PPC 2006 Mtg 03 Min

SACRED HEART PARISH

UNCONFIRMED MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE PARISH PASTORAL

COUNCIL HELD ON

Thursday, 30 th March, 2006 in the Sacred Heart Presbytery

PRESENT

Members : Fr Gerard Mitchell (President), Aidan Christie (Chair), Antoinette Dali, Margaret Duffy, Teresa Smith, Christopher Woodward,.

Parish Team : Fr Michael Ashworth, Fr K Donovan, Fr John Fairhurst, Sr Francis, SSA, Sr Dorothy, James Potter.

Guest : Jim McDonnell

Apologies for absence : Fr Lawrence Nam, Louise Cooper, Tim Morris, Cristina Connolly.

Opening and Prayer: Teresa Smith lead the group with a prayer and reading.

• Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting on 9 th March, 2006 were approved. It was noted however that under the item ‘Parish income and expenditure’; the income should have been stated as ₤243,898 and expenditure ₤306,898.
• The dates of key meetings set out in the agenda were confirmed but the venue for the day of recollection had still to be confirmed.
• Vacancies on the Council: The vacancies on the Council due to the resignations of Veronique Furse and Fernanda Miucci Cassale would be advertised in the newsletter on 9 th and 16 th April.. Elections, if needed, would then be held on 30 th April (before the next meeting). It was open for members to approach possible candidates as well as hoping that volunteers from the parish would step forward. Father Mitchell had thanked Veronique and Fernanda for their work on the Council
• Planned Giving and Appeal – update:

Margaret Duffy reported that in the first two months of this year there was a current shortfall of approximately ₤6,000 in the Parish Accounts. She reported that the planned giving scheme was pressing ahead. A small group had been convened to prepare a leaflet to be distributed at all Masses on the first Sunday of the appeal. Two parishioners were being asked to present the background to Church giving on the second Sunday. Parishioners would be asked to commit to pledges on the third Sunday.

At a meeting held to arrange the capital appeal; Jim McDonnell had agreed to chair a group to develop the brief and prepare suitable documentation and Simon Noakes had offered to organise the fund raising. It was suggested that an open parish meeting sometime in May or June should be held to keep the parish fully informed and to invite comments from parishioners. The Appeal Group would suggest a suitable date following their meeting on the following Monday. It was noted that word was getting around and that parishioners were already suggesting money-raising schemes. It was noted that the halls complex may be out of commission for some time over the summer because of building works so other venues would have to be investigated.

To progress ideas for introducing a diaconate in the Parish.

The PPC had previously agreed to support the introduction of deacons in to the Parish. Although the parish is currently well served with priests, in the not too distant future this was unlikely to be the case. Training for deacons takes 3 years and because of the considerable pastoral demands in such a large parish it was felt important that this idea moves ahead. The Provincial, on his recent visit, urged that this matter should be given some definite priority. The Council recommended that this would be a suitable subject for an open forum with the parish, supported by a short paper and with an outside speaker with experience of how the diaconate can work effectively in a parish.

Matters arising from the Annual Meeting

The Council had agreed to progress the introduction of Neighbourhood Groups, review aspects of the Pastoral Plan and look to more effective means of communication with the parish. A suggested outline of topics for our meetings was proposed but it would be subject to amendment in the light of dates for parish meetings on the appeal and the diaconate.

Jim McDonell had kindly offered to advise the Council on the means of developing an effective communications strategy. He introduced a paper on some basic elements of communication. The PPC must clearly identify its role to the parish and be aware of the different groups which make up the ‘audience’ it is hoping to reach. It is important to identify the more isolated groups and bring them in. He said that the idea of a network of people to ‘spread the word’ was very useful and he also stressed the effectiveness of E-mail.

The Chair thanked Jim for coming to the meeting and said that it had given all a lot to digest and consider. He felt we needed to have open parish meetings more frequently as a further means of communicating with the parish beyond the newsletter and Edgeways and that the PPC must be clear in its role and purposes.

• Any matters raised by parishioners

A parishioner had complained about car parking and the difficulty some Eucharistic Ministers had leaving the car park before the end of Mass had when taking Holy Communion to the housebound.

• Prayer Leader for next meeting: Father Michael Ashworth
• Date of the next meeting: Thursday, 4 th May, 2006, unless it was needed for an open meeting about the appeal.

Christopher Woodward

Secretary