Attendance: Steven Bonidie, Carolyn Cimato, Bill Deemer, Britany Leddy, Joe Martonik, Ray Paulos, and Father Bob Seeman.

1. Opening prayer.
   The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Health & Safety Evaluation:
   1. The Pastoral Council reviewed the observations and recommendations that came as a result of the Health & Safety Evaluation conducted by the Diocese in March.
   2. The evaluation included the education building, church building, rectory building and grounds of the church property.
   3. The Pastoral Council will assist Father Bob in identifying members of the parish who would volunteer to serve on a temporary committee. This committee would coordinate with the Diocese’s Office of Property & Planning to secure the appropriate professionals to address the needs of the parish.
3. No Date was set for next meeting.

Attendance: Steve Bonidie, Carolyn Cimato, Bill Deemer, Father Andrew Fischer, Brenden Griffey – Music Minister, Judene Indovina – DRE, Deacon Bob Jancart, Joe Martonik, Ray Paulos, and Bernie Vogler.

1. Opening prayer.
   The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection:
   1. We reviewed the readings for the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time.
   2. You are the temple of God. God dwells within us. We need to strive to be holy. We are a reflection of the one true temple Christ himself. He is our reference.
3. Update on the Parish Needs Assessment :
   1. Several items added to the list do not fit with the Stewardship Sign–up List. We decided to monitor the selections of the Needs Assessment forms turned into decide if we need to add any topics to our Stewardship Sign–up List.
   2. The form is OK as it stands.
   3. About 15 turned in so far.
4. Status of Stewardship Sunday:
   1. We decided to monitor the selections of the Needs Assessment forms turned into decide if we need to add any topics to our Stewardship Sign–up List.
   2. Stewardship sign–up needs to be delayed until Fr. Seeman gets his footing.
   3. The PowerPoint presentation is progressing and close to being finished.
5. Funeral Luncheon:
   1. Gino interested to help.
      1. Open to working with individual menu
      2. He suggested $8.50 plus tax and gratuity(20%) , but he is willing to negotiate the price. ($10 to $11/person).
      3. He supplies two people to help serve.
   2. Lynn's catering more than willing to work with us.
   3. Cooked Goose about the same price as Ginos.
   4. The professional caterers are tuned into being punctual. Gino is the most economic of the group. (His is a Neville Island Restaurant.)
   5. They can use the church hall any day but Saturday.
   6. If a funeral luncheon needs to be scheduled when the Aerobic class is scheduled, they will cancel or move to Sharon Presbyterian Church Hall. They just need enough lead time to schedule the change.
   7. Our funeral prep check list is more extensive than the one Judene supplied from St. Joes.
   8. Contact person:
      1. The Council is satisfied with Elaine Blake as the contact person.
      2. She is eager to start helping.
      3. We must get the process on paper before we turn it over to Elaine.
      4. Bernie will let Elaine know the Pastoral Council will get to her ASAP about the process.
   9. The outside group cannot cook here.
   10. If funeral is here then the luncheon can be here – other wise no.
6. Plans for Lent 2014:
   1. Similar to 2013
   2. Sandy Hershberger felt the collections for Food Bank were all good.
   3. We will change breakfast bars instead of hot cereal on the 5th week since we have collected hot cereal all of February.
   4. Reconciliation schedule has been set.
   5. Sunday Evening Lenten prayer schedule will be the same as last year.
   6. If space is available, we hope to put some instruction related to Evening Prayer in the Bulletin.
   7. Not bad with Station of the Cross, about 100 people attend and it goes up as we get closer to Easter.
   8. Often have a speaker when the scouts have their dinner March 16 second Sunday of Lent.
   9. Sunday evening activity about 6PM better than 7PM because kids need to go to school.
   10. Meager meal 3rd and 5th Friday in Lent. Carolyn does the soup. They go to Stations after the meal. St. Joe did it every week, but a different ministry was in charge. We put a notice in Bulletin to let us know if coming so we can plan for the size of the crowd.
7. Establish a Vocational Council:
   1. Something to promote vocations.
   2. Is it appropriate to talk with the Confirmation class – could Seminarians make the presentation. Individuals influenced by their priest. Bob wondered if it shouldn't be on a Diocesan level. Boys to one and the girls to a convent for the exposure. Shouldn’t be one time exposure either.
   3. Problem it is not supported in the family. Kids are distracted. Happens in our Catholic Schools also.
   4. The majority of the vocations are coming out of the public schools.
   5. These are good discussions that a Vocational Council would perform. We can pray here, but we can also put something into action.
   6. We could start using a Universal Prayer that involves praying for vocations.
   7. Diocese has prayers for the parents to help them to recognize the possible vocation in their family. 55 Plus prayed for child all year long.
   8. Diocese has a full time priest as a vocation director. There should be some curriculum available for your use. Judene indicated there is and that we are using some of it now.
8. Concerns:
   1. Kindergarten: we didn’t have the numbers, but we want one for next year. Moon started full day Kindergarten and we lost our numbers. We didn’t offer full day program. We will have K–CCD next year.
   2. Families are not bringing their kids to church after Baptism.
9. Close with a prayer and wished Fr. Andrew well in his medical leave.
10. No Date was set for the March 2014 meeting.

Attendance: Steve Bonidie, Bill Deemer, Father Andrew Fischer, Judene Indovina – DRE, Deacon Bob Jancart, Britany Leddy, Joe Martonik, Ray Paulos, and Bernie Vogler.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection: We reviewed the readings for the First Week of Ordinary Time. The Gospel by St. Mark gives us the phrase from Jesus Himself: "Repent and believe in the Gospel" that has been used as a theme for Lent. Here we see that it applies ALL the time. In this gospel, Jesus was baptized by John, the heavens opened and the voice of God the Father was heard. We have an early presentation of the Trinity to the Jews around the scene. The power of Grace is real and the Holy Spirit guides when It needs to do so.
3. Reflection on Advent/ Christmas 2013:
   1. Regus Flaherty was our Advent speaker at the covered dish dinner. Good participation by about 50 people.
   2. Discussion of when we can have "Joy to the World" in the Christmas Service. Strong support for "Go Tell It on the Mountain" to remain included.
   3. Many good comments received about the flowers and decorated trees.
   4. We had over 1200 people at the 4PM Mass!
   5. CCD play was enjoyable and in spite of the severe weather, we had 500 to 600 attending.
   6. Modern ideas of Christmas music seem to cause the kids to not know the traditional songs.
4. Update of the Parish Needs Assessment:
   1. February 16: Needs Assessment will be inserted in the bulletin and Father Andrew will speak about it at all Masses.
   2. February 23: Bulletin announcement explaining the Needs Assessment. Copies are available in the main vestibules. People can begin to return them in collection basket.
   3. March 2: People can return Needs Assessment form in collection basket.
5. Status of Stewardship Sunday:
   1. Progress of Power point presentation: Wasn’t discussed.
   2. After a minor rewording of the paragraph related to the Safe Environment Coordinator, the insert is ready to go. "The Parish site administrator of the Safe Environment Policy will guide the volunteer through the process. If he/she has questions or concerns either email the parish office (contactus@stmargaretmary–moon.org) or call the Parish Office (412–264–2573) and leave a message with the Secretary for the Safe Environment Administrator and the site administrator will get back to them."
   3. A suggestion was made to add Media Ministry under Outreach. The idea is to have someone promoting the media materials.
   4. Either March 16 or March 23 PowerPoint presentation prior to all Masses and Fr. Andrew will speak about Stewardship.
   5. Stewardship sign up packet will be an insert in the bulletin. Also option of signing up on line.
   6. Bulletin announcement concerning ministry sign up in the March 30 and April 6 bulletin.
   7. People can return last page of sign up packet in the collection basket. Additional copies of the ministry sign up packet will be available in the main vestibules.
6. Funeral Luncheon:
   1. Three different caterers were discussed as suitable for a list to provide the families.
   2. We feel we can offer the hall but not handle the food supply ourselves.
   3. Bernie mentioned a person, but we realize we need someone not working to be available when needed for the contact person.
   4. We will revisit this again next month.
7. Judene discussed the status of the media center located on the Sharon Rd side of the church. Ann Ebbert’s daughter has agreed to monitor and replenish the stock of materials in the kiosk.
8. All other topics were held for the next meeting.
9. We closed the meeting with a prayer.
10. Britany revised the St. Margaret Mary Needs Assessment according to our agreement:
11. Bernie likewise adjusted the Stewardship Handout/Sign–Up Form.
12. No Date was set for the February 2014 meeting.

Attendance: Steve Bonidie, Carolyn Cimato, Bill Deemer, Father Andrew Fischer, Judene Indovina - DRE, Deacon Bob Jancart, Joe Martonik, Ray Paulos, and Bernie Vogler.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection: We reviewed the readings for Sunday’s Mass: Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Essentially, Jesus is the Kingdom. He became King because of the Cross. We need to recognize our cross, pick it up and go through with it.
3. Update of the Parish Needs Assessment:
   1. Fr. Will introduce it in church on February 15-16, 2014
   2. It will be published in the Bulletin and on the website February 22-23, 2014
   3. Last date to return will be March 2, 2014
4. A new Bulletin format is coming. It will begin the First Sunday of Advent. One change will be a picture of our church on the cover.
5. Status of Stewardship Sunday:
   1. The forms are ready to go.
   2. Bernie will make sure the form will fit on two pages to insert in the Bulletin.
   3. Judene will work on the PowerPoint presentation. Bernie will help review the slides to determine what needs replaced.
   4. A parishioner, Eric Pensenstatler, is a professional photographer and has offered to help. Fr. Andrew and Judene will contact him about availability/scheduling.
   5. The presentation will be either March 15-16 or 22-23.
6. Funeral Luncheon:
   1. We will provide the Church Hall for the luncheon.
   2. We will recruit volunteers to help serve the luncheon after the funeral and internment.
   3. Keep it simple – a one page menu and directions to give to the family.
   4. No alcohol in the church hall for this event.
   5. Bill will obtain a standard menu from the suggested caterer.
   6. We will need a Point Person fro the families to contact, who will inform Sophie and Rich and be in contact with the caterer’s representative. This is an important new ministry.
7. Speaker/Program to Unite All Parish Ministries (suggested by Deacon Bob):
   1. The Deacon explained the intent is :
   2. To integrate all of our parish ministries.
   3. To make each ministry more completely aware of their role in our Church programs.
   4. To encourage responsible participation, each member should be ready to step in when there is a need (absent person in Lector, Altarserver, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion for example).
   5. To grow the program to maybe include a retreat with a closing Mass.
   6. Judene suggested the Retreat could have breakout sessions for individual ministries and common sessions for topics that apply to all ministries. This could be a conclusion to Stewardship Sunday activities.
   7. Perhaps a speaker could be used to draw all the ministries together – integration is important.
8. Advent/ Christmas 2013:
   1. In just the first week, we have 2500 gift cards for Christmas
   2. We will co-ordinate Reconciliation services among the neighboring parishes during Advent - All Tuesdays - 3rd, 10th, and 17th.
   3. A new Nativity set has been purchased and someone has volunteered to pay for it.
   4. Our normal Christmas decorations seem nice, so we will continue them.
   5. On the Third Sunday of Advent we will have an Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. This is a good time to come to Church and forget the stresses of the season.
   6. The CCD kids will be invited to sing a song or two during the First Week of the Epiphany.
   7. Some "brainstorming" suggested a soup sharing – bring a crock pot of your favorite soup to share; a meatball recipe sharing/tasting; a favorite ornament or nativity scene display. Each of these might involve a small fee to participate. These were discussed for future consideration but no plans were made.
9. Pastor Update:
   1. The Pittsburgh Catholic will be doing an article regarding our Halloween Candy collection.
   2. We need to start a Vocation Counsel – we have the primary representatives of religious life in our parish – priest, deacon, nun – we should devise a way to take advantage of them to encourage vocations.
   3. Interesting event during a double Baptism after Mass, an Altarserver volunteered to stay to help with the procedure. This presents a new idea for ways the Altarservers can minister in our parish.
   4. Lets work to encourage people to come to 9am Mass on Thanksgiving.
   5. Britany needs an accompanist for the Contemporary Music Ministry.
10. Council Member Concerns:
    1. Deacon Bob suggested that each ministry do a 100 word summary of their work for the next Parish Handbook.
11. Date of our next meeting: second week of January, 2014.
12. We closed the meeting with a prayer.

