Minutes of the November 13, 2016 Open Parish Council Meeting
In Attendance: Fr. Wayne Belschner, Fr. Mark Storey, Maria Brown, Amy Delaney, Rose Favret, Bill Killion, JP Manning, Deacon Kelly McCormick, Loren Micciche, Kathy Reda, Bill Rosa, Ann Stano, members of the parish
Fr. Wayne opened with a prayer at 12:00 P.M.
This was our first Parish Council meeting opened to all parish members for the benefit of discussing their ideas and concerns.
Reaching Out to those who have Fallen Away:
One major concern of the Council and members of the parish is how we can reach out to people who do not come to church or who have fallen away. Fr. Wayne said the ultimate goal is the salvation of souls. 
1.	Some suggested we need to reach out with a personal invitation, which creates an opportunity to contact our friends and families to let them know about the different activities we have to offer. 
2.	A welcoming committee might be a good way to reach out to new families. Invite people to our homes and let them know all the ministries they can get involved in. We also need to follow up with people once they have showed an interest in joining the parish or a ministry.
We want to strengthen our younger families. When is the best time to reach out to people, especially since we do not have a lot of weddings? 	
•	A good way would be to contact newly engaged or married couples and have an older married couple council them. 
•	Another good time is at the point of Baptism.   
•	It was also mentioned that we might want to look at protestant churches for some guidance with how they share their encounters with Christ.  Should we do something at night where parishioners can listen to spiritual encounters? 
Adult Classes:  Fr. Mark had a 14-week class on Catholicism. He said 13 people came. Fr. Mark wanted more young families to come.  It was suggested that the next one be done before the 11:00 Mass while the children are at CCD.  Fr. Wayne has had a group called P3 - Prayer, Penance and Pub, which has been successful and would be easy to start at St. Mary's.
Being more Inclusive:  It is important to know the people you see every week at mass. We need to know their names. 
•	Deacon Kelly would like us to rotate where we sit once a month to introduce ourselves to the people around us.  
•	How about asking new members to identify themselves by raising their hands during mass so the church community can reach out to them. 
•	Having more coffee hours in Mary Hall after mass to have an authentic eye to eye contact with parishioners so they feel like they belong. 

Communication:
•	Getting the word out in newspapers and bulletin in a quicker fashion would be helpful. 
•	We need to put a reminder in the bulletin to call the Parish Center when people are sick and in need of the Eucharist. 
•	St. Josephine has been doing the Stations of the Cross at the 5:00 hour during Eucharistic Adoration, which is wonderful and should be mentioned in the bulletin.   
•	Rich Killgoar, our Business Manager, came up with the idea of putting video boards listing parish activities at the front doors of the church, by the Sacristy, and at the Parish Center. 
Confession: Confession times have been extended and parishioners would like some evening times that would be convenient for working parishioners.
Crying Room or Nursing Room:  Charlie Black wondered if we should have a room for babies who are crying or if a mother needs to feed her baby.  Charlie asked if it was appropriate to let a mother take her baby into the confessional. Fr. Wayne and Fr. Mark thought it was fine to let a mother use the confessional to feed her child and really don't mind the beautiful sound of a crying baby.
Lifeteen Mass:  One parishioner stated that she thought there was too much on and off the altar at the Lifeteen Mass. She thought it was distracting and not enough respect was given to the tabernacle. Fr. Wayne explained that some teens felt more comfortable staying in their pews, so they no longer come on and off the altar. 

Fr. Wayne closed with a prayer at 2:00 P.M.

Respectfully submitted by,
Loren Micciche