Frank P. called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.  A delightful respite followed, with drinks and snacks.  Thanks to all for the great snacks.  Fr. Farano celebrated his 60-something birthday with a delicious cake.  Dick led the opening prayer.

In attendance:  John DeFilippo, Jean-Baptiste Zongo, Michael Rossi, Brian Evers, Tom Christman, Dick Connery, Sandy Zelka, Frank Pugliano, Pat Tobin, Frank Hughes, Jackie DeSanti, Marlene Papa and Fr. Farano.

Absent:  Paul Kutey, Mark Morrison, Peter Ranalli, Jeanne Pitkin, Julianne Ruff, Dennis Mullahy, Joe Tamer, Harvey Bowks.

Frank reviewed the October notes, as amended.  Sandy made a motion to approve the minutes as amended; Frank H. seconded the motion.  All agreed.

The November minutes were also approved after some additional discussion concerning the break-in.

Frank reviewed the Action Items from the November meeting.

COMMITTEE/PROGRAM REPORTS

Sister Parish

Jackie added to her written report.  A question had been raised about the money from GlenMary.  Jackie said the money is split between the Sister Parishes.

Christian Works and Services

• Tom said that twenty-eight sleeping bags were collected for the homeless.  He thanked Brian for spreading the message about the need for these bags.
• Tom had made a request for toiletries for the shelters.  We were inundated with donations, which Brian coordinated.  The items went to Homeless Action and Lawanga House and Mercy House.  Another supply came from two school classrooms.  They went to Sacred Heart and Mercy.  A biggggg thanks to Brian for his dedication and work in helping with this effort.  Tom also thanked John and his son for their work in collecting and delivering the donated items.

School Board Meeting Report (Dick)

Dick attended the December school board meeting, and reported the following:

• there will be an Open House for the school on January 27 from 1:00–3:00;
• the school is conducting a food drive in April;
• “Winter’s Night Out” is scheduled for February 9; tickets for this event will be $50 each.  (Jackie commented that $l00 per couple seems high when you include the cost of a babysitter.  Fr. Farano said that people like to socialize, and that many people have commented that this is a great night out, so the cost is probably not an issue.  Several schools in the area were contacted, and the price that St. Pius charges is the lowest for an event of this magnitude.)
• there has been discussion regarding the need for a school counselor.  The cost for a counselor might be shared by other schools.  Brian noted that, if needed, Fr. Walsh can come to the school at a moment’s notice.

UPDATES

Parish Census

Dr. Don Levy, Siena Research Center, again met with Father, Tom, Frank P. and Nancy Uruskyj.

SRI staff conducted two focus groups with St. Pius parishioners.  Dr. Levy used the results of these confidential focus group sessions to draft a survey that, by agreement with the SRI, will be sent to all 2,000 households in the parish.

Parishioners will have three options for responding to the survey:

• complete the survey in writing, and send it to Siena.
• complete the survey on the internet (Siena will create a special web site for the survey).
• call the Siena Research Institute and provide responses over the phone.

SRI staff will try to obtain as many responses as possible from parishioners.  After the requested return date has passed, SRI will send a post card to anyone who has not responded to the survey.  If still no response, SRI staff will call the remaining parishioners personally.

The final survey document should be in place about January 10.  St. Pius will have to make all parishioners aware of the survey, and publicize the reasons for the survey, as well as the fact that all responses will be confidential.

Called To be Church

The parish representatives serving on the local planning group did not meet in December.

Bishop Hubbard met with representatives from several local planning groups (including the one in which St. Pius participates) on Nov. 29.  He was very candid in answering questions regarding the future of the church in our diocese, which faces problems that are very similar to those in other dioceses throughout the State of New York.

Beginning in January, all local planning groups will begin the final phase of the CTBC process, called “Pulling It All Together” (the local planning group in which St. Pius participates will meet on January 15).  By June 30, all local planning groups must submit specific and concrete recommendations to the bishop for his consideration and final decision.

NEW BUSINESS

Proposed Amendment to the Constitution

Frank P. discussed a proposed amendment to Part 11 of the council constitution.  No one expressed any reservations about the proposal, though Sandy did make a suggestion to change some of the wording in the proposed amendment.
 
Frank will make the suggested change, and will arrange to publish the text of the proposed amendment in the bulletin.  Any parishioner who wants to comment on the proposal will be invited to attend the January council meeting.

PASTOR’S COMMENTS

Father spoke about the Beacon of Hope, a program that, through donations, makes scholarships available to those who cannot afford a Catholic school education.  A suggestion was made to provide information on the bulletin boards, with a tear strip for anyone who wants to contribute.  The solicitation effort will run for four weeks, and Father will speak about it from the pulpit.

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Frank reviewed the Action Items from this evening’s meeting.

Frank led the closing prayer.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 16 at 7:00 PM.