St. Pius X Loudonville

What I'm going to ask you to do now is to take this list that you have circled, and as a table, please have one recorder at the table who will jot down whatever the responses are for the group. And I would like that piece of paper to be given back to Lil so we can incorporate that in the minutes. But we will have a little discussion in between, too. So, at your table would you use those three questions, using the chart that you just circled, and reflect on those questions and then give us some feedback in a few minutes.

(Brief discussion within each group followed.)

SR. ANNE: Let us, as a group, reflect again for a few seconds. What table would like to jump into this? Let's for a few seconds do a little bit of group sharing so that we can hear from tables. I don't think we need to have every table report, but perhaps any table that would like to start.

TABLE REPRESENTATIVE: The first question: things that are successful. Hospitality/coffee and conversation - - it was deemed very, very important to the strength of the parish that there is an activity where people can get together just to meet one another and to talk about events that are common and going on in the parish and communities.

The middle question: what we would like to see implemented more are intergenerational events, and not necessarily faith formation, but just opportunities for people of all age groups to get together just for socializing, if that happens to be the mission of that particular event.

And the concerns for having the people in the 70+ world -- night driving and mobility concerns.

PARTICIPANT: And can I add one last thing that I think Bill missed. We thought we should have a hootenanny where everybody stays for dinner, have a sing-along, a little dance. The sing-along would be the golden oldies -- and our Deacon Gary would be great at that - - a polka marathon, a personal favorite with Fr. Konopka; and a country two-step line dancing.

SR. ANNE: Where did you get these things from?

PARTICIPANT: We had a little meeting Friday night at St. Clare's. I don't know, I think there were 10 or 11 of us from this group. And we had a little wine and a lot of chocolate.

SR. ANNE: Any other group that wants to add to the three questions? What came up at your table, what ideas that you want to tell us about?

TABLE REPRESENTATIVE: We focused on the last question because we didn't think we would get to the others. But we looked at the senior aspect, and some of the ideas that we came up with are that it is a growing population. And 70 is really not old nowadays. And so, we need to look at that as not an old age, but an age that's active and involved, but also the realization that mobility and driving and transportation can also be a factor in planning for the senior group.

TABLE REPRESENTATIVE: A couple of years ago we began a program called Celebrating the Lectionary, and we use it for age groups through junior high. But there is also a component for adults. And we started that two years ago, where a group of adults meet every Sunday between the second two Masses, and they just share scripture. There's a facilitator, and they plan the readings and then they talk about them and just talk about what they mean for their life. And there are probably about 15 of us, but we're trying to increase. That's our goal, to increase that group.

SR. ANNE: Would anyone else like to just give us some reflections from your own table in regards to "Our Hearts Are Burning Within Us"? So, you circled the things, you had this little discussion, you have a few ideas on paper. Most of them have been centered on the 70+ concerns, that's what you're saying we have to look at that. That's fine. All right.

Now you're going to develop a plan. And so if you look at the handout of the evening, you're supposed to revisit the homework that you did. Some of you came together and did some creative things. Don't lose that creativity. It's a wonderful energy thing. At the table, determine how you would spend the $500 to fund adult education. That's going to be the task of the table right now.

And you have the discussion questions listed there, and you can use them. But now as you think about it, take this $500 to fund adult education. What are you going to do? Use those questions as springboards for yourself, and each table come back and tell us how you are going to be able to take this $500 and spend it to fund adult education.

(Discussion followed at each table.)

SR. ANNE: We would like to hear what you are going to do. Okay, we'll have the first report on how this table is going to spend $500. Go ahead. Thank you.

TABLE REPRESENTATIVE: We don't have $500, we have $3,000. We should all come together and merge our money into one pool of $3,000. Fr. Burke made the point that too many times we duplicate rather than share. So, it's important to begin thinking in terms of interparish planning initiatives and efforts.

