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Minutes of the Parish Pastoral Council Meeting,
St. Mary’s Presbytery Sligo. Wed. December14th 2011
Attendance;
Canon Tom Hever Adm. Pauline Cushman Nuala Caliendo
Fr. Pat Lombard Colette Divers Sr. Elenita Baggio PM.
Sr.Catherine Casey S.J.A. Ursula Dunphy Peggy Mullen
Fina Golden (Chair) Bill Fox
Apologies;
Marion Roycroft Kay Horan Barry McMahon
Paul Keogh
The evening prayer of the church was led by Sr. Elenita.
The minutes of the Nov. meeting were read and adapted on the proposal of Ursula Dunphy, and seconded by Peggy Mullen.
Matters Arising;
The letters of gratitude to Dermot and Joseph, letter of congratulations to Sligo Rovers, and the letters to An Taoiseach, An Tanaiste, the local TDs and Senators were sent.
The two information evenings on the New Missal were very successful, the presentations were very good and gratitude was expressed to Fr. Pat who organised it.
The conference given by Bishop Murray at the diocesan gathering at Rooskey is available on CD from the parish office.
The Scripture sharing groups are going well, all 17 copies are in use, Sr. Catherine and the PM sisters’ groups are well attended.New Parish Pastoral Council Members;
Three nominations were received, Dermot Finan, Peggy Mullen, and Niamh Reilly. They are to be contacted by letter to arrange to meet them before the next PPC meeting. As there is no representative from Kevinsfort area we should try to get someone from there. It was also decided to contact Fr. Andrew regarding the possibility of having a representative from the Polish community. It is hoped to have a final list by Feburary.
Welcoming Committee;
This issue was raised at the parish assembly, it was suggested that we should have a welcome committee, to greet people as they enter the church. Even though Breege and her group are doing a very good job it was felt that the members of the PPC should do it, to be present ten minutes before Mass begins and to remain at the back of the Church to welcome the community as they enter and give them a copy of the missalet. The gathering is a very important part of the Mass, so as we enter we should be welcomed into a community.
Eucharistic Conference;
The subcommittee prepared an information leaflet which was distributed last Sunday at the end each Mass. Each person attending the congress will have to register with the ongress, but if we wish to attend as a parish group we will have to register each individual person separately. The registration forms will be available in the New Year they will have to be filled in and returned as soon as possible. There is more information coming available each day on the web, and there will be more information available from the parish after Christmas. There is a new prayer available for children. As no one knew what “Statio Orbis” means we are to look it up.
Youth Ministry
Fr. Tom gave the report to the meeting, all the various activities are progressing well. The alpha programme for transition year students is working well in Summerhill and Ursuline colleges, and next year they may be able to lead it themselves. They hope to start it in the Mercy College after Christmas. The retreats for the confirmation groups are going very well with the students showing a lot of interest. The response to the Thursday evening prayer group is small but they will continue with it. They have a nice core for the Sunday evening Mass which is the main focus of their work. They have witness talks once a month. Seventeen youth have already fully paid for their trip to Medjugorje at Easter, but they are hoping to get up to thirty going. They will have a fundraisin concert in the Gilooley Hall on the 22nd Feb. The school authorities are very co-operative and supportive of their work in the schools. The John Paul II awards have been launched for the transition year students. A Question was raised about the witness talks, it was felt by a member that the impression was being given that the only way of finding God is only by going through a very difficult situation, they felt that some of them were too long also, they suggested that happy people find God also and they could share their stories for a balance.
Advent / Christmas preparations;
The Nativity play was excellent, the production, Sets, costumes, and make up were very good and we should try to promote it.
The advent and Christmas preparations are going well. About 40 people are attending the way of gentleness and the cathedral was very comfortable. There is a difficulty with using the incense as it sets off the fire alarms. Next Tue will be the reconciliation service Bill will lead the hour, volunteers were needed for the prayers, Ursula, Sr. Catherine, and Peggy volunteered. Fr. Tom or Bill are to invite the people to come up for the blessing.
The carol service will be at 8.15pm next Sunday and we were asked to encourage friends and family to attend.
The Christmas vigil mass is at 10.00pm, masses at 8.30am, 10.00am and 12.00md on Christmas Day, there will be no evening mass.
The weekday masses for the two weeks after Christmas will be at 10.30am each day. There will be a New Year vigil mass at 11.30pm on the 31st Dec.
The 7.00pm mass on New Years day will be a mass for peace.
Child Protection;
A training course for priests and parish reps was held with Frank McGuiness and Mary Nicholson the diocesan child protection team. Only people who are directly working with children need to be vetted. In public places people do not need to sign in. In the upper room only the adults are required to sigh in. The audits are going to be done on all the dioceses, The Elphin audit will take place after June2012. The HSE are to do an audit also in the near future. We have to keep this issue alive and active, and be constantly aware of it.
AOB
The diocesan day of reconciliation will take place on 24th Feburary, it will show our sorrow before God and before people for the terrible abuse of children. All parishes will do it independently; we will have an all night vigil. A group of two people from the PPC and two from the adoration co-ordinators and the priests will organise it. A book by Fr. Kevin Scully on repentance and reparation can be used as source material for the lay people leading it. A rota for security is necessary and we should set it up at the next meeting. There is no report from the apostolic visitation yet Training of new Eucharistic Ministers will take place on a cluster level in Feb, we need a good number of new people so we should forward the names of people to the priests Everybody was wished a Happy, Peaceful and Holy Christmas and New Year.