Attendance: Steve Bonidie, Carolyn Cimato, Bill Deemer, Father Andrew Fischer, Deacon Bob Jancart, Joe Martonik, Ray Paulos, and Bernie Vogler.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. The reflection was the St. Margaret Mary Feast Day Celebration just before the meal and our meeting.
3. Parish needs assessment – we reviewed.
   1. It seems ready to go.
   2. It should go in the Bulletin Nov. 2/3.
   3. It will be available for pick–up in the vestibules Nov. 10 and 17 and on the website.
   4. It is to be handed in by Nov. 24 in the same manner as the Census. Place it in the collection basket or drop in the parish office foyer (mail slot).
4. Stewardship Sunday – we reviewed the Online registration form.
   1. Modify the Telephone to be Phone Number, extend answer lines the full width.
   2. Ask the them to print clearly if handing in their copy if this form.
   3. Move AA above the Boy Scouts to avoid confusing blocking.
   4. Probably wait until the beginning of next year for this to be released.
   5. Cathy Morihlatko is still the co–ordinator for our Safe Environment, but Fr. Andrew wants to confirm that she will continue. The information related to her position is in red on the first page. This will not be released until this position is clarified.
   6. Bernie Vogler will have the web site form ready to go. (It can easily be made a physical form the parishioners could pick up, complete and hand in.)
5. Status of the St. Margaret Mary Media Center
   1. We are still looking for a location.
   2. Bernie commented on the need for more "Bells and Whistles" for the website announcements related to this and the CDs.
   3. Bernie will send a not e to Judene regarding notes about what is available.
6. Funeral Luncheon
   1. What should be our role/responsibility on this? A lengthy discussion followed.
   2. Before we bought, prepared and served meals – average cost was $2.75 several years ago.
   3. We do not have the personnel to do this now.
   4. We would like to get a group of people who would be willing to help serve the luncheon and clean up afterwards.
   5. WE NEED A POINT OF CONTACT PERSON for this ministry.
   6. We will select a reliable caterer, provide the family with the caterer’s contact information, menu and price.
   7. The family will pay for the luncheon, we will; provide the space and some volunteers to help serve and clean-up.
   8. The family will make the contact with the caterer.
   9. The caterer will contact the Parish Office to make sure the church hall is available for the luncheon – clear this date through Sophie. Once they contact the office, we can arrange the volunteers.
   10. Bill Deemer has checked out several caterers and heard good reports about The Cooked Goose Company. Several other organizations were mentioned. We will screen for a suitable caterer.
   11. We will post in the Bulletin that we are looking for a Co–ordinator for this service and later also for reliable caterers.
   12. Deacon Jancart suggested a simple, concise 1 page document to spell this out to families.
7. Pastor Update:
   1. We will not be a "voting site" due to limited parking on our lower level and the 20+ steps leading from the upper lot to the hall entrance.
   2. The school has revised its calendar to give the students the day off so the school property can be used for voting.
   3. Convocation at Oglebay – Monday, 10/21 to Thursday 10/24.
   4. Father Andrew will join Bishop Zubik and fellow priests for a convocation for spiritual renewal.
   5. Deacon Jancart will hold Communion Services while he is gone. See the Bulletin for the times.
   6. There will be no Confessions on Wednesday, 10/23.
   7. Projections indicate that 40% of current priests will retire over the next 5 years.
   8. We need to pray for vocations and for the priests who remain in service.
8. Next meeting will be November 12 or 19th depending upon when Fr. Andrew’s Retreat is scheduled.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection on the Feast of St. Matthew. One of the original 12 Apostles. He was a tax collector. He had St. Mark’s Gospel in front of him, but he also likes to put together words to fit the Jewish community. He was trying to show that Jesus is the Messiah. He often brought in quotes from the Old Testament. Matthew and John were two Apostles and Evangelists.
   1. We need to understand God’s concept not have God understand us.
   2. We assume to "wear" righteousness, but need to be careful about this.
   3. Jesus was the Ultimate Sacrifice.
   4. We need to follow with mercy.
3. Parish Needs Assessment Survey
   1. We reviewed the form.
   2. No leader for the Adult Fellowship or the Young Adult Fellowship groups.
   3. We need to renew and restructure the fellowship groups.
   4. Add to the Parish survey in place of question #2: Do you see a Specific Need in this parish of community that we should respond to?
   5. Is there and interest in renewing any ministries?
   6. Add this form to the Parish website, insert in the Bulletin and have available in the lobby. Directions to return in the box in the vestibule.
   7. Fr. Will pick a Sunday in October and will address this at every Mass.
4. St. Margaret Mary Resource Media Center.
   1. Kiosk assembled but still needs DVDs/ CDs
   2. Not a great start to the program. It would have been nice if the company had supplies available at the start.
   3. We need some "Flash" for the weblinks to these resources.
   4. We are using the outer lobby on the second floor or Dompka Education Center but we need a location. Cabinets have been donated. Judene is working on a location.
   5. Judene hopes to have the CDs and books running by October. When ready Judene will announce in church and Bernie will post on the website.
5. Eventually we need to upgrade the bathrooms in the DEC.
6. Census. During October we will insert a simple information form in the Bulletin and on the website to allow us to update out contact information.
   1. Address, phone number(s), household members and ages.
   2. We will have a notice of privacy on the use of this information.
7. Stewardship. We examined and suggested revisions to the form. Once it is ready, it will be posted to the website and inserted into the Bulletin. It will be shared with the Pastoral Council and Father to make sure it is the form that we want to post.
8. Pastor update
   1. Blood drive before Thanksgiving
   2. St. Margaret Mary Feast day Oct 16
   3. We will have a covered dish activity to celebrate.
   4. The parish will provide main meat, 6 to 7pm – a family thing
   5. Have our Feast day activity, then half hour later begin the meal.
   6. Oct. 5, Saturday at 2 pm. Pet blessing.
   7. Communal anointing of the sick after the 4pm Mass on the 19th.
   8. Clothing drive some weekend in Oct.
      1. We will ask people to bring in coats they no longer need.
      2. Diane Cleaner cleans them.
      3. They will be give to the West Hills Food Pantry.
      4. As the people go through the food bank they can pick up a coat.
      5. Check bulletin don’t put them on St. Vincent DePaul truck. They will go on another truck.
   9. Ecumenical Thanksgiving service on Monday the 25th of November at the Felician Mother House
   10. The next meeting to be announced.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection
3. Distribute Pastoral Plan – (Revised Spring 2013) no discussion.
4. Parish Picnic, August 3 after 4:00pm Mass.
   1. Assume about 150 people.
   2. Hot Dogs, Buns, fixings, watermelon (about 6), Chips, Ice Cream, Dessert table.
   3. Paper plates, Napkins, Plastic Forks
   4. Ice, Lemonade, water
   5. Tent, Tables, Chairs, Garbage Cans
   6. Bingo Machine, Bingo cards, Bingo Start–up money, crayons, Bingo Aprons
   7. Golf – closet to the pin
   8. Games for children and adults – sack races, Golf Ball Relay, Water Balloon Toss
   9. Games for Children
   10. Music
   11. Prizes for game winners
5. Parish Needs Assessment Survey Form: (Britany)
   1. We will use this form in lieu of a Town Hall Assembly
   2. We will insert this form in the Bulletin once, then place in the Lobby once and make it available on the website.
   3. Participants can drop the form at church or send their response by email to the webmaster.
   4. Signatures will be optional.
   5. Pastoral Council reviewed the form and made several suggested revisions.
6. Pastoral Council Fall Retreat:
   1. Start about 11AM
   2. Lunch
   3. Finish in time for 4:00 PM Mass
   4. Invite Judene Indovina, Jessica Tucek, Deacon Robert Jancart to attend.
   5. September 21 or 28.
7. Several names were suggested for further parish involvement.
8. Pre–K / Kindergarten
   1. Survey parishioners about he need
   2. Thinking of a Kindergarten CCD maybe once a month
9. Pastor’s Update:
   1. Official welcome to Deacon Robert Jancart.
   2. West Hill Rehabilitation Center – Fr. Andrew and Deacon Bob will explore what his involvement can be there.
   3. Mass – Assumption 7PM at the West Hills Rehab
   4. Capital Campaign – begins in September.
      1. About 60 churches involved in this session.
      2. A person from the consulting firm will meet with Fr. Andrew to help him on his part of this project.
      3. 36% fee for administration of this program.
      4. Fr. Andrew will be notified before the Bishop meets with our "heavy givers".
      5. It will run from September to December.
   5. New CCD Secretary – Susie Thomas. She is a CCD teacher, Eucharistic Minister and very good with computers.
   6. Cathy Morihlatko is still our Safe Environment Co–ordinator.
   7. We have about 400 registered CCD students so far – (this is a good number for this point in the year.)
10. We concluded with a prayer.
11. Next meeting will be the Retreat at the Felician Sisters Mother House, Sept. 21 or 28

Attending: Fr. Andrew, William Deemer, Carolyn Cimato, Joe Martonik, Ray Paulos, Judene Indovina

