St. Gabriel's Church

	St. Gabriel's Church
	78 Shethar Street
	P.O. Box 367
	Hammondsport, New York 14840

CURRENT NEWS

St. Gabriel’s Parish Forum Meeting Minutes
May 4, 2008
12:00 p.m.

The meeting was called to order by Barbara Yahn at 12:20 p.m.

An opening prayer was offered by Maureen O’Neill.

On motion of Christine Kolo, and seconded by Lucy Perkins, the meeting minutes of February 10, 2008 were approved.

Committee Reports

Finance - Mary Lou O’Connor
Work has begun on the new church budget ( as the fiscal year for the church runs from July 1^st – June 30^th). In the 2007-2008 budget it was projected we would have a loss of about $48,000 however, as of the April 16^th meeting of the Finance Committee it was determined that this deficit has been reduced to $18,000. Due to the large deficit and the need to keep a close watch on the budget and collections the Finance Committee has been meeting monthly rather than quarterly. The deficit reduction can be credited to an increase in collections, a $10,000 gift from the Knights of Columbus, and a reduction in operating expenses. Although church attendance has been down for the last 3 years there has been an increase in the collections this year- the Finance Committee and the forum would like to thank all of those who have increased their donations. This is very good news for St. Gabriel’s but the hard work is not over yet as we do still have the $18,000 deficit and would like to be able to come up with a balanced budget for next year. Greg Hintz is working with Mary Lou O’Connor on the budget and coming up with ways of reducing expenditures. If anyone has any suggestions for the Finance Committee on decreasing costs or increasing revenues please feel free to contact Mary Lou at the Parish Office. Everyone should consider joining the new Stewardship efforts or the Fund Raising Committee to continue the work on reducing the deficit.

Fund Raising - Christine Kolo
The Fund Raising Committee met this week and discussed how they’d like the fund raising efforts to be more of a “Fun” Raising effort focusing on building church community and not just focused on the money. Some ideas for the upcoming months are as follows:

¨ Free Coffee Weekends - Christine Kolo now has her name on the list of people eligible to provide free coffee at the Campbell Rest Area. This is a good opportunity to raise from $1,000 to $2,000. We would need people to set up, work shifts, and donate baked goods. Now that Christine is on the list she is able to book up to 3 weekends a year and starting next year would like to consider doing a weekend in the spring, summer, and fall. She also mentioned that her 4-H kids would be willing to help as a thank you for using the church hall to meet in.

¨ Sausage Sandwich/ Beef BBQ - St. Gabriel’s is set to be at the June Bug Celebration in July, the Craft Show in August, and the Seaplane Homecoming in September selling sausage sandwiches and beef bbq. The Fund Raising Committee also discussed doing a 50/50 raffle on site at all three events. We will advertise in the bulletin and also in town to direct people to where St. Gabriel’s will be set up. Christine will be talking to the Ambulance Corps. and to Community Bank to see if either of those locations could be used during the Craft show.

¨ Community Dinner Dance- The Dinner Dance will not be happening this May as none of the bands asked were able to make the dates available at the school. This idea will still be worked on for next year possibly holding it in the spring or in the fall. The School is willing to host the event and work with the church on catering also.

¨ Chicken BBQ Dinner - The Fund Raising Committee is discussing holding a chicken bbq dinner possibly using either Sterns or Cermaks Catering. We would need to do advance ticket sales for this event. The cost of hiring the caterers to cook for this would be between $5.25 and $5.50 per meal. BBQ chicken dinners are currently being sold in the $8 to $8.50 range. We are considering holding this event in October.

¨ Yard Sale - St. Gabriel’s would like to participate in the Village Wide Yard Sale Day the first Saturday in June. The set up would be in the grass along the side of the church or in the parking lot or in the garage in the case of rainy weather. Parishioners would be asked to donate only good items (no clothing) to the church for sale. Gloria Woods has offered to chair this event and has asked if the Spanish Club at the High School could be allowed to use our space too. We need people to volunteer to work during the day and a notice in the bulletin for people to donate items they’re looking to sell.