Next Meeting Wed 11th January 8.00pm.
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Chairman Secretary
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Proposed Seconded
Minutes of the Parish Pastoral Council Meeting,
St. Mary’s Presbytery Sligo, Wed. 9th November 2011
Attendance;
Canon Tom Hever Adm. Fina Golden Peggy Mullan
Fr. Pat Lombard Nuala Caliendo Colette Divers
Patricia Mulligan Ursula Dumphy Barry McMahon
Vita Forde-Monaghan Sr. Elenita PM Kay Horan
Sr. Catherine Casey SJA Marion Roycroft Pauline Cushman
Apologies;
Bill Fox Dermot Collery Paul Keogh Joseph Murphy
The evening prayer of the church was led by Sr. Elenita.
The minutes of the October meeting were read and adapted on the proposal of Barry Mc Mahon and seconded by Sr. Elenita.
Matters Arising;
It is proposed to have a Diocesan wide day of reconciliation on Fri. 24th Feb. if this wont go ahead, then we in this parish should go ahead Commencing on Fri. 8.00pm and concluding with the 8.00am Holy mass on Sat. The Mass on Fri evening should have a guest speaker of note to attract people. The different religious orders in the parish could lead the different hours. The adoration Chapel should be closed and the adoration transferred to the Cathedral. Male volunteers would be needed for security during the night hours.
Letters to Parishioners;
The final draft of the letters were read, and they are to be distributed with the contribution envelopes to all the houses in the parish.
Eucharistic Congress Update;
The schools competitions are underway and already some entries have been received, and the prize-winning ceremony will take place next Feb. The congress programmes is not ready yet, so we can’t make a decision regarding best days to attend. It will take place in the RDS from Monday to Saturday and finish with the High Mass in Croagh Park on Sunday. The procession will take place on Wed evening from the RDS. There will be various workshops and evening events taking place during the week. Some of the Guest speakers include the Papal Legate, Cardinal Sean Brady, Br. Alois Loser (prior of Taize), Archbishop Tagle from the Philippines and many other distinguished speakers. More details available from the web www.iec2012.ie . As a parish we will need to register as a group as soon as possible, so people will need to give in their names and details beforehand. There will be a meeting area in the RDS for groups as they arrive. The Poor Clares convent will open for adoration during the week. 500 people have volunteered already but 3,500 are needed. A committee is being put in place to organise within the parish and two volunteers from the PPC were required, Peggy and Nuala volunteered.
A man named Noel from Cork has got a monstrance made which he will take to churches around the country to promote adoration. Fr. Drumm will give a talk on the last four parts of the Mass, offertory, consecration, blessing and adoration as part of the preparation for the Eucharistic Congress. The Congress candle is in the sanctuary of the cathedral, and it will be lit on the first Sunday of Advent. The prayer card is available and we should make every effort to say it every day.
New Missal Information Days
Will take place on Tue 22nd, and Wed 30th November upstairs in the Gilooley Hall followed by a cup of tea.
Youth Ministry;
Canon Tom had met with them earlier to day. The mass, alpha programme and prayer group are all going well for them. They are going to Medjugorje on Easter week and they plan on doing some fundraising beforehand. This group should then form the basis of the youth group for the Eucharistic Congress. As Joseph Murphy is stepping down from the sub committee a volunteer was need to fill the vacancy. Vita was not sure if it is possible as she has other commitments at that time so Colette agreed to do it for one year. Gratitude was expressed to Fr. Johnny Sweeney and Goretti for all their hard work.
Advent / Christmas Preparations;
Way of Gentleness; is all prepared, starting Tue 29th Nov for four Tuesday nights.
Scripture Sharing; will start in homes from Mon 28th Nov. for four weeks.
Sr. Elenita will lead an instruction session for leaders at 8.00pm on 16th Nov. in St Mary’s.
Carol Service; will take place in the Cathedral on Thur22nd at 8.00pm.
A carol service will also take place in Johnston Court for the Social Services practices will begin on next Wed in the Social Services.
There will be no evening mass on Christmas Day.
The 12.00md Mass on the 1st Jan will be the peace Mass. The New Years eve midnight Mass is to be confirmed yet. The Adoration Chapel will close over Christmas, the dates to be decided later.
Child Protection;
Gratitude was expressed to Maura and Karen who are checking all the volunteers, and following up all the references.
Rooskey Report;
Very good day and about 130 delegates attended which was excellent. Bishop Donal Murray’s conference was excellent, it was very clear and good to listen to. The music was very good also.
“Share the Good News” book published about a year ago by the Bishops Council is a very good, it is a detailed document on the history of the church and the changes that are taking place in modern times, a signpost for us which we as a pastoral council need to be familiar with. It is available in Veritas bookshop and we should get it, read it, and use it to form our agenda as a pastoral council. It will help us to be in tune with the Bishops Council. A summary can be downloaded from the bishops’ conference web site.
AOB
Letter of resignation was received from Dermot Collery due to other committments, Joseph Murphy has also resigned, letters of thanks to be sent to both of them. Also a letter of congratulations is to be sent to Sligo Rovers on winning the FAI Cup.
Great sadness and disappointment was expressed at the closure of the Irish Embassy in the Vatican. There was disbelief of the reason given, stating it was to save money. We felt it was ill judged and bad timing. It was decided we should write to Mr. Kenny, Mr. Gilmore, our TD’s and Senators to express our disapproval.
Next Meeting Wed 14th Dec
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Chairman Secretary
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