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection: Paul to the Corinthians.
3. Protecting God’s Children: Fr. Andrew indicated that progress continues with this program in our parish.
4. Revisions for Stewardship – hold onto these until Bernie returns.
5. First Communion – 50 young people, comments were positive in reference to personalizing the ceremony.
6. Funeral Luncheon – Bill Deemer reports on Marsala’s Catering and what would deliver, prepared food. Talked about accepting bids from Parish members. Develop a fixed menu – get a couple of prices.
7. Pastor Update:
   1. Vicar visit June 13
   2. CCD Dinner for teachers on Tuesday, May 21. They’ll get a gift card to recognize their effort.
   3. Jancart ordination June 15.
   4. Solemnity – Body and Blood of Christ – Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament after the 11:30 Mass (12:45 to 1:45PM).
   5. Update on Sophie – she’s at home doing rehab now.
   6. June 12 – host Baccalaureate for West Hills Ministerium Association.
   7. Youth Minister interviews.
   8. Summer films in the evenings.
8. Judene Indovina, Director of Religious Education, lead discussion on a "Develop the Faith" Resource Reading Center.
9. We concluded with a prayer.
10. Next meeting should be the Retreat at the Felician Sister’s Mother House.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection: Acts of the Apostles 4:32–37 During Lent we give to many needs, many of these are placed at the foot of the altar for distribution to the needy,
3. Protecting God’s Children: Our coordinator has indicated that people are co–operating with our request to be trained. Many more ministries are coming into compliance – all the critical areas with first contact with children have all been certified and trained.
4. Review Lent/Holy Week/Confirmation 2013:
   1. The Easter Vigil went well and we had more attending (~800) and most went outside for the lighting of the fire. The wax problems of the past were much better with the new approach.
   2. Holy Thursday about the same as last year.
   3. Good Friday about 100 more attended.
   4. Easter was jammed.
   5. The Living Stations was outstanding. We had about 15 students involved.
   6. We had more people involved with Evening Prayers.
   7. Once again the feet washing was a moving experience for many involved.
   8. It was brought up that some churches use a narrator through out the Mass – maybe we could use that at the Vigil next year. "Grow it, Explain it and maybe it will increase attendance."
   9. The food collection was phenomenal. We collected about 400 lbs of canned meat and fish and over 300 boxes of cereal.
   10. Suggestions:
       1. We may need a "Captain" to see that all preparations and people are in place for Communion.
       2. We can work on the Quiet at the end of Good Friday.
       3. Maybe next year, we can have a procession outside on Palm Sunday.
       4. Good Friday, the Ushers should help create 2 rows as people move to the cross.
   11. Blessing Easter baskets in the Grotto – it was a beautiful day, impressive sight, great community witness, people like going outside for this.
5. Confirmation:
   1. went well.
   2. Bishop Winter presided.
   3. Practiced on Palm Sunday afternoon.
   4. Kids were really good.
   5. Bishop talked to each candidate.
   6. No Mass, 85 kids, 1 hour and 50 minute program.
6. First Communion:
   1. 60 participants
   2. 5 Masses from the end of April and early May.
7. First Confessions:
   1. Also went well
   2. Almost every parent went to confession when their kids did.
8. Pastoral Council Retreat
   1. September 7
   2. Start earlier this year
   3. Examine the Stewardship Sign–up Form
9. Pastor Update:
   1. Daily Mass – Some attend the 7:00 Mass because they can’t attend the 8:30 Mass due to work schedules. Others can’t make the 7 am Mass. The Attendance at the 7 am Mass is slightly smaller than the 8:30 Mass.
   2. Capital Campaign will begin in September – "a ton of work for the priest!"
   3. We will try to get estimates for an elevator and an idea where one could be installed.
   4. We need someone to pick up the Funeral Luncheon.
      1. limited menu
      2. Current person resigned
      3. Use a caterer on a limited basis?
      4. Announce in the Bulletin to see who might be interested.
   5. May wrap up for CCD with Mass and May crowning.
10. Council Members Concerns:
    1. We turned down another request involving a senior project – our normal policy.
    2. Knights of Columbus clarified dates for the Penny Drive – June 15, 16.
11. Next meeting should be May 14 at 6:30 pm in the church hall.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection: A reading from the second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians and Gospel of St. Luke, Ch15 from March 10, 2013. We are a new creation through Christ. We are ambassadors for Christ. Our faith is the same regardless of who is elected Pope. The Gospels illustrates unconditional forgiveness.
3. Protecting God’s Children:
   1. Fr. Andrew held a meeting with all ministry participants after the 9:30am Mass on Feb. 24, 2013.
   2. We want all to be in compliance by June 1, 2013.
   3. All ministries must understand this is a NATIONAL Bishop’s requirement.
   4. Failing to get in compliance would indicate the person is no longer interested in participating in that ministry.
   5. There will be notices of opportunities for compliance.
   6. After June 1, a short personal letter will thank them for their service and notify them they are no longer involved in that ministry.
   7. Fr. Andrew indicated there has been a good response of participants checking on their compliance status with the site coordinator.
4. Stewardship Weekend:
   1. How do we approach the parish to attract more people?
   2. It is felt that having Fr. Andrew address stewardship in a homily would have a big impact.
   3. Personal contact is the best approach.
   4. We need to expand information about the responsibilities of each Ministry.
   5. ALL MUST BE IN COMPLIANCE/ ALL IN GOOD STEAD WITH THE CHURCH.
   6. We have many ministries that need either fresh personnel or additional persons:
      1. We need more people in the bereavement ministry.
      2. We need readers who read slow enough and loud enough to be understood.
      3. We could make guidelines for readers at funerals.
   7. It was suggested to have a coordinator between us and Father.
   8. It was suggested to have personal testimonies posted on the internet and some delivered at Mass after our September retreat.
   9. We could have various ministry participants available after Mass to answer questions.
   10. Fr. Andrew indicated that on Sunday March 17, they would train and install 12 new altarservers.
5. Lent & Holy Week:
   1. Palm Sunday – the palms will be distributed as the parishioners leave the church.
      1. Consider a procession with palms on Palm Sunday in 2014.
      2. Easter in 2014 is April 20 so Palm Sunday will be warmer next year.
   2. Evening prayer Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
   3. Holy Thursday – Mass of the Last Supper.
      1. We would like the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to lead the procession into Mass and the transfer of the Eucharist from the altar to the tabernacle.
      2. They will carry candles (held high) for the procession to the tabernacle. (dim lights)
      3. The church would remain open until Midnight with Night Prayers at 11:45pm.
      4. Fr. Andrew would renew his Priesthood Vows.
   4. Good Friday
      1. Meditation from 12 noon to 1pm
      2. We will use only one cross this year.
   5. Holy Saturday – Father will bless the Easter Baskets at the Grotto at noon.
   6. Easter Vigil – Fr. Andrew was given permission to have the Vigil Service at 7pm instead of 8pm (the Diocesan directive).
6. Capital Campaign – nothing new – Campaign will run from Sept. to Dec. 2013.
7. Next meeting should be April 9 at 6:30 pm in the church hall.

1. Protecting God’s Children – Father will hold a meeting for all involved in ministries to alert them to the June 1, 2013 deadline to be in compliance with Protecting God’s Children. The next class will be held in May. More details to come.
2. Ministry Leadership Training – Father will continue with training for alter servers and Eucharistic ministers.
3. Youth Group and CCD Updates – Judene presented a thorough and insightful overview of the CCD and Youth Group programs:
   • 519 students attending CCD program.
   • 34 regular teachers and 15 aides – 25% of former teachers in the program retired at the beginning of the year, but were replaced in one weekend! With that being said, the program is always in need of subs and will need new recruits for 2013–2014.
   • Working on certification of teachers – look to renew every 5 years.
   • New Confirmation program format – catechesis, youth ministry, prayer, service. Program receiving great feedback from parents and community.
   • 200 students participated in the Christmas Pageant. Great community builder.
   • New procedures for hall monitors, cell phone usage and a new procedure booklet.
4. Judene also spoke about some concerns and needs of the program:
   • Lock–down policy is needed, but building presents a challenge.
   • Age appropriate bibles are needed for grades 1–4.
   • Resource center and Parent Formation – best approach?
   • Additional bathroom needed in Dompka building.
5. Parish Picnic – Date confirmed for August 3 after 4pm mass. As in years past, there will be hot dogs, chips, and ice cream for all attending. This year watermelon will served and hopefully some live music. More details to come on those. The desert table will also be brought back this year. All are welcome to bring a dessert to share.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection:
3. Advent Season and Christmas 2012 Summary:
   1. Christmas Participation was good – estimated 3000 attendance.
   2. Used the screen.
   3. Need to introduce the Children’s Choir to curtail talking before Mass.
   4. Need to introduce "ANY" pre–Mass activity.
   5. New Year’s Eve 11 pm Mass first time attempted and had about 25 people.
   6. New Year’s Eve 4 pm Mass was also weakly attended.
4. Pastoral Council Meeting Date: We will try to follow the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm - that would make Feb. 12 the next meeting.
5. Lent 2013
   1. Ask for palms for Ash Weds.
   2. We want to add Meditations.
   3. Consider trying Mass at 7 am or Tuesday evening to draw more into Church through Lenten Season.
   4. We have deleted the 8:30 am Mass on Saturday.
   5. Consider a banner to be located where the manger was set up.
6. Protecting God’s Children
   1. For the workshop here at St. Margaret Mary 35 to 45 are signed up.
   2. We continue to encourage anyone who is involved in a ministry to go through the program.
   3. Even if a person does not expect to be alone with children, the workshop will make them more aware of what warning signs to recognize.
7. World Marriage Day on Sunday – Bill and Mary Krause will renew their vowels. They have been married 65 years.
8. Youth Group and CCD Updates:
   1. Confirmation is set for Easter Thursday
   2. A retreat will be held in Feb or March. It will involve about 90 kids.
   3. Two meetings are planned with the sponsors to talk about their eligibility.
9. Capital Campaign Update:
   1. We have asked the Diocese to start in the #2 track.
   2. Campaign will run from Sept. to Dec. 2013.
   3. We should get more specific instructions in April.
10. Ministry Leadership and Training:
    1. How can we help to fill these ministries?
    2. Who helps to disseminate the information about our ministries?
    3. Are we moving away from our Mission Statement – the consensus is that the numbers in all areas including membership are falling. What can be done to help reverse this?
11. Picnic is tentatively scheduled for August 3.
12. Concern was expressed for a flyer taped to our glass door. It was advertizing a "Guys Night." This was not an approved notice and it wasn’t in the approved location. Some discussion on handling these situations. We will seek a display board and control what is placed in it.
13. Fr. Andrew expressed a concern that the dress for some ministries is sometimes not appropriate. It seems most likely to happen during the week rather than week–ends.
14. Next meeting should be February 12 at 6:30 pm. (February 11 at 6 pm)

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection: What do we bring to stand before God? As a parish, what are we doing?
   The consensus was that we have many ministries because we care for those in need. Our general approach: we try to address all the various needs. Charity is more than money, it is also caring with a personal touch.
   Fr. Andrew had another engagement so the meeting was abbreviated to four topics.
3. Judene Indovina, our DRE, addressed the Pastoral Council with ideas related to Year of Faith activities.
   1. A big suggestion was the creation of a Catholic faith media center/resource center. The location and details will be worked out at a future time.
   2. The book "Rediscover Catholicism" will be available to the parishioners for a class that Fr. Andrew will teach during Lent. Judene indicated there is a study guide available for the book also.
   3. It was suggested that we start a Women’s Spirituality of Bible Study.
   4. Rob Jancart would like to start something here similar to "The Coming Home Network" on EWTN.
   5. There are several pre–packaged bible studies available now.
   6. There are several popular authors dealing with current needs among various age groups.
4. The Capital Campaign has begun in the Diocese. Fr. Asked for our parish to start in September. Joe led a review of the highlights to expect during the campaign. It will be handled by an outside organization for a fee of $0.07 per dollar collected. (~$10million). The other points of the campaign remain as outlined in last month’s meeting.
5. We will host a "Protecting God’s Children" workshop on January 15 to be led by Fr. Andrew. The Council also discussed why everyone who is regularly involved in a church ministry must go through the program. Many of those who resist do not realize that the program will help them recognize cases of abuse.
6. Fr. Andrew was concerned about the cold and flu season that is coming. Fewer parishioners are partaking in the Precious Blood so we are having significant amounts left over after each Communion service. He suggested that we reduce the 5 stations to 3 – two up front and one in the rear center. Therefore, we will only need 7 Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion for each Mass. The Council members agreed with the change for the flu season. For Christmas Mass only the hosts will be distributed due to the volume of people expected at Mass.
7. Member Concerns:
   1. To encourage stability on our Pastoral Council activities, it was agreed to plan monthly meetings for the 2nd Tuesday or Wednesday of each month at 7:00 PM there would be no August or December meetings. Fr. Andrew agreed but also indicated that the meeting could be changed if a need arose.
   2. The Young Adult Group would still like to meet, but they feel they need some help since they want to operate as ½ fellowship and ½ ministry. Council suggested the Judene might be able to help them.
8. Next meeting will be scheduled for January (2nd Tuesday or Wednesday) at 7PM. (actually: January 14 at 6PM)

