Parish Pastoral Council
Our Mission
The Parish Pastoral Council is a leadership ministry within St. Mary of the Nativity parish created to relate the needs of the parish to the pastor. We act in an advisory role to the various ministries, maintain a current mission statement for the church and work on projects as needed. We commit to empowering ministry leaders, parish staff and parishioners in implementing a pastoral plan. We create a vision expressed in the pastoral plan, framed by the seven essential elements of parish life and grounded in the mission statement.
What is Parish Pastoral Council?
The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) uses the seven elements of parish life (service/social justice, word, worship, stewardship, evangelization, leadership/planning, and community) to research, consider and set goals for our parish. Members of the council represent the parishioners of St. Mary of the Nativity. The PPC is not a voting body that deals with fiscal matters or event planning, but is instead a group that works though discernment and consensus to identify and prioritize the way in which the parish family is being called to live out its mission.
Parish Pastoral Council Members
Parish Pastoral Council members will be elected by the parishioners on a timetable set by the Pastor. They must be a registered member of the parish in good standing with the Church. They must be 18 years of age or older. They should have a desire for spiritual growth in themselves and for the parish. They must have a concern for the future direction of the parish. Members should have a willingness to listen, to speak honestly, be flexible and to work toward the goals for St. Mary of the Nativity set forth by the Pastor.
Current Parish Pastoral Council Members:
Nancy Callanan, Ellen Davis, Nancy DeCoste, Andrew Don, Marlene Hartley, Joe Godzik, Robert O’Connell, Michael Sacchitella, Martha Tansey, Richard Travers, Rick English, Diane Wells
Minutes of the Parish Pastoral Council Meeting: Tuesday, October 4, 2100
Saint Mary of the Nativity Parish Center
In attendance: Rich Travers, Jane Kuklis, Father Cannon, Drew Don, Martha Tansey, Joe Godzik, Marlene Hartley, Rick English, Liz DeLorenzo, Sheila Elledge, Dianne Wells and Ellen Davis.
Opening Prayer was led by Rich Travers.
Returning PPC members welcomed Rick English, Liz DeLorenzo, Sheila Elledge and Dianne Wells. All members introduced themselves.
Rich Travers, current Vice Co-Chair, noted that there are 2 positions open within the Council. We are in need of a recording secretary to transcribe and distribute the meeting minutes. We are also seeking a Vice Co-Chair to serve this year with Rich and again next year when he steps down. The term is staggered to promote continuity within the Council. The questions was posed as to who is the Chair of the Council? The answer: Father Cannon.
Next on the agenda was a recap of the parish survey results. The complete results have been posted on the website- www.stmaryscituate.org. Some notable findings were:
**While a high level of overall satisfaction within the Parish was evidenced, a lack of a coherent awareness of the spectrum of ongoing programs and activities was also identified. Specifically evangelization/social justice were areas that were perceived to be lacking. A Ministry Fair was discussed as a way for our various ministries to share their programs with our parishioners.
**A preference for scripture based homilies was indicated.
**A strong interest in developing a teen ministry program was expressed.
Regarding social justice, Fr. Cannon said there was a perception problem of what the parish was doing. Follow up questions to measure the respondent's awareness of parish programs highlighted this problem. When the respondent learned what the parish was doing in the area of social justice it was believed to be sufficient.
Evangelization and developing a teen program are the two main areas of concern, but there was a sense that this is something that should come out of the parish office. The main evangelizers of any parish are the parishioners. As a parish staff we use every opportunity available to us to evangelize, especially during baptismal preparation, wedding preparation and meeting with family who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. The ARISE program was another means to further our evangelization effort.
As far as establishing a teen program this poses a greater challenge and it will not happen without parental commitment and involvement. Besides the religious education program there is the Appalachian Service Project, which is an ecumenical project that has been very positive for your youth. We try to organize a trip to Spain for this year's World Youth Day as a mans to begin building a foundation, but here were only three youth interested. Jane Kuklis, our Pastoral Associate, is hoping to collaborate with St. Anthony's in Cohasset and St. Paul's in Hingham on some kind of a teen program this year.
Other council members asked about the Life Teen Program at St. Mary's in Hanover. Fr. Cannon said they do a good job attracting teenagers to their Sunday Mass but he also expressed some concerns about their focus at Mass.
Sub-committee updates were next on the agenda. Following a brief description of what each details, new members were encouraged to sign up to participate on a minimum of one. The sub-committees are expected to meet monthly. The following liaisons will be responsible for reporting back to the PPC.
Social Committee: Joe Godzik- The social committee coordinates activities such as the St. Patrick's Day Dinner, Annual Picnic, Patriots Tailgate and others.
Welcome Committee: Martha Tansey- This committee is looking for new ideas. Developing a Greeter ministry is one possibility. Jane Kuklis will report on what other parishes are doing after attending a conference in October. A Ministry Handbook will be developed .
Worship Committee: Rich Travers- Sunday Evening Vespers, led by laypeople, has begun . The time will change to 6:00 p.m. beginning October 16th. A bulletin notice will communicate this change. They may consider implementing a Morning Prayer Service before daily Mass, which could provide an alternative when a Priest is not available.
Word Committee: Drew Don- Some possibilities to be considered are a speaker series, scripture study, adult education programs.
Next Father Cannon addressed the changes to the Mass. Preparations have included notices in the bulletin, plastic cards with text changes are in the pews, but Father would also like to schedule 2 parishwide meetings at the Parish Center to discuss the changes in the liturgy. As for any change to the Mass schedule, it probably won't happen until summer of 2012. At which time, we will most likely drop 1 Mass on Sunday. Father wants to solicit discussion and suggestions before then. Ellen Davis proposed exit polling the attendees at the above mentioned meetings with a simple form in which they indicate their preference for a revised Mass schedule.
Next Fr. Cannon notified the Council about Archdiocesan plans that are currently being discussed in response to a diminishing number of priests. The are in the early stages but the talk is about creating 100 "super parishes" that would incorporate two to four existing parishes. These groupings would be handled by a pastoral team under one pastor. Similar to what is now happening in Brockton and Dorchester. Before the Archdiocese went forward with this it will need to deal with any Canonical issues and it would need to get feedback from both clergy and laity.
Fr. Cannon emphasized that the Church is in a time of transition and change, which is not always easy, but it also is a moment of great grace. We have to remember that Christ is in charge of His Church and He is leading it through the work of the Holy Spirit. We are each called to be faithful and do our part in building up the Church through our witness and evangelization.
Additional notes:
Good News- St. Mary's will be welcoming a 4th year theologian, Brother John Long who is studying at St. John's Seminary.
A representative is needed as liaison between the PPC and Finance Council.
The Men's Club is hosting a Communion Breakfast on Sunday, 10/9 after the 8:30 a.m. Mass with speakers from Catholic Charities and the Pine St. Inn. All are welcome to attend.
The Directory will be forthcoming soon.
Next meeting of the PPC is Tuesday, November 8th at 7:30 p.m.in the Parish Center.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Tansey
Acting Secretary