So, if we have a pot of $3,000, it's entirely possible we could bring somebody in with a national reputation. The diocese has a speakers bureau, so we can use it as a resource to identify somebody that we want to bring in, have a presentation - a videotaped presentation and make it available to people who are not able to be there that night.

Somebody made the point that the Sisters of St. Joseph had opened a hospitality center. It might be a good place to hold that kind of event. It's kind of neutral ground as far as each of the parishes is concerned. And we all have an interest and a stake in the Sisters and in helping make their program a success. So, by having this initiative at the Provincial House, like I said, it would probably be a neutral territory for a lot of people and no particular parish would have a stake in it, and we would all be supporting the Sisters as well as coming together.

SR. ANNE: Good. There are a lot of heads shaking. That's wonderful.

TABLE REPRESENTATIVE: Well, we basically came up with the same idea, except we took it one step further. We thought that -- I guess the original idea last year at the time the Nativity story came out, I got something in the mail to encourage me to participate in a teleconference. So, at 3:00 o'clock one afternoon I was going to go in and talk to -- I forget who the producer or director of the movie was -- along with our clergy to find out about the film. So, I did. I think it was from 3:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon, and there were a lot of people who were all a phone-in to a central place to hear the discussion about this movie and what prompted them to create it, etc., etc.

But I'm always getting stuff in the mail about these teleconferences. So, our thought was, rather than bring in a speaker, we should get a really good speaker and then to do that in our own parishes, but link up with a screen. It's a live presentation except the speaker is not in any one of our churches; he's wherever he happens to be.

One of our problems with doing joint things in the past is that it's very hard for us to get our people to go from St. Francis to Assumption. I mean, if it's in St. Francis, they'll come. But the thought of moving out somewhere -- this would make it unnecessary for us to do that. We could all kind of enjoy the benefit of the same person, but in our own parishes, and then maybe find a way that we could link together for a discussion about the topic or the speaker, or something like that. So, it's the same idea, just using technology.

TABLE REPRESENTATIVE: Again, odd but we're all along the same lines. We were going to pool our funds for the $3,000. Guest speakers. We also looked at an entertainment aspect of it, getting a movie, reading a book, trying to draw people who are in the pews who don't go to outside activities, of finding something that would interest them to come and get involved. And, thereby, if they got interested, then they could spark the interest of the people who don't come to church, to bring them in. So, it was movies, entertainment, books, but pool the funds so we do it all together.

TABLE REPRESENTATIVE: The consensus at our table was also to have a guest speaker -- but Fr. Farano was talking about something -- pasta, something, and something. All I remember is I said “with dinner”, and that way there was a free dinner; so, it was more of an enticement for people to come. And then it was suggested -- well, it was noted that pretty much the same people always come to whatever these events are. And it would be nice to be able to have new faces show up. And one of the ways that that might be done is to build a homily around the topic of what the guest speaker is going to be sharing. Because it was observed that most of the people that take a bulletin home don't bother to read it. So, if we can get that message out to the congregation in a more dramatic way, then possibly we'll reach more people and then more will show up and enjoy what is to be offered.

TABLE REPRESENTATIVE: We didn't talk so much about the mechanics of this event, but there was some discussion at our table about the substance of what this event would be about. And one of the things that we were talking about was some of the frustration experienced by adult faith journeyers when they encounter the disconnect or the void between where they are now and where we came from. And how that is sometimes -- you know, we sort of grew up in this world, and now we're in this world, and there's this disconnect between these two, and how that impedes the journey for some.

SR. ANNE: So, you looked more at the content. And the last one, please?

TABLE REPRESENTATIVE: We were just -- we were trying to think outside the box and we didn't really get very far. But the one thing we brought up is advertising. We talked about Corpus Christi and how they're in the coupon book. And so, we were just talking about that a little bit.

SR. ANNE: About Corpus Christi --

TABLE REPRESENTATIVE: Fr. Fisher at Corpus Christi advertises the Sunday mass in the Value Coupon book. It was in the Evangelist.