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised). Fr. Andrew had another engagement so the meeting was abbreviated to two topics.
2. Diocesan Capital Campaign
   1. Diocesan capital campaign to raise $125 million in 5 yr.
   2. It will begin in several pilot parishes in January, 2013.
   3. Our share will be calculated at 175% of our average offering for the last three years.
      • We estimated average offering $719,000.
      • We estimated 5 yr goal will be $1.3 Million.
      • We estimated $252,000/yr will be needed to meet our goal.
      • We estimate that we will need $21000/mo to meet our goal.
   4. Under the campaign plan the local parish will get 40% and the Diocese 60%.
   5. If the local parish meets their goal, then the split becomes 60% local and 40% Diocese.
   6. We do not know when the 40% share will be paid (as it is collected or at the end of the program.)
   7. An outside organization will run the program for the Diocese.
   8. Parishes will begin in three "starts ". Fr. Andrew asked that our parish be given a middle program start (September, 2013.)
   9. Our Parish Share will continue the same as now.
   10. Our weekly offerings are to remain as they are now.
   11. Our Maintenance fund can remain as it is now.
   12. We have about 2000 families in our parish. If everyone participates it will run $10.50/mo/family.
   13. We have 500 to 600 envelope users/mo. If only this group participates it will run $35/mo/participant.
3. Mass Schedule
   1. Parishioner responses were reviewed. There were some complaints but minimal suggestions for addressing the complaints. Our choice seems to be the best compromise.
   2. The Sunday Masses will be 7:30AM, 9:30AM, and 11:30AM on Sunday.
   3. The weekday Masses would stay the same (8:30AM) as would the Saturday evening Mass (4:00PM).
   4. Confessions will remain the same – Weds. At 9:15AM and Saturday at 11:00AM.
   5. The information on Mass schedule change has been posted for two weeks in the Bulletin and staff, councils and parishioners have had a chance to respond.
   6. Fr. Andrew will draft a letter to the Diocese and we members of the Pastoral Council will all co–sign it.
   7. Fr. Andrew did express concern for the number of Masses that he is often required to perform on Saturday or some Holy Day vigils.
4. Next meeting will be scheduled for late November or early December. (December 2, 2012 at 6:30 pm)

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection: Using the Readings from the Feast of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels we reflected on how the words apply to us. Jesus is the Light and we pass the light along to others by our actions. All that we do should be done in a loving way. "Use it or loose it!" If we do not practice being the light for others, it weakens in our own system and there is less "brilliance" to share.
3. Mass Schedule – Considering the Sunday Masses offered in our area and our own needs, we agreed that 7:30AM, 9:30AM, and 11:30AM on Sunday would be the best compromise. The weekday Masses would stay the same (8:30AM) as would the Saturday evening Mass (4:00PM). Confessions will remain the same – Weds. At 9:15AM and Saturday at 11:00AM. Parishioners can provide their concerns until October 16, then Fr. Andrew will seek Diocesan approval for the schedule change. We hope to begin the new schedule in November.
4. Fr. Andrew is asking the Diocese to assign a Deacon to St. Margaret Mary.
5. The Pope has declared a Year of Faith for October 2012 to November 2013. This is the 50th anniversary of Vatican II Council and the 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
   1. Highlights of the 16 documents will be a focus throughout the year.
   2. Before or after the Creed, we will sing the refrain "This is our faith . . . "
6. Special Liturgies
   1. Tuesday, October 16 is St. Margaret Mary Day. We will add an evening Mass to celebrate our Patron. We wish to begin to encourage the parish to celebrate their patron saint.
   2. On All Saint’s Day, November 1, we would like to get more young people involved. Perhaps they could dress to represent a Saint. (See if our DRE can initiate this among the CCD and Confirmation classes.)
   3. On All Soul’s Day, November 2, we need to push for people to come to church to recognize those from the parish who have passed away. Attending Mass is the best way to remember them and all the members of our parish who have passed away. What can we do to encourage participation? The Book of the Dead has about 2000 names listed – a great reason to participate.
7. Grieving Ministry
   1. Try to arrange for someone from Hospice to talk to the parishioners about this - ?November?.
   2. Let’s send someone for training for this Grieving Ministry and create a Support Group.
   3. This is s long-term support so we need someone trained for this.
   4. Members will come in and out of this as they need changes.
   5. Maybe Kevin from Hospice can extend an invitation when he comes to talk.
   6. We would plan to reach out tot those we think need to be involved in this program.
   7. Perhaps Kevin could speak after the 7PM Mass on Nov. 2. Kevin could speak at 7:45PM.
8. Stewardship
   1. Diocesan Capital Campaign
      1. Diocesan capital campaign to raise $125 million in 5 yr.
      2. Priests have been notified they will be assigned a target value to reach.
      3. It is estimated to be 1.75% of the last three year’s average donation. That means we will be assigned approximately $1.5 million to raise. 60% will go to the Diocese and 40% will go to the parish. (If we reach our target number the rates will reverse.)
9. Food Bank
   1. We get big collections Thanksgiving, Christmas and Lent.
   2. We have the Halloween Candy collection.
   3. We regularly send cash to West Hills Food Bank and the Mooncrest program.
   4. We have sent some items to the jail – shampoos, etc.
   5. We give some to the "Red Door" in Pittsburgh.
   6. The majority of what we collect is given to the Food Bank.
10. Next meeting will be scheduled for late October. (October 30 at 6:30 PM.)

