Frank Hughes, our new president, called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM. Frank H led intentions and an opening prayer asking for God’s guidance to make this a successful Parish Council year and for a speedy recovery for Tom Christman.

Frank H welcomed all new members, welcomed back returning members, and thanked them all for volunteering to serve on the council. Frank Pugliano has been named an ex-officio member of the council. He will continue with focus on the Parish Survey follow-up actions and the Called to be Church (CTBC) effort.

In attendance: Kate Burns, Frank Hughes, Frank Pugliano, Mary Nardolillo, Jean-Baptiste Zongo, Brian Evers, Jackie DeSanti, Justyn Bates, Richard Connery, Father Farano, Father Steve Moore, Principal Dennis Mullahy, Jeanne Pitkin, Cindy Pettit, Mike Rossi, and Marlene Papa.

Absent: Harvey Bowks, Tom Christman, John DeFilippo, Peter Ranalli, Paul Kutey, and Mark Morrison.

All members had an opportunity to introduce themselves and say a little bit about their involvement in the Parish.

Discernment Process

Frank H asked the new members to give a short critique regarding the recent discernment that they went through led by Sister Monica. He asked for suggestions for ways that we can improve the process. He also asked that all members think about parishioners they may recommend for discernment next year and emphasized that nearly every person that volunteered to discern this year was personally contacted by someone on the Council during this last year.

• Mary Nardolillo – Everything flowed smoothly. All needs were met.
• Justyn Bates – He had given his decision to discern a lot of thought. He said he knows everyone is busy and that the council could take some time but he was willing to give the council his service.
• Kate Burns – Was personally called by Frank P and she felt that the personal invitation was a good idea and important.
• Frank H mentioned that all should consider volunteering for the Discernment Committee. 
  

Administration

We spent a short amount of time, updating contact lists, signing up to have one discerned member attend each School Board meeting, and confirming the Council schedule for the year. Frank H discussed that at next month’s meeting, discerned members will list committee and ministry involvement.

A new meeting schedule will be sent to all members of the council.

Frank H passed out sign-up sheets for School Board Meetings and Committees.
The June meeting notes were passed around for all to review; the business for that meeting was solely a discussion of the Parish Survey.

Committee/Program Reports

Committee reports we distributed to Council members prior to the meeting. Highlights included:

School Report – Dennis Mullahy reported that so far that the school is “smooth going”. There are two 7th grades and two 8th grades and a full day pre-kindergarten.

Religious Education – Peter Ranalli reported there are about 430 children enrolled. Judy Ranalli has been back to work and doing a wonderful job. The last unfilled Religious Education volunteer teaching position was filled by Mary Nardolillo.

Parish Picnic

Frank P briefly discussed the Parish Picnic which will be held on September 28, rain or shine. Volunteers were asked to contact Frank P if they could help with the picnic. Additional information can be found in the bulletin.

Parish Survey

The Parish Survey committee asked for a 4 page summary to be sent out by the middle of October. The final report had not yet been received from Siena, but was expected later this week. Dr. Levy will return in the fall to do one presentation to all parishioners. After the final report is received, Parish leadership and the Council will be discussing what actions should be taken based on the results.

Additional items and review of action items

Frank P discussed Called to be Church status. There will be four committees to review the results. They will be based on small cities, large cities, rural areas and suburban churches. These committees will meet between Sep. 11 and Nov. 25. These committees will have three options to take with the results that they receive including: 1. Affirm the results, 2. Affirm with minor changes or 3. Affirm or not affirm with major changes.

Jeanne Pitkin mentioned that the gathering space is poorly lit. She has been holding meetings in the evening and it is difficult for people to read. Also, the outside lights near the gathering area are very dim in the evening. Sometimes they are not even turned on. Father Farano will work with church staff to look into replacing the outside lights with photo cells or motion detection systems to see what the options are for improving the situation.

Frank H reviewed the Action Items and will distribute them.

Pastor’s Comments

Trustees of Parish Corporation – Each church in our diocese has its own corporation belonging to the parish. Under the rules and regulations of the corporation, an annual meeting is to be held each year. The Saint Pius Trustees of the Parish Corporation recently met.

The Financial Report has been prepared by Mark Morrison, Paul Kutey, and the Parish Finance Committee. Father discussed membership and leadership of the Finance committee and the responsibilities that these positions hold.

There is a general trend for diocesan schools that enrollment is decreasing. Enrollment has decreased over 400 students for the 2008 – 2009 school year. St. Pius X School is not following this trend since the numbers have increased slightly.

Father Farano would like to spend an afternoon or an evening to go over the results of the Parish Survey. He shared concerns over those who did not complete the survey and the comments that may help us to understand why only a little over 50% of our parishioners come to church on any given weekend. 

Father Moore led a closing prayer.
Next Meeting – Thursday, October 16th, 2008
Respectfully submitted,
Marlene Papa, Secretary