SR. ANNE: So, what you're saying is that you were trying to come up with some creative ideas and thinking outside the box. But, you know, hopefully what that will lead to is stirring up some new ideas to be able to think outside the box.

What are some reactions? Anyone who would like to add anything? It was very interesting that you didn't stay with just -- I thought who the heck wrote $500, what can you do with $500? But seriously, I give you guys credit for doing that. That's a lot of fun. And you know what, there's creativity in that, and that's the way we start thinking outside the box. That's the way we start energizing each other.

TABLE REPRESENTATIVE: We're laughing about the Value Pack coupons. But I live up in Saratoga County, and for the past I don't know how many months, but I now regularly get these big cardboard postcards from Pastor Buddy. And I have never once -- they are so -- they're so interest-peaking. They're big, they're like this, they're very nicely done. I've never thrown one of them away, never, without looking at them. They're very well done. I don't know who he's got to do them. But I've gotten some unbelievable ones. And that's what he does; he ties them into things that you know. He ties them into these little cultural buzz things that you would know and recognize.

The one I got that really kind of got me going was -- it's always that format that you see there -- they're always in that format -- and one of them that I got were two bare feet, a man's feet and woman's feet, and they were obviously all tangled up in the sheets. It was just their feet. And I don't have what the headline was, but the whole point of the postcard was that God wants you to have good sex. God wants you to have good sex, and you can have good sex and be with Pastor Buddy. And that's exactly what it said.

SR. ANNE: How far out of the box do we really want to go?

PARTICIPANT: If you go to Google and put in “outreach products”, you'll find a company that puts these out. They have a whole seasonal -- Christmas, Easter, very creative, clever postcards. And then if they put sex things and you go there and you read it, it really is a very straightforward presentation.

SR. ANNE: But it also is eye-catching, and it grabs your attention.

TABLE REPRESENTATIVE: I know we talked about way more than $3,000, but I kind of have this vision of, like, a life center, or a family center, or bring all of the generations in and do more things that have to do with everyday life right in the community. And that would be how you would get people who are not maybe traditional church-goers or aren't going to church. If they see it -- maybe there would be an after-school program there, or maybe there would be -- I don't know -- groups for mother's who are home with children that aren't used to that kind of thing. I don't know where I read that in one of those books about having, like, a family center connected with the cluster or whatever.

SR. ANNE: Anyone else?

PARTICIPANT: Just one thing -- one of the parishioners gave me a newspaper and it said -- it was an article about going where they are, to actually minister where the need is. And the thing that really came to me is where do you meet most people who are over thirty-something? Where do they spend their time? And most of them spend their time on the internet. Everyone has a computer, even little kids. I don't think we're there, and we need to be in some way. And I'm not computer-literate, but I really think that if the diocese has good internet sites, maybe they need to be published in our parishes where families can go and young adults can go. Just a thought. It's going to cost more than $500 maybe, but hey.

PARTICIPANT: I think the information is there, it's just putting in available data for people to look up on the internet.

PARTICIPANT: It has to be in our bulletins or someplace.

SR. ANNE: Anybody else? We're doing really fine here. As we look then, you developed a plan to spend your $500, which equals $3,000 for many groups here. But it also gets us thinking together and outside and creatively. And you're raising - even the things that you all threw out, this is wonderful because it expands people's awareness, and it's going to keep us all looking for ways that we can be able to be connected in these ways.

Does anyone have anything else to say?

PARTICIPANT: I just have a question. The program where the singles meet in bars, is that successful?

SR. ANNE: It's called “Theology on Tap”. I think it depends on the month, to be honest with you.

PARTICIPANT: And location. I mean, it's in the Town of Averill Park.