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection: Using the reading from the Book of the Prophet Amos from the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, How have you been drawn out of your "comfort zone"? The Lord calls us often when we least expect it.
3. Protecting God’s Children – Meeting with Ministries – Tabled for now because of Summer.
4. Presentation by Patrick Crago and Anthony Tambelini.
   1. A request to offer a pancake breakfast as a fund raiser for a local version of the program to "Stop the R-Word."
   2. Patrick has put a great deal of thought and effort in his preparation for this project.
   3. The suggested Sept. 15 date is too soon for us to give permission for this event.
   4. Family, friends and members of the Sharon scout troop will work for this.
   5. It is associated with the Special Olympics.
   6. We have great concern for the traffic between Masses if this is offered on a Sunday after Mass.
   7. Could they do it on a Saturday?
   8. The Diocese will probably ask us to verify financial accountability with this project.
   9. Are we covered by insurance?
   10. We need legal clearance from the Diocese.
   11. We need a responsible adult to sign off on this project.
   12. What are the guidelines for the use of the money collected? (The intent is to put it into a PNC account for use with their program to spread this effort among more schools.
   13. We need to get Jessica Tucek, the Youth Director, involved. {We may need to be cautious about linking the Youth Group with the Special Olympics.}
5. Parish Picnic – Saturday August 4 after the 4:00 pm Mass.
   1. We will set up about 3pm.
   2. Bill will get the food (hotdogs, buns and condiments).
   3. Fr. Andrew will serve hotdogs.
   4. Carolyn will handle the lemon blend and ice cream sundaes.
   5. Jim Kreske will do the Bingo and Fr. Jim will help.
   6. Joe will do the adult games and the kids games.
   7. Britany will do the Children’s games and prepare the prizes.
   8. We want Rich to clean up the site (pines cones, etc.) to reduce the slip hazard.
   9. Tables set up near the statue of Mary near the wall.
   10. Bill will contact Rob Jackson, Scout Chairman, regarding tent set–up.
   11. Joe will contact Diana Scally about the golf activity.
6. Update on DRE/CRE and Youth Director positions:
   1. Fr. Andrew has offered the DRE position to one of our candidates and they accepted our offer. We are now waiting for Diocese approval of the appointment.
   2. Jessica Tucek has been hired for the Youth Director position. She began July 15.
7. Pastoral Council Retreat: Sept. 29 seems to be the first choice with Sept 15, the second. Please pass our ideas for our retreat agenda to Joe.
8. Pastor Update:
   1. Vacation Bible School: about 40 participants plus the high school students who help.
   2. October 6, Diocesan pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. to the National Shrine. Costs about $2500 per bus. We will join St. Joseph parish to share in the expense of a bus.
   3. RCIA: Bob Jancart’s team runs this program. We will have a picnic and discuss ways to improve the program.
   4. Cosmetic problems–the lights near Beaver Grade Rd. do not work, there are several holes in the parking lot.
   5. The A/C system is 40 yr old. We have blown fuses twice this year.
   6. Still dreaming to enclose the area outside our church entrances as a meeting area for family and friends.
9. Home Based CCD – A list of concerns from last month’s PC were created:
   1. All students in the program must follow registration procedures with the CCD office.
   2. An outline of the year’s program including topics, activities, field trips, etc. along with approximate dates should be given to Fr. Andrew for review ASAP.
   3. Attendance at some CCD functions will be required of all students.
   (These functions will be identified by Fr. Andrew.)
   4. A concrete measure of each student’s achievement in the program is to be submitted to the DRE.
   5. A monthly homework assignment / activity dealing with the topics covered for the month should be developed by the Home Based CCD teacher and completed by each student. It should then be submitted to the Home Based CCD teacher for review.
   6. The policy of Protecting God’s Children must be followed in the home of the Home Based CCD teacher at all times.
   7. All listed concerns have been met and Fr. Andrew has agreed they can go ahead with the program for this year.
   8. The new DRE will be asked to examine this program and develop a policy.
   9. Joy Foster has already volunteered to serve on the DRE’s committee.
10. The next meeting will be the retreat. We will be notified of the date.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection: Using the Gospel according to Mark from last Sunday, How have you grown in your faith? Has something at St. Margaret Mary started small and grown?
3. Protecting God’s Children – Meeting with Ministries – Tabled for now because of Summer.
4. Summer Religious Education Program.
   1. Joy Foster and Ann Eberts presented what is done for summer Religious Education.
      1. Joy indicated the course taught covers the same material that is covered during the school year.
      2. They use the same book and teach for 30 hours.
      3. In addition to the learning program during the summer there are 4 refresher programs and activities during the school year.
   2. We asked them to submit a plan for the year (summer and refresher activities.)
      1. How will the content be paced during the summer program?
      2. Identify the homework and the activities for each chapter.
      3. How will they evaluate achievement?
      4. EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE MUST BE CERTIFIED THROUGH THE PROTECTING GOD’S CHILDREN PROGRAM.
   3. Parish Picnic – Saturday August 4 after the 4:00 pm Mass.
      1. We need resources for children’s games.
      2. While we are asking for reservations to know how many to prepare for, the parishioners should told through the Bulletin, and the website that they can still come even if they didn’t sign up.
      3. We’ll have the same menu and Ice cream.
   4. Update on DRE/CRE and Youth Director positions:
      1. The committee interviewed 7 candidates. They had narrowed it down to 3 candidates for DRE/CRE and now Fr. Andrew is interviewing them and will make a choice. We could be ready to hire someone very soon.
      2. Jessica Tucek has been cleared to be hired for the Youth Director position. We are waiting for the Diocese to give the final approval to hire her.
   5. Pastoral Council Retreat about September 15–Tabled for now.
   6. Pastor Update:
      1. May deficit was $29,000 due to the last payment of the Catholic School assessment to the Diocese .
      2. Almost every last Sunday of the month we have a Baptism at the 12:30 pm Mass. It is becoming very popular – even some of the HS age kids are impressed.
      3. October 6, Diocesan pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. to the National Shrine. Costs about $2300 per bus. We will see if we can get another parish to share in the expense of a bus.
      4. There seems to be interest in the "Care Notes." There are 100’s of topics. They might be helpful for our members. They would be available free in the vestibule.
      5. This year would be Fr. Beck’s 75th anniversary of priesthood ordination. Fr. Beck was St. Margaret Mary’s first pastor.
      6. The Boy Scouts have been given permission to park a 15’ x 8’ trailer in the lower lot near the air conditioner/dumpster. The Boys Scouts have a program similar to "Protecting God’s Children." There are many volunteers, they are not all parishioners, they sign their own form.
      7. Regarding noise in church – we can work on etiquette in church. Perhaps a page in the September Bulletin. The priests have been addressing this occasionally.
   7. The next meeting Wednesday, July 18 at 7:00 PM. in the Dompka Education Center.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Pizza and Dessert – This is Sr. Jeanine’s last Pastoral Council Meeting.
3. Reflection: Using the readings from last Sunday, What words or phrases strike me? What does this say to me about my life? About the life of the parish? Do I feel chosen? What is the fruit I see in my life? In the life of the parish?
4. "Protecting God’s Children" – Audit 4/23/12
   1. Fr. Harry Bielewicz met with the staff.
   2. We are 100% compliant with our staff and catechists and we are striving for100% for all ministries and volunteers.
   3. We will host "Protecting God’s Children" seminar.
   4. There could be an audit in the fall by the national group.
   5. Schedule a ministry meeting in late summer to address compliance, ministry update, we will seek to have all involved compliant – especially the leaders.
5. Pentecost = Memorial Day weekend. Wear red. Maybe next year we can hang some banners– (mid–May). It was suggested that we might use readings in multiple languages.
6. Update on DRE/CRE and Youth Director positions:
   1. On May 21,22,24, the committee will interview 7 candidates for DRE/CRE.
   2. Jessica Tucek has been cleared to be hired for the Youth Director position.
7. Noise at Certain Masses: Between 9:30 and 11 am. We will try to address some of these issues the 2nd week of June – the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord.
8. We shared names of possible candidates for Pastoral Council. STG#2– Find a Pastoral Council representative with a youthful perspective.
9. Pastor Update:
   1. May 30, Weds., 2nd Anniversary of the Promulgation of One Body, One Mission (book) Let Fr. Andrew know by Monday (5/21) if going.
   2. First Communion participants will be listed during the second week of June – we had 6 First Communion Masses in all.
   3. On Pentecost we will list the Confirmation candidates.
10. Parish Picnic:
    1. We will have it here again this year after the 4pm Mass on August 4.
    2. We need someone in charge of games for the little ones – – possible = Patty Zusinas?
    3. We need to clean up under the pine trees to avoid slipping.
11. Retreat date about September 15?? Contact Sr. Adrian to use the Felician Conference Room.
12. The next meeting Wednesday, June 20 at 7:00 PM. in the Dompka Education Center.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement (revised).
2. Reflection: How comfortable am I with those who are weak and need healing? Why do you think the Lord had the wounds on his Body after the Resurrection? What are the wounds in our parish community? How can we as a faith community help heal them?
3. Council reflected on the success of the Lenten Season.
   1. Evening prayer @ 6 PM. – not well attended.
   2. Many opportunities for Confessions – seemed successful.
   3. Meager Meal on the 9th and 23rd – small but good gathering.
   4. Living Stations was a great success as were the various versions of the Stations of the Cross. Our kids did a great job with the Living Stations – they worked equally hard at crew work and as presenters. They were very willing volunteers. It was stressed that they were not acting but were leading us in prayer.
   5. Almsgiving was excellent.
   6. Consider a Tenebrae Service next year, keep the Meager Meal, give a more detailed explanation for the components of our Easter Week celebration including Evening Prayers/Night Prayers and Meager Meal.
4. We had Lights for Easter.
   1. We had a great variety of flowers for Easter and Confirmation.
   2. We had a number of inquiries about becoming Catholic for 2013.
   3. The 8:30pm Vigil Mass only had about 250 present (St. Joseph @7pm had almost 400.)
   4. Holy Thursday – we need to get more Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion as part of the ceremonies. The house lights were to be lowered during the transfer procession but didn’t get lowered enough to be really effective. It was a prayerful and moving Mass.
5. Guidelines for use of the Bulletin Board for fundraising are ready when a Bulletin Board is acquired.
6. Update on Religious Education:
   1. We will have 65 making their First Communion (in groups of 8 to 15 at a time.)
   2. Confirmation went very well. Bishop Zubik is very personable. Holding it during Easter Week seems very appropriate.
7. Our policy on the Sacraments of Initiation were underscored by a recent letter form Fr. Stubna, the Secretariat for Catholic Education. These sacraments should be received in the home parish regardless of where the training occurred. The home parish is where the family practices their faith and contributes to the various charities.
8. They have 25 applicants for the DRE/CRE position and hope to have a selection soon.
9. The Youth Minister Position is still open. We are waiting for a candidate to obtain the proper clearances, and processed through the diocese.
10. The next meeting Wednesday, May 16 at 7:00 PM. In the Dompka Education Center.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement.
2. Reflection: What changes in attitude do I most want to make this Lent? With whom shall I share the good news of salvation today? What do I need to do to match my words and my actions?
3. Council reviewed the final details on the Lenten Season.
   1. Evening prayer @ 6 PM Sunday.
   2. Additional opportunites for Confessions will be provided. Penance Services will include St. Catherine of Sienna, Crescent Twp, St. Joseph, Coraopolis, and St. Margaret Mary in Moon twp.
   3. Meager Meal on the 9th and 23rd of March – soup, salad, and fruit salad – sign up to come.
   4. Bulletin inserts with guidelines and suggestions for devotions.
   5. Lenten calendar insert for the Bulletin and posted on our website.
   6. Living Stations will be on March 30th.
   7. Alms giving – once again we will recommend different items each week suggested by the Food Bank. Last year people were really grateful for socks.
   8. Stations of the Cross: remain at 7pm on Fridays. Father would like to alternate the different versions again this year. Positive comments came from the people in attendance last year.
4. Fund Raising Guidelines
   1. No Bulletin
   2. Approved for Bulletin Board
   3. Stated time period
   4. Participants must be a parishioner
   5. The activity must be approved by Pastoral Council
   6. This must be a non–business activity.
   7. The guidelines will be published in the Bulletin and is posted on our website.
5. Policy related to Pastor Verification Form.
   1. The Pastoral Council asks that parishioners abide the diocesan directives on Sacraments of Initiation. In particular, item C. "The celebration of the sacraments of initiation will ordinarily take place in the parish community of the candidate, regardless of where the catechetical preparation occurs."
   2. When Fr. Andrew signs the PVF a copy of the guidelines will be attached for the family’s reference.
6. Mission Statement: Second paragraph: Through our baptism we share in the life of the Father , Son and Holy Spirit by the celebration of liturgy and life especially as we celebrate the Eucharist.
7. Sister Jeanine is going to be the Novice Director for the Felician Provence in Connecticut and we hope to have a replacement here by May. Depending upon certification, we could hire a Director of Religious Education (DRE) or a Coordinator of Religious Education (CRE).
8. The Youth Minister Position is still open. We are waiting for a candidate to obtain the proper clearance.
9. Pastor Update:
   1. March Ministry Fair – Stewardship Sunday. Remind them to sign up on–line through our website.
   2. Young Adult Group – OK to the fall – Come to Jesus type email. The group will restart in March with Defending the Faith focus.
   3. Fr. Andrew will participate in a Theology on Tap program in New Castle.
   4. Several parishioners have approached Fr. Andrew regarding the talking / noise that is becoming distracting before and during the Mass – particularly 4 PM and 9:30 AM.
10. The next meeting Monday, April 16 at 8:00 PM. In the Social Hall.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement.
2. Reflection: Where do we see the Holy Spirit in our lives? Do we think of the Holy Spirit as a person in the Trinity – three equal persons in one?
3. Council reflected on the Advent/Christmas Season.
   1. Positives/ things that went well and will be continued next year:
      • Bulletin inserts
      • Nativity – both inside and outside
      • St. Nicholas day activities
      • Church decorations
   2. Concerns:
      • Seemed to be less time to gather as a community due to Christmas on a Sunday. Will make an effort to be mindful of that when planning events in the future.
   3. New ideas for next year:
      • Create more of a focus on the Epiphany – maybe a concert or event.
      • Father Andrew asked the Council to think on that and share ideas.
4. Council reviewed and discussed the 2012 Lenten calendar (based on 2011 Lenten calendar).
   • Ash Wednesday: keep same Masses as last year 7am, 9am, 12 noon, 7pm. The noon Mass presider will be considerate of time for those attending on a limited lunch hour.
   • Stations of the Cross: remain at 7pm on Fridays. Father would like to alternate the different versions again this year. Positive comments came from the people in attendance last year.