¨ More Volunteers- The Fund Raising Committee would love to have more volunteers join their ranks. There are many activities planned and they need people willing to work at any of these events and more good ideas for fund raising and building church community. Anyone interested in helping with any of these events or joining in on the meetings please call the parish office or Christine Kolo. A notice will be posted in the bulletin announcing future committee meeting times.

Buildings and Grounds - Luther Perkins
The Spring Clean up date will be May 17^th. A notice will continue to be posted in the bulletin announcing the time and jobs that need to be done. Maureen will be getting out the information on adopting the garden plots for this spring and summer. The roof leak has been repaired and tested in the rains of last week. The door lock on the door to McGill Hall will be fixed ASAP. The Buildings and Grounds Committee is looking into reasons why the water bill for the church for last quarter nearly doubled. They will be looking into the possibility of leaks (running toilets). There is also some speculation that it was caused by the painters’ cleaning up while the church’s interior was being painted. Luther will be calling the Corning Company that installed the air conditioners to talk with them on the most efficient way to run the new air conditioners. He will be asking questions on when the units should be turned on, how long it takes to reach the desired temperature etc. insuring that we know how to use them most efficiently.

CSCP - Mary Lou O’Connor
Due to the efforts of the CSCP the Rochester Diocese has discovered Rural Ministy. Deb Housel, the liaison between the Diocese and our planning group, has been very supportive in encouraging the CSCP to articulate the struggles and triumphs of rural ministry. Two series of Listening Sessions are being conducted throughout the Diocese. The first set of sessions, one of which was held in Campbell, was an opportunity to describe the rural parish. The second set will seek out best practices. The culminating event, which will be held on November 15, will feature a national speaker. Bill Howe has now filled the alternate slot that has been open at St. Gabriel’s on the CSCP Implementation Committee. The CSCP Implementation Committee meets quarterly and the next meeting is at St. Gabriel’s on June 7^th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.. Anyone interested in attending to see what work is being done by this committee is welcome to attend.

Small Christian Communities - Maureen O’Neill
The Small Christian Community has met and discussed some changes for the upcoming year. This committee has begun meeting regularly on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in McGill Hall. At the last meeting the group watched and then discussed Bishop Clark’s Retreat on DVD. The group will continue on with the “Spirit Alive” series put out by the diocese. Everyone is welcome to attend these discussions there is no ongoing commitment. If anyone has any questions about this group please call Mark and Helen Barone.

Liturgy - Maureen O’Neill
Once Father Jim Jaeger has arrived at St. Gabriel’s Maureen will be setting a date for an Anointing of the Sick Mass. This mass would be for anyone who has a chronic or acute illness, anyone over 65 years of age, or anyone preparing for any type of surgery. There will be some education on the theology behind this type of mass. St. Gabriel’s will be holding a welcoming mass for Father Jim also.

Youth Group - Kevin Morris
The Youth Group attended a retreat in Bath in February. There will be another retreat in Bath at the end of the month and there are at least 5 members of Youth Group who would like to attend that event. There are students interested in going to the NCYC again next year which will be held in Indianapolis. It is somewhat costly to attend and Kevin will meet with those interested in making the trip to get started on the fund raising that will be necessary.

Old Business

Dishwasher - Lucy Perkins reported that the dishwasher is now fully installed and operating. There are directions on how to run the machine posted on the wall in the kitchen. Please read them if you are attempting to use the machine. We are still waiting on the stainless steel counter top for the machine which Clark’s Specialty Shop is making. The dishwasher was made possible by the sale of booklets for the Bon Ton Community Day, private donations, and the Knights of Columbus donation. Thank you to all who donated.

Stewardship - Maureen O’Neill announced that Andy Mazzella has agreed to head up our Stewardship Committee. Andy does similar work for Catholic Charities and has attended a meeting with Maureen on what the Diocese hopes to accomplish with the start up of this program. There were several speakers at this meeting that talked of using stewardship as a way of life. It is all about understanding your own personal gifts, recognizing others, sharing your time with your church and community, and finding all the different ways there are to serve in some capacity. It was discussed that Andy should speak to the congregation to explain this concept with all. It was also discussed that all of the committees should get time to explain to the congregation the different work they do, what type of commitment is involved, and how others could be of help, how to recognize your talents and lend your help and support. Maureen will meet with Andy to plan the times to hold these presentations.