SR. ANNE: Well, they don't always meet in the same place. For people who know about “Theology on Tap”, they have been meeting at the Orchard in Albany. But they used to meet over at Eamonn's, and it was very successful. They had big huge groups over there. And I think when they moved it, they lost some people or whatever. But I think there are times because of the topic that they're going to discuss, or the speaker that they're bringing in, sometimes brings more people than others. But I'm not so sure how they would -- does anyone here have more --

PARTICIPANT: Does Carol Camille still run it?

PARTICIPANT: No, David Amico runs it now.

SR. ANNE: Go to it sometime.

PARTICIPANT: It's in the Evangelist; right?

SR. ANNE: It's always in the Evangelist. And I say that because I've spoken at it, and there are people of all ages who end up going. It's not just young people who are there. I mean, the last time I was at the Orchard there were a lot of people there and they were not just that age group.

Does anyone else have anything to say?

The topic for next month is in your folder. Is it really going to be campus ministry? Is that what they're going to do? There are two pieces for June that I received. Now, tell me if you received other things. One was the campus ministry, and the second one was the life-long formation. June, young adult searching faith. Those two.

PARTICIPANT: For the June meeting, catechetical leaders have a conflict, because there's a Celebration of Ministries evening dinner that's being put on by the OEC that usually all catechetical leaders and some pastors come to every few years. And it happens to be on June 11th.

SR. ANNE: If we have chocolate and wine, would you come here instead? We have $500. We can do anything we want to. I mean, let's get creative here. So, it's June 11th, again it's here. And we meet here for the next three times.

PARTICIPANT: Was there any decision on this task force? We talked about it in church, but was there any decision made? Did I miss something?
SR. ANNE: No, that's going to be a recommendation.

PARTICIPANT: Are we going to do that?

PARTICIPANT: I said I would work with them, but there has been no decision.

SR. ANNE: I agree.

PARTICIPANT: We had the discussion, but there was no follow-up.

SR. ANNE: One of the things we were going to do was make it our recommendation. But you want to start it now? Let's talk about that for a few minutes. What would you like to do with that? Would you like to start that now? Would you like to see the ball get rolling on that?

PARTICIPANT: There's nothing to prevent it.

SR. ANNE: Not a thing to prevent it.

PARTICIPANT: All in favor say “aye”.

(Several ayes were heard.)

SR. ANNE: How do you see this getting activated, Dave?

FR. NOONE: Well, from what I heard in church when we were talking about the faith formation, folks from each parish -- we didn't decide - there was just one or two other people but there was nothing about what would be an appropriate group. Certainly the faith formation people, and certainly someone other than just the faith formation group.

SR. ANNE: Can we have some response to that?

PARTICIPANT: Representation from the Catholic schools.

PARTICIPANT: And what group are we looking at?

FR. NOONE: Well, I was just going to say, do the faith formation deanery people have a meeting upcoming where they might have this as part of their agenda?

PARTICIPANT: What is the purpose of this task force? Is there a certain age group?

PARTICIPANT: My understanding is its junior high and high school.

SR. ANNE: Junior high and high school. What if one person from each parish comes together and forms a committee, where you start to say what could we do, and bring it back next month?

PARTICIPANT: And is the focus on how we can be more collaborative?

PARTICIPANT: My understanding -- I mean, this is the idea I was playing around with - the task force, for about six months, would start looking at what do we need to do, looking at - actually talking to adults and to high school kids, on questionnaires, surveys, whatever they need to do to really begin to focus. My understanding is I heard that the last time it was good looking at the issues, and what are the issues, what's keeping kids involved, what's turning them away, what's keeping their parents away. So, this group would begin to, one, have a look and find out what the issues are; and then what goals and objectives would they want to put forward looking at faith formation to begin to deal with that. And it's time limited. It would have to be done, I would hope, in nine months at the most. That's at least what's in the back of my mind. Now, the group is going at it another way. That's at least what I've been thinking about.

SR. ANNE: Reaction to that?