   • Living Stations: Father would like to add the Friday before Holy Week. A focus on prayer vs. performance. Confirmation and high school students of the parish will be approached to participate
   • Sunday Evening Prayer: will move to 6pm.
   • Faith Sharing: Are there open evenings to do this?
   • Meager Meal: possibly add to a Friday at the beginning and end of Lent before Stations of the Cross.
   • Bulletin inserts: will remain similar to last year with Liturgical Notes, information on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving and the relationship between them. Opportunities to do almsgiving will be a focus.
5. The next Pastoral Council meeting will be February 27 at 7:00 pm in the Dompka EducationCenter.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement.
2. Reflection: Using Sunday, December 4ths readings: How can we be more Christ-like.
3. Council completed their review of "One Mind, One Mission", The Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. This month’s focus was on Decision Making and Transistions (pages 73–78). Many times the decision will involve Discerenement (a prayerful effort in decision making) and in coming to a decision, the PAstoral Coucil will seek consensus.
4. Procedures for Full Compliance (St. Margaret Mary Parish) All staff, all catechists and those involved with Liturgy of the Word with Children are in 100% compliance. –– Cathy Morihlatko, the Religious Education Administrative Assistant, as part of her part–time duties is reviewing the credentials of the membership of groups and organizations in our parish to verify their level of compliance. There will be a Protecting God’s Children Adult Workshop here on January 21, beginning at 9:30 am.
5. Revised Fund Raising Policy with the suggested changes was approved. (Only one fund raising activity per group, but Parish education programs are exempt from that limit; The guidelines and procedures were listed in bullet form; and a 2 month lead for the application is suggested.) The Guidelines are posted on the website and available through the Parish Office.
6. We would like to address the #2 Short term goal at the next scheduled Pastoral Council meeting. We are seeking a candidate with a youthful perspective to join the Pastoral Council.
7. Monthly donations have been very generous: 700 rolls of toilet paper for Oct. , 600# of candy from Halloween, 1300 items at Thanksgiving; we received more gift cards than last year and Kmart added to the amount so that we had 368 cards worth $7380.
8. Advent/ Christmas Season: The Liturgy Change is going smoothly. Our Nativity will be displayed from Dec 17 through January 9. Since Christmas is on Sunday, we will use the Christmas Mass Schedule for Saturday and Sunday.
9. Pastor Update:
   1. After some discussion, the Pastoral Council agreed on a Marriage Policy for Non-parishioners who want to get married here because of our proximity to hotels/airport. Fee for non-parishioners would be $1000.
   2. After reviewing and discussing diocesan policies it was clear that the Sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation should be in the home parish with regard to those attending Catholic schools. St. Margaret Mary Parish policy will accompany pastor verification forms for the 2012-2013 school year.
   3. The Regional Vicar will meet in December/ January with the staff, the Pastoral Council and the Finance Council and will review the parish books and records.
10. Council Member Concerns:
    1. The Bereavement Ministry needs more members.
    2. The Parish Handbook committee has submitted the updated paperwork to Fr. Andrew. Father suggested that he; Sr. Jeanine and Bernie Vogler review this together and make changes. Fr. Andrew suggested we try for mid–January to complete what is needed.
11. The next Pastoral Council meeting is with the Vicar.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement.
2. Reflection: From the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we read the First Reading from Exodus Ch 22 (about not oppressing others and basically caring for others in a loving manner) and from the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus instructs us that we must love the Lord and love our neighbor – the basis for our relationship with all others.
3. Council continued their review of "One Mind, One Mission", The Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. This month’s focus was on Pastoral Leadership: Proper Relationships, Membership, Meetings and Prayers (pages 61–72).
4. We reviewed the Short Term Goals Established at the 9/17/11 Retreat of the Pastoral Council. We hope to relate our activities to these each meeting throughout the year.
   1. Display more information on St. Margaret Mary website and bulletin.
   2. Try to find a candidate with a youthful perspective to join pastoral council.
   3. Communicate clearly the ongoing changes in the liturgy to our parishioners via the website and the bulletin.
   4. Explore the possible use of Facebook and Twitter for communication with our parishioners.
   5. Set up a monthly drive for West Hills Food Pantry with a designated food or non-food item for each month. Set a box in back of the church for the donation. Monetary donation will be collected as well.
   6. Explore possibility of installing poor box in back of church.
   7. Protecting God’s Children – verification in progress so everyone is on full compliance within each ministry. Offer another workshop in November. Propose a deadline for all candidates’ paperwork.
   8. Find someone to head the Funeral Luncheon Ministry.
   9. Continue involvement in Liturgy of the Word.
   10. Long Term Goals
       Enclose the entrances to church to have a gathering space for our parishioners.
5. We reviewed the parish fund raising policy. The current policy is posted on the website. We revised the time frame and stated that parish education programs are exempt from the limitations.
6. Pastor’s Update:
   • The Men’s Fellowship has moved their meeting from Saturday to Monday evening and it is growing. Fr. Andrew and Tim Megesey lead the discussion on the Sunday scriptures.
   • This Sunday’ bulletin will have a 21 page insert on the Roman Missal, Third Edition changes to take effect November 26/27, the first Sunday of Advent. Fr. Andrew and Fr. Jim will include this insert in their homilies on Oct 29/30.
   • The publisher of our bulletin has changed due to an acquisition by a firm from Cleveland.
7. Our next meeting will be Monday, December 5 at 7pm in the church hall.
8. We closed our meeting with a prayer.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement.
2. Reflection: on Pentecost.
3. "One Mind, One Mission" – no discussion, we will continue this in October.
4. Young Adults Fellowship Ministry – proceeding well, last meeting held attendance and discussions were great.
5. Fundraising Policy – Father Andrew would like to continue the policy from 2010 with the exception of the youth group conducting multiple fundraisers to offset the cost of their program. Also, if something comes up that he is not sure of dealing with the policy he will consult us. .
6. Pastoral Council Fall Retreat – date will be either September 10th or 17th. When Father Andrew informs Joe MArtonik, he will inform the council. Agenda will be developed in the summer.
7. Summer Parish Activity – Saturday, August 6th after the 4:00 mass. Council members volunteered for various duties in running the activity. It will be a parish summer gathering on the lawn – if it rains, we will gather in the church hall. We will serve hot dogs, and Bruster’s ice cream. We will have games and prizes as usual. We will ask those wishing to attend to sign up by the end of July.
8. Pastor Update – discussed training of 4 new lectors, discussed showing religious based movies in church on selected Sunday evenings.
9. Next meeting will be our fall retreat either September 10th or 17th, 2011.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement.
2. Reflection: We read from the Gospel of John in which Jesus assures us that He came that we might have life. He does so through a story about sheep following their shepherd. They will follow his voice because they recognize it, but they will not follow a stranger. Jesus is the gate for the sheep. All who pass through Him will be saved.
3. Council continued their review of "One Mind, One Mission", The Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, pages 45 - 51. This month’s focus was on the Components of and the Process for Pastoral Planning. We examined the process of Evaluating the Pastoral Plan and the process for Evaluating Self. We will come back to the evaluation process during our September Retreat.
4. We checked the results of the Stewardship Sunday Sign-Up both by flyer and on–line. We had 3 papers and 3 online sign–ups. The information has been sent to the appropriate ministry contact person. We had volunteers for St. Vincent De Paul, Helping Hands, Fellowship, Lector, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Men’s Fellowship, Communion to the Hospitalized, and a volunteer to start anew ministry "Coming Home."
5. The Young Adult Fellowship Ministry has a meeting scheduled for May 21. Attendance has been growing, so Fr. Jim and Britany are optimistic that this will be good also.
6. A review of Holy Week: The church lost its lighting 1 hour prior to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. It was out until Holy Saturday morning. We couldn’t see the beauty of the flowers until the lights came on. Joe Martonik worked with the Moon Volunteer Firemen set up temporary lighting . Fr. Andrew handled the light blackout very well – Holy Thursday service was very moving by candlelight. Calling RCIA candidates by name was touching and well received. First Communion services went well also, we expanded from 4 to 6 Masses. Several RMU students went through RCIA here but "came in" through their home church. Fr. Andrew and the RCIA Ministry will review the process.
7. We elected to review the Fundraising policy in our next meeting.
8. Bernie Vogler gave a brief report on the seminar that he recently attended: "The Relationship of the Parish Pastoral Council and Finance Council.". Both are mandated as a result of Vatican II. Pastoral Council plans the programs and develops the long range plans for the parish while the Finance Council budgets and provides the funds to carry out those planned programs. Terms of appointment vary but 6 years for PPC and PFC terms were highly dependent upon the available skills of parishioners since finance involves specific abilities.
9. Pastor Update: We have installed 21 servers, we are now set to train Lectors and next will be Eucharistic Ministers. For our new servers, we will schedule 3 so that one is experienced and will be there to help. Deacon Robert likes it here. He can handle some of the Baptisms and Baptism classes. For the next one we expect 20 people. We are scheduling these classes 6 times a year. Fr. Andrew and Sister Jeanine had a Listening Session with the parents of students in our Youth Ministry. Our goal is to fill it up.
10. Sr. Jeanine is pleased to have 61% of our CCD students already registered.
11. The next Pastoral Council meeting will be Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 7:00 PM.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement.
2. Reflection: We read from the Gospel of John in which Jesus cures the blind man by smearing clay on his eyes and sending him to wash on the Pool of Siloam. The Pharisees interrogated the man about his blindness and his cure. Ultimately the Pharisees refused to believe he was cured and threw him out. Jesus approached the man and inquired if he believed in the Son of Man; the man answered "I do believe, Lord." Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind."
3. Council continued their review of "One Mind, One Mission", The Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, pages 41 – 45. This month’s focus was on the Components of and the Process for Pastoral Planning. This month’s focus was on Identifying Objectives & Strategies then Implementing the Plan.
4. The Pastoral Council agreed on the handling of the various methods for stewardship sign–up. Boxes were put out to receive the flyer sign–up. Joe Martonik will see that the ministry facilitator will be notified of the names of new volunteers, he will then pass the forms on to Bernie for keeping. The electronic forms go to Bernie Vogler, who will contact the ministry facilitator. He will keep those records also.
5. The Young Adult Fellowship Ministry had a second meeting and 4 new members showed up (now up to 12). They are speaking to 20 to about 40 yr old candidates about joining, giving them a personal invitation to join. The group seems comfortable and there is good participation in the discussions.
6. Liturgy:
   • Confirmation was held on March 16. Bishop Winter was impressed with the good response from the candidates, he liked the Contemporary Music Group. We need to work on the pre-ceremony "auditorium effect."
   • First Reconciliation occurred March 15 and March 22. It went well. Two visiting priests assisted Fr. Jim and Fr. Andrew and Fr. Jim heard the children’s confessions and two visiting priests were available for the adults – many went to confession.
   • First Communion has been divided among 6 Masses: April 30 at 4:00pm, May 1 at 12:30pm, May 7 at 4:00pm, May 8 at 12:30 pm, May 14 at 4:00 pm, May 15 at 12:30 pm. The times allow the families to take pictures after the ceremony without concern to empty the parking lot for a next Mass.
   • RCIA will have their ceremony on April 23 during the Easter Vigil (8:30 by Diocese decree.).
7. Holy Week Announcements:
   • On Palm Sunday – Instead of palms being given out when they enter, we will distribute them as they exit.
   • Mass of the Lord’s Supper @7:00 pm Thursday. Fr. Andrew would like to ask certain people to have their foot washed. These individuals will represent a special part of our parish. The Eucharistic Ministers will be part of the processions into and with the transfer of the Holy Eucharist after Communion. The priests will renew their commitment – Joe will ask them the questions. At 11:45 pm, there will be brief "Night Prayers."
   • Good Friday – 12 to 3 pm. There will be meditation on the "Seven Last Words of Jesus" by Pope John Paul II. About 1:30 pm we will start the liturgy of the Lord’s passion. Brenden will lead on the 7 church walk.
   • Holy Saturday – RCIA rehearsal at 10:45 am, bless baskets at noon. Easter Vigil at 8:30 pm.
   • Easter Sunday – Easter Mass schedule.
   • Easter Monday – ordination of a new Bishop.
8. Pastor Update:
   • Good News – Diana felt not needed as much due to increased Bulletin content. Fr. Andrew will talk with her.
   • Alms giving – every week is new stuff. We collected 1000 cans of soup, 400 rolls of toilet paper so far.
   • Stations of the Cross – There are several that can be used: the traditional; the Annunciation of the Lord from the Blessed Mother’s Perspective; John Paul’s stations – not a traditional. The Franciscans established the number of stations and added consistency to the prayer process.
   • Sunday evening prayer – maybe try evening prayer in midweek in Lent.
   • Fr. Andrew suggested that we end the catechetical year with a special Mass and a picnic after – 1st of 2nd week of May, perhaps Monday or Tuesday?
9. Council Members Concerns: Bernie asked if it was time to start the Parish Handbook Committee. He was told to begin.
   A concern about the Boy Scout Spaghetti Dinner sales indicated they were down about 100 dinners, but the Scout leadership felt they did well. The problem was related to the number of activities going on that asked for money. They agreed to move to a different site to reduce the congestion outside of church. We will re–examine the fund raising policy.
10. The next Pastoral Council meeting will be Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 7:00 PM.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement.
2. Reflection: We read from the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus compares those who listen to His words and acts on them to the wise man who built his house upon rock – it was stable and endured; but those who do not act upon His words are like the fool who built his house on sand only to have it collapse when it was struck by foul weather. After the reading, we discussed what makes our parish a home and how we contribute to that feeling.
3. Council continued their review of "One Mind, One Mission", The Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, pages 36 – 40. This month’s focus was on the Components of and the Process for Pastoral Planning. The Eucharist is "the convergence point of all vital elements of parish life, the source and summit of the parish’s expression of its life in Christ as the Body of Christ. There are four elements in a parish that support and continue our faith:
   • Evangelization encompasses any way the parish spreads the good news and works to bring others to God.
   • Catechesis explains and informs parishioners of all ages in the Scriptures and Traditions of the Church.
   • Formation promotes a lived faith that is bold, courageous and effective.
   • Stewardship encompasses prayer of thanksgiving for the many gifts of God and sharing those through acts of service.
   
