. Paul School would wholeheartedly embrace the beautiful words on that plaque. Let's continue to keep St. Paul School in our thoughts and prayers during Catholic Schools Week. I also wish to thank everyone involved in St Paul school for their generous contributions in making it the very special place it is.
Fr. Robert