PARTICIPANT: I think it's a good idea. Because, as we talked last week, faith formation is just too big to be looked at in a couple of meetings and altogether. So, if it was broken up like that, at least that would be one area we would be working on. And then something positive could come from it because we'd be working as the six parishes. In six months, we may have a plan of something that we could actually implement.

SR. ANNE: Other reactions?

PARTICIPANT: We're talking about meeting how often in that time period?

PARTICIPANT: That would be up to the task force.

SR. ANNE: Michael?

FR. FARANO: If we begin this way, maybe each of us could at least agree that there would be an initial meeting that would involve the major persons who do faith formation for……….what ages?

PARTICIPANT: Junior high and high school.

FR. FARANO: Junior high and high school which for me would be Judy Ranalli and Brian Evers, our youth minister. So, if each parish could at least decide tonight to commit to asking those staff persons to at least go to an initial meeting. And in addition to that, each parish would try to get one other person. I agree with David, it should be more than just the professionals. So, if we could each get one or two other persons, it could be somebody from our own groups who are interested in this, or someone else.

PARTICIPANT: Or catechists.

FR. FARANO: Or catechists. So, there would be an initial meeting of the faith formation staff at that level, plus one or two other people. Tom would facilitate that meeting, and the purpose of that meeting would be to set forth the scope of what you want to do. And then, secondly, to brainstorm to see if they want to go further. And then somebody has to take responsibility tonight to convene that.

PARTICIPANT: My only suggestion is that I'm an educator in a public school system. And if you're talking about this age group, it might behoove us to try to get information from those educators who are in the public school systems today and really see where some of these kids are that we're not touching. Because I think some of the issues -- and I teach over in Averill Park -- some of the issues that we're dealing with on a daily basis are huge. And, you know, we may not know -- we could talk all we can, but we need to talk to these people who deal with these kids on a daily basis.

FR. FARANO: And I think that would have to be something that that group would have to do. But I'm just trying to get it off the dime here. Limit ourselves to one meeting with professional staff, plus one or two other persons, Tom has agreed to facilitate that; so, we just need somebody who would call that together.

MARY NICHOLSON: I would be willing to.

SR. ANNE: You would be willing to pull that together?

MARY NICHOLSON: Yes.

SR. ANNE: Tell us your name.

MARY NICHOLSON: My name is Mary Nicholson. I'm Pastoral Associate for Youth Ministry at Our Lady of Mercy.

SR. ANNE: So, you would be willing to pull that together.

FR. FARANO: So, the Parish Life Director and the Pastors here, our responsibility then is to talk to our own people about this and say that you'll be in touch with them. I mean, I'm just suggesting that.

SR. ANNE: It's a way to get it going. People okay with that?

(Several participants agreed.)

Anyone else need to say anything?

FR. NOONE: Otherwise, I feel we're kind of like the Chrysler Company that just found out that oil is weeding them out, and so they get together in an eighteen month series of meetings and they get together and want to talk about how nice those old cars were and how comfortable they were. And then just go on to the next topic. So, at least I feel we're taking a concrete step in doing something.

SR. ANNE: That's right. We also would like to request that if anyone else gets together for wine and chocolate, that you announce that and perhaps send an e-mail that reflects an invitation and a hospitable gesture goes out to all of us.

Let us begin to close, and let us pray for a few moments and reflect on tonight's conversation. And as we do, perhaps we could all just surface within us a scriptural quote that for you indicates something that happened tonight or something that just gives you a sense of peace and prayer. And just let that surface for a few seconds. And then, as many of you as would like to, just say that scriptural quote out loud.

PARTICIPANT: Be still and know that I am God.

PARTICIPANT: That they may all be one.

PARTICIPANT: Where two or three are gathered, I am there.

PARTICIPANT: I am the vine, you are my branches.

PARTICIPANT: With God all things are possible.

PARTICIPANT: In Him we live and move and have our being.

(A closing prayer followed and the meeting was concluded.)