      Long–range goals are at the heart of a parish’s plan or direction to fulfill their mission.
   
   
4. Council did a final review of the Stewardship Sign–Up form. The Online version is similar but has more definition for each activity. The Sign–Up Form will be part of the Bulletin for March 19/20 and an On–Line version will be posted on the website. Additional copies of the form will be available in the vestibule. The slide presentation will be given before each Mass on March 19/20 – the third Sunday of Lent. Pastoral Council representatives will be available after Mass to answer questions.
5. The Young Adult Fellowship Ministry had a first meeting Feb. 19. After a beginning prayer, the group shared issues of concern. The number one concern was that they did not feel an attachment to the community. This will be the focus of their next meeting on March 19. A discussion ensued among Council about belonging to group/community in general.
6. Council mentioned the extensive Lenten Season insert in Sunday’s Bulletin. We all agreed that it was well done, very informative and provided many opportunities to be stewards of our faith. Fr. Andrew explained further some of the programs that we will be having.
7. The last page of the Lenten hand-out focuses on Almsgiving. Fr. Andrew indicated the donations will benefit the West Hills Pantry, the Mooncrest After School Program, and Our Lady’s Pantry (OLSH).
8. Fr. Andrew and Fr. Jim were delighted with the response of almost 30 CCD students wishing to become Altarservers. Training for Altarservers is currently taking place. Several of the High School Youth Group are interested in becoming Lectors.
9. This is the first time in a number of years that the parish has not only met but also exceeded its Parish Share Obligation.
10. Votive candles have become more expensive so they will become $3 each beginning this Lent.
11. After a brief presentation by a Parish Finance Council member and bulletin announcements, the first Sunday of the Month will be designated "Parish Share Sunday" where all the money collected in the second collection will go toward the Parish Share Assessment. This will be implemented soon.
12. Council discussed the Ash Wednesday Mass schedule (7 am, 9 am, 12 noon, 7 pm) and agreed that though longer than just a service distributing ashes, Mass was a better way to start the Lenten season. Council agreed to review the Ash Wednesday Mass schedule at a later time.
13. The next Pastoral Council meeting will be Monday April 4, 2011 at 7:00 PM.

1. The Pastoral Council recited the parish Mission Statement.
2. Our prayerful reflection: We read the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus compares his disciples to "the salt of the earth" and called upon them to be the "light of the world." We all share responsibilities to preserve the teachings of Jesus and to keep them fresh and appealing. We are to bring to the world the flavor of the gospel and the light of Christ.
3. Joe Martonik, our Pastoral Council facilitator, summarized the ministry leadership contributions to the parish of departing Pastoral Council members: Rick Jerzyk, Janet Ruperto, Alice Schmidt, Marcia Welsh, Rick Zelazny.
4. Council continued their review of "One Mind, One Mission", The Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The sections identifying the Components of and Process for Pastoral Planning were reviewed and discussed. Fr. Andrew pointed out that our Mission Statement makes no mention of the Eucharist – the central component of our faith. The Council agreed that this would be a topic for our fall retreat.
5. Council completed the review of the updated Stewardship hard copy form. The Ministries available to our parishioners will be published in many ways. We will present material related to stewardship in the bulletin. The forms will be available in the vestibule. Sr. Jeanne will have the slide presentation ready for March 20 – the second Sunday of Lent. Bernie Vogler will release the on-line version at the same time. The on-line version can have more information about each ministry.
6. The Pastoral Council contact information for 2011 was verified.
7. The discussion on Adult Education begun in December was completed. Several possible topics of focus were identified: teach about Easter, reflect the 3 adult diocesan courses, teach on the two liturgical seasons – Lent and Advent, examine Creed and prayer.
8. A very brief summary of the liturgical meeting was given. Fr. Andrew felt it was mostly working. He related that we will have training sessions soon for altar servers and lectors.
9. Fr. Andrew indicated that we have a new Regional Vicar, Fr. Samuel Esposito. Fr. Esposito will be the celebrant at the Feb. 27, 11:00 am Mass. Our Mass schedule makes it difficult to have a reception for him. Gift certificates were mentioned as a substitute.
10. For Lent, we will be focusing on the three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting, alms giving.
11. The next Pastoral Council meeting will be Monday March 7, 2011 at 7:00 PM.

1. For an opening prayer Pastoral Council recited the parish mission statement.
2. In our Advent reflection: John The Baptist dealt with our expectations. Sometimes we are invited to start over, to leave behind the familiar such as our pre-conceived notions and to venture into the unknown by opening ourselves to new possibilities.
3. Council continued their review of "One Mind, One Mission", The Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Chapters five (Studying the Parish Territory) and six (Investing the Parishioners in Pastoral Planning) were reviewed and discussed.
4. Council completed an update of the form previously utilized for Stewardship Sunday. Joe Martonik will prepare a final draft to be reviewed by Council and Fr. Andrew. Bernie Vogler reported he still anticipates the updated form will be available for on line registration in January.
5. Sister Jeanine expressed concern that attendance at adult education programs has been disappointing. The exception was the recent End of Life seminar offered by the Social Justice Committee. It was agreed that the topic of a presentation and the timing of a presentation are critical but that even more important is the need to promote all events. A planning committee may be required to address all the issues needed to develop and promote a successful adult education program. Discussion of this issue will continue at the next Pastoral Council meeting.
6. Fr. Andrew reported the recent Vatican Splendors outing was such a success that as a follow up a similar outing, this time to Hartwood Acres, is being planned. Father also notified the council that due to liability concerns "Private Property" signs will be erected on the lower lot where children sled ride. For similar reasons participants in our youth and middle school programs will need signed waivers if they are to use that area.
7. Pastoral Council was notified that Alice Schmidt has resigned because of being out of the area. Also Marcia Welsh's six-year term on Pastoral Council ends December 31. Alice and Marcia and the talents they brought to council in service to St. Margaret Mary Parish will be missed.
8. The next Pastoral Council meeting will be Wednesday January 12, 2011 at 7:00 PM.

1. For an opening prayer Pastoral Council recited the parish mission statement.
2. This month’s reflection was on readings from the Gospel of Luke and the theme of Gratitude.
3. Council continued their review of "One Mind, One Mission", The Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Chapters three (Pastor Planning – The Core Responsibilities of the Council) and four (Understanding the Context of Pastoral Leadership) were reviewed and discussed.
4. Council initiated an update of the form previously utilized for Stewardship Sunday. Bernie Vogler reported he anticipates the updated form will be available for on line registration in January.
5. Fr. Andrew reported plans are proceeding for a series of Advent Evenings of Reconciliation coordinated with the other parishes in our district. Each parish would hold their event on a different night and parishioners from all district parishes would be welcome to attend whichever event they wish. A notice will be printed in the bulletin.
6. In a related matter, it was noted that some Catholics in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are not fully aware that the previous Diocesan structure of "Deaneries" and "Clusters" is no longer in effect and has been replaced by a structure consisting "Vicariates" and "Districts." It was thought that an explanation of the new structure would be an appropriate topic for an upcoming "Good News."
7. Fr. Andrew advised Pastoral Council:
   1. The bulletin will begin carrying more spiritual writings.
   2. Once a month the bulletin will include acknowledgements of accomplishments of St. Margaret Mary parishioners.
   3. Baptisms will be conducted twice a month at 1:45 PM on the second Sunday and during the 12:30 mass on the last Sunday.
   4. The parish collected and donated almost 500 pounds Halloween candy to the Red Door Ministry to the Homeless at St. Mary of Mercy Church, Downtown Pittsburgh.
   5. As noted in recent bulletins, parishioners are being encouraged to support the Diocesan sponsored maternity hospital in Chimbote, Peru.
   6. The All Souls Day Mass of Bereavement and the recently introduced Book of the Deceased were both well received in the parish.
   7. The parish is investigating the possibility of hosting a hospice talk related to spending the holidays without a loved one.
8. The next Pastoral Council meeting will be Tuesday December 7 at 6:15 PM following Mass at 5:00 PM. (Anticipation Mass for the Immaculate Conception Holy Day)

1. Pastoral Council recited the parish mission statement.
2. This month’s reflection was on readings from the Gospels of Matthew and Mark and the theme of "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few."
3. After meeting with Fr. Andrew at a recent Finance Council meeting and at his request, Rich Fuller and Frank Druzisky of the Finance Council apprized the Pastoral Council of changes that will be implemented in St. Margaret Mary Parish to better facilitate collection procedures and to improve internal controls.
4. All those who attended the recent (September 18) Pastoral Council Retreat agreed the day was a productive success.
5. At the request of Fr. Andrew, Joe Martonik has started attending educational sessions reviewing "One Mind, One Mission", The Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The first two chapters of that manual were reviewed by the entire council. The rest of the manual will be reviewed in sections during upcoming regular council meetings. It was noted that even though St. Margaret Mary has operated under the Pastoral Council structure for a number of years and as such is ahead of most parishes in the Diocese we must take the time to insure we are operating as recommended by the Diocese.
6. Stewardship Sunday has been postponed until some time in January to allow time to post the sign up sheets on the parish web site.
7. Janet Ruperto reported that in light of some recent changes in our parish, an update of the Parish Handbook is being initiated.
8. Fr. Andrew reported he is investigating with the other parishes in our district in Vicariate #3 the possibility of having a series of Advent Evenings of Reconciliation. Each parish would hold their event on a different night and parishioners from all district parishes would be welcome to attend whichever event they wish.
9. Fr. Andrew advised Pastoral Council:
   1. to enhance internal communications and to coordinate the day to day activities of the parish he has initiated bi-weekly meetings with the parish staff,
   2. that on All Souls Day there will be a Mass of remembrance for all who died within the past year, and
   3. that plans for a "ministries evening" at which concerns, issues or questions about individual parish ministries would be addressed.
10. Pastoral Council was notified that Rick Zelazny, after six years of faithful and much appreciated service to St. Margaret Mary Parish, has resigned. He will be missed.
11. The next two Pastoral Council meetings will be Wednesday November 10 at 7:00 PM and Tuesday December 7 at 6:15 PM.