New Business

Graduate Breakfast - The Graduate Breakfast will be held on June 1^st at 10:00 a.m.. A light breakfast will be served and Father Condon will offer the graduates a blessing. There are 5 graduates at St. Gabriel’s this year. They are: Eric Argentieri, Joey Bussmann, Leandra Morris, Chris Musso, and Hannah Shippee.

Father Peter’s Farewell - St. Gabriel’s will hold a wine and appetizer reception in McGill Hall for Father Peter’s Farewell following the 5:30 mass on May 17^th. There is a sign up sheet in the back of church for anyone wishing to bring an appetizer. Everyone is welcome to come say good bye to Father Peter. Christine Kolo will be purchasing a scrap book which will be available to all in the back of church and at the reception to put in any photos you may have or to write a message to Father Peter sharing a special memory or simply wishing him well. There will also be a basket to collect cards. Suggestions for a farewell present were something from Mud Lust Pottery or a small piece of Steuben glass.

Father Jim Jaeger’s Arrival - Father Jim will be here the last week of June. St. Gabriel’s will have a welcome mass for him and a coffee hour after the 11:00 mass. If the weather is good this will be held in the church yard.

Weekly Communion Service and Mass Time Change - It has been requested by Father Jim that there be a time change for the Friday morning masses and Communion Services held at St. Gabriel’s. Maureen would like to keep the times the same for both services offered by St. Gabriel’s. Maureen will ask Father Jim if 8:30 a.m. will work for him so that the other morning activities held at St. Gabriel’s will be able to continue on as usual.

Coffee Hours - Gloria Woods and Martha Rouin are interested in the parish hosting more coffee hours at the church and are eager to work with Gail and Jack Merriam on them. They are looking for ideas to increase attendance and get the people to take the time to visit with their fellow parishioners before leaving the church. After some discussion it was decided that they will hold a coffee hour once a month and if the weather is good they will be held outside so the people leaving church can stay out in the nice weather and visit together. These would be held after the 8:00 masses in the summer.

Nominating Committee - It is time to form a Nominating Committee to replace Steve Dreiling as President of the Forum as Steve’s term is up. Patty Shippee and Mary Lou O’Connor will work together on this committee. They will speak to prospective candidates and bring their nominees to the July Forum Meeting. A notice will be placed in the church bulletin that this search is going on and that anyone who would like to be nominated or has an idea for a candidate should call Mary Lou or Patty, as all candidates should be announced by the Nominating Committee. The Forum would like to thank Steve for all of his years of great service to the church.

Open Forum

Church Bells - Luther Perkins brought up the topic of the Church’s bells and the times they ring. Often times the 6:00 bell ringing interrupts the homilist at the 5:30 Mass and it seems rude. These bells do operate on a timer and Mary Lou will discuss this situation with Maureen to see if a change is in order. One suggestion is to eliminate the 6:00 time altogether. Another suggestion is to ring the bells 5 minutes before each Mass, welcoming the people to church.

Knights of Columbus Breakfast - Luther Perkins announced that the Knights of Columbus have offered to cook and serve a breakfast for the people of St. Gabriel’s. The forum expressed an interest in booking this event and will discuss it further at the next forum meeting to come up with a date.

Next Meeting Date - The next Forum Meeting will be held on July 13, 2008 at 12:00 noon.

Closing Prayer - The Closing Prayer was offered by Lucy Perkins

Adjournment - The meeting was adjourned at 1:45 p.m.

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CSCP IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE MINUTES
April 8, 2008
SAINT JOSEPH’S CHURCH

Chair Mary Lou O’Connor opened the meeting at 2:15 P.M. and led the group in reading the opening prayer. Committee Members present: Rose Cacace, Fr. Pat Connor, Deacon Ray Defendorf, Al Donnelly, Anne Green, John Geis, Al Hanning, Deb Housel, M L O’Connor, Deacon Dan Williams, and Betty White accompanied by Fred.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Rural Social Ministry – Dan Williams’ summarized his report (attached).

Adult Education – Betty White reported that due to the many activities around the Bishop's Spirit Alive Program, a report will be made later in the spring. In response to her call for topic ideas, it was suggested that our parishioners be asked what topics would be of interest to them. Reconciliation and annulments were also offered as potential topics of interest.

Communications – Deacon Ray said the next CSCP newsletter should be out in mid-April. He showed the group the next edition's front page.

Youth Ministry – no report.

Treasurer’s Report - Al Hanning’s treasurer’s report (attached) was approved with one correction: The last two total figures were adjusted by
50 cents to $1,201.73 and $1,152.73.

March 1 program wrap-up - Al Donnelly said about one-third of the 130 people who signed up for the event did not show up. Any future event
should give more consideration to how it will be funded and to getting more accurate feedback on participants (i.e. names and parishes).
In general, feedback from those who attended was positive.

NEW BUSINESS:

CSCP Implementation Team Update: Terms for all members were reviewed to determine succession (or continuation) for those whose terms
expire this June: Krista Armentano, Anna Bauer, Rose Cacace, John Geis and Mary Lou O'Connor. The group needs one more representative from St. Catherine's and Steve Flint was suggested.

Prayer leaders for future meetings: Opening and closing prayer at future CSCP Implementation Committee meetings will be led by members chosen alphabetically by last name. Anna Bauer will lead the opening prayer and Rose Cacace the closing prayer at the next meeting.

NEXT MEETING: Saturday, June 7 from 9 to 11 a.m. at St. Gabriel’s Church.

CLOSING PRAYER was led by Anne Green.

Respectfully submitted,
Al Donnelly

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St. Gabriel’s Parish Forum Covenant

St. Gabriel’s Church

78 Shethar Street, PO Box 367

Hammondsport, NY 14840

I Parish Mission Statement

The people of St. Gabriel’s Roman Catholic Church strive to create a welcoming community which provides leadership in the worship of God, our spiritual growth, education and service to others.

II Parish Forum Mission Statement

The mission of the Parish Forum is to provide a channel by which ideas can flow throughout St. Gabriel’s parish community based on the diverse experiences and expertise of the parishioners who choose to participate.

III Procedures

A. Name: St. Gabriel’s Parish Forum

B. Membership: All registered members of the St. Gabriel’s Parish are members of the Forum.

C. Officers: President, Vice President and Secretary, each serving a two year term, from July 1 – June 30. The Vice President and Secretary will be elected on the alternate year as the President, starting July 1, 2004. Term limits will be two consecutive terms of any particular office.

D. Elections: A nominating committee will be chosen at the Forum meeting in March. The committee will bring to the June Forum meeting a slate of individuals willing to serve in the upcoming vacant office(s). If more than one person wishes to serve in an office, the selection will be made by drawing one name from a hat.

E. Decisions: All decisions of the Forum will be made by consensus. Consensus is defined as each member being able to support the decision, even if it is not his/her preferred option. In the event that a consensus cannot be reached, a vote requiring two-thirds majority of members present can prevail.

F. Minutes: Minutes from each Forum meeting will be made available to the parish no later than one week after each Forum meeting. The minutes will be posted on the parish website and hard copies will be made available at the weekend Masses.

G. Agendas: The officers and pastoral administrator will set agendas for each Forum meeting. Each parish committee will report at each Forum meeting.

H. Committees: The Forum may establish temporary committees as deemed necessary. The following standing committees are encouraged to report at each Forum meeting:

Adult Education
Bereavement
Buildings and Grounds
Finance
Fund Raising
History                                                                                                                          Hospitality
Liturgy
Money Counters
RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
Small Christian Communities
Social Ministry
VA Visitors
Youth Group
CSCP Implementation Committee

IV Duties and Functions

Any individual expenditure that exceeds the current budget amount by more than $3,000 will be presented to the Parish Forum for review.
Review the annual budget.
Review ground use needs.
Review capital improvements.
Review staffing needs.
Review all legal and real estate transactions.
Coordinate parish activities.

V Amendments to Parish Forum Covenant
Amendments to Parish Forum Covenant may be made:

After study of a temporary committee which submits recommended changes in writing.
After notice of one month has been given prior to decision at a Forum meeting.

NOTE: Any Church Law, Diocesan policy or decisions are exceptions to any of the aforementioned.

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