1. Rev. Andrew C. Fischer was welcomed as our new pastor to his first council meeting!
2. Communication was the Town Hall related topic for this month’s meeting.
   1. The Good News will continue to be published monthly.
   2. When people read the bulletin, they feel connected to the parish. Parishioners are asked to be sensitive to the visually impaired and read the bulletin to family members and friends who are not able to do so to enable them to feel that connection.
   3. Announcements of utmost importance will be made as usual from the pulpit. We will continue to use banners and signs as a way of reaching out. The website has a wealth of information about all aspects of the parish life easily accessible to all.
   4. Financial data is published twice a year in the bulletin. Feedback about the Town Hall Meeting is being published each month in the bulletin as well. The last area: Building and Grounds will be summarized soon by Tom Dush.
   5. Stewardship Sunday will be held each year to invite members of the parish to become involved in the parish ministries and activities. If you sign up on that day, heads of the various ministries contact you either by phone or by letter. However, no need to wait for Stewardship Sunday! The Parish Handbook is available with a list of all the ministries and a corresponding contact person. You can find a listing on the website as well. We are currently discussing alternate ways for others to commit to the ministries.
   6. Volunteer needed! Discussion is being held about updating our photo handbook. We are looking for a volunteer to coordinate this endeavor.
3. Social Justice End of Life Presentation:
   An End of Life Panel Discussion is being planned for October 5, 2010 at 7:00 PM in the Social Hall. We have the following presenters committed: Fr. Andrew, Forbes Hospice, a local lawyer, two local funeral parlors. Another presenter about Geriatric Care is being researched. Packets of info will be made available by the panel to all who participate and will also be placed in the back of church. Contact will be made to publicize through the Good News and Channel 14. A suggestion was made to have a feedback or question box available for any who have further questions. Allowance will be made for the possibility of a follow up session for topic extensions.
4. Online ( Social Media) Discussion:
   TIn an effort to include the youth and young adults of the parish in a social network, Face book, Twitter, or a using a BLOG have been suggested but those suggesting these connections were not sure how to work this into the church. The Diocese will be contacted to request media guidelines for these areas.
5. Parish Picnic 2010 Family Fun Fest:
   The Parish Picnic is being held on August 1, 2010 from 12:30–5:30 PM at Gilmary. The agenda was discussed and all is ready to go! All we need is sunny weather and happy parishioners!
   Look for the agenda of activities and events to be published in the church bulletin!
6. Pastoral Council Retreat:
   The Pastoral Council Retreat is being planned for September 18, 2010 at the Felician Sisters’ Motherhouse from 12:00–6:00 PM. Fr. Andrew showed council the book "One Body One Mission" recently published by the diocese that will be presented to each of us at the retreat. The book provides guidelines for parish pastoral councils and will be discussed during the retreat. Other aspects of the retreat will be discussed by the retreat planning committee.
7. Pastor Update:
   
   1. Fr. Andrew’s official Installation Mass as the 4th pastor of St. Margaret Mary as set by Bishop Zubik is Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 12:30 pm. Along with the beautiful liturgy of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother, Fr. Andrew will read his profession of faith and oath of fidelity. A reception will be held afterwards for everyone in the Social Hall. All parishioners are asked to consider attending this wonderful occasion for the parish and to welcome Fr. Andrew with open arms! Fr. Andrew will prepare his invitation and list of guests and forward it to Joe Martonik who with the assistance of his lovely and talented wife, Kathie, will send them out by the end of July. Joe will also contact someone for the refreshments. Fr. Andrew would like to provide a little history of the past priests, parochial vicars, and their years of service to St. Margaret Mary in the bulletin and the Good News.
   2. Questions have been raised concerning the status of Fr. James Holland. Fr. Andrew stated that Fr. Jim continues to be the Parochial Vicar at St. Margaret Mary Parish.
8. Council concerns:
   
   1. Health Fair is Nov. 6. Flu vaccine has been ordered. All is on schedule.
   2. September meeting is retreat.
   3. October meeting at the rectory TBA.
9. Fr. Andrew closed the meeting with a prayer and a blessing

1. Opening prayer
   For an opening prayer, the Pastoral Council recited the parish mission statement.
2. Reflection
   In light of his impending departure, the members of Pastoral Council reflected upon what Fr. John Ayoob has meant to each of them individually and to St. Margaret Mary parish as a whole. After Father was presented with gift certificates for Barnes and Nobles book stores and for McCormick and Schmidt’s seafood restaurant, all present enjoyed a Bruester’s Ice Cream Cake.
3. Town Hall Meeting Update — Liturgy
   The Pastoral Council is pleased to report that many suggestions made at the Town Hall meeting regarding Liturgy are already implemented or may be implemented in the near future.
   1. Looking for a weekday evening liturgy? St Joe’s, a member of our cluster group, does hold a weekday evening Mass, and St. Joe’s, St. James, and OLSH convent offer Eucharistic adoration on a regular basis. Check the bulletin for details.
   2. A question was raised regarding the lector’s readings not matching the books in the pews. A more literal translation of Latin has recently been approved by the Vatican and new books will be published within the next few years. The Pastor continues to discuss additional liturgical matters and the rubric with the Liturgical and Devotions Committee.
   3. Our newest parishioners are now being welcomed at Donut Sunday. It would be wonderful, with their permission, to take their photo during Donut Sunday and post it on an easel in the vestibule so that all parishioners can welcome our newest members. Would we have a volunteer who would consider taking charge?
   4. Thank you to all who are mindful of turning off your cell phones prior to entering church. It is important to take time before Mass begins to become quiet and prayerful in anticipation of Mass.
4. Social Justice
   The Social Justice Representatives (Marcia Welsh and Carolyn Cimato) reported that an "End Of Life" program has been scheduled for 7 PM, Tuesday October 5 in the Parish social hall. Plans call for a discussion by a panel consisting of a lawyer, a hospice representative, a priest, a funeral director, a long term care professional and possibly a representative of the Allegheny County Council of Aging.
5. Family Fun Fest/Parish Picnic Mdash; August 1st
   The Family Fun Fest/Parish Picnic arrangements were reviewed.
   The only activity needing a leader/responsible party is a children’s activity.
6. It was agreed that the agenda for the Pastoral Council Retreat planned for Saturday September 18, would of necessity consist of reviewing current parish ministries and activities with our new pastor.
7. Pastor Update
   • For his final Pastor Update to Pastoral Council, Fr. John confirmed that as of June 30 our new pastor will be Fr. Andrew Fisher.
   • The Bishop is planning an Installation Mass to formalize the change in the leadership of St. Margaret Mary parish.
   • Fr. John also noted that, as a consequence of the continuing decline in the overall number of priests, it is expected that St. Margaret Mary will become a one priest parish.
8. Council Concerns,
   • Bernie Vogler reported that with the change in our web site host, the web site was down for 3 days. Bernie has addressed all subsequent issues.
   • It was reported Joetta Martin will be collecting sundries for our marines serving in Afghanistan.
   • In the near future we will be receiving new CCD textbooks which will encompass changes identified in an editorial review conducted by the Bishops of the USA.

The next meeting will be Monday July 12, 2010 at 7:00 PM.

1. Pastoral Care was the Town Hall related topic for this month.
   1. In response to a request for Outreach Programs, there are many ways to volunteer your time and talents. Among them, but certainly not limited to, are the Health Fair, the St. Vincent DePaul Society, Knights of Columbus, taking the Eucharist to the homebound or nursing homes, Funeral Luncheon committee, Income tax preparation for our seniors, and the After school program at Mooncrest.
   2. Did you know that we provide welcome visits to new parishioners? Or that we have a team who visits parishioners in Sewickley Valley Hospital and informs them of helpful services like Short Term Hospitality to provide meals, Prayer Line for prayer requests, and Eucharist for the Homebound? Prayer cards are given during the visit to inform them of services they may need while they recuperate.
   3. Why wait until Stewardship Sunday? All ministries are listed on the website and the parish handbook! If you are interested in joining a committee please contact a committee chair (phone numbers are listed in the parish handbook and the website) or the parish office. There are committees for every interest! Come make new friends and try something new. Your help may be just the blessing someone is looking for!
2. Prayerline Ministry update:
   1. Ann Brunning has lead this group for 12 years, but the time has come for her to step aside.
   2. Emails and phone calls come almost daily asking for prayers for people.
   3. There are about 80 people in the ministry and 30 have no email capability, so they are called by phone.
   4. Currently a monthly summary is prepared of all those prayed for during that month.
   5. Alice Schmidt will function as a leader when she is not traveling, the person to lead when Alice is away has not been determined yet.
3. Online (Social Media) Discussion
   1. This will be placed on the agenda for July.
   2. Several resources were suggested by Sr. Jeanine, Britany Leddy, Richard Jerzyk. We might also contact Jeff at the Learning Media Center, and the webmaster for St. James in Sewickley.
   3. We need a policy of operation before we start.
   4. We need Fr. Jim or (a responsible lay person with a strong Catechism background who is orthodox in their teaching.)
   5. We might suggest exploring a fresh topic each month.
4. Social Justice
   1. The committee operates according to our mission statement.
   2. There is much material "out there." The committee constantly seeks ways to bring these issues to the parish attention.
   3. There were no Social Justice volunteers on Stewardship Sunday – consider multiple recruitment for all ministries.
   4. Consider adding a college student who could add additional material.
   5. Encourage personal signup through our links (on our website.)
   6. We need more help in local unjust situations.
   7. Of interest our 2005 survey found the following concerns in this priority order:
      1. Availability of health care for everyone.
      2. Family violence – we had a workshop on this in ’08.
      3. World hunger
      4. Dignity of life issues – We will have a program in October. Discussion centered on possible resources to add to the program.
5. Fund Raising
   1. Post the guidelines for all.
   2. Post the application with a suggested lead-time of 6 months (although, we can be flexible on this.)
6. Parish Picnic August 1st
   1. The format will be largely the same except there will not be any pony rides.
   2. Discussion covered identifying the leader/responsible party for each activity. Almost everything is in place – we are ready!
7. Pastor Update
   • The suggestion to invite new members for an informal reception during Donut Sunday after the 9:30 Mass was implemented with good response. The new parishioners and our current parishioners had very positive feelings about this first one. We will continue the practice.
8. Council Concerns:
   • What happened to the American Flag in church? It was determined that it had been moved downstairs for an activity and not returned. It is used downstairs more than upstairs, but it will be brought back.
   • Bob Summers is looking to expand his youth ministry to the Middle School students, grades 6, 7, 8, during the 2010 – 2011 school year. Letters to the parents will invite them to form a team of adults to support this program.
   • Bernie Vogler advised the Council that the web site host (provider) will change at the end of the month; so far, there are no issues of concern. He did ask for some help with Communication Committee duties.

The next Pastoral Council meeting will be held Monday, June 14, 2010 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory.

1. The Pastoral Council reviewed the December Liturgies:
   1. The Mass of Anointing of the Sick continues as a moving experience for those involved.
   2. The Christmas Musical helped to put parishioners in the "mood" for the season.
   3. The reconciliation service was very full and it was also heart–felt.
   4. The vigil Masses for Christmas were very full, while Christmas Day Masses were about normal.
   5. The Mass of Remembrance for those who died during 2009 was a meaningful, touching experience for all who participated.
2. We began a new year for Pastoral Council with the appointment of Joe Martonik as our new Facilitator. We agreed that retiring Lori Lizzi had done a great job as facilitator for the last 4 years.
3. We discussed time schedules for Council Initiatives during 2010.
   1. Regarding Town Hall Meeting suggestions, we will examine them through out the year and communicate through the Bulletin and the website our decisions.
   2. We are planning a Parish Picnic for the end of August 1, 2010.
   3. The Pastoral Council Retreat will be scheduled for early September, 2010.
   4. Stewardship Sunday will again be in November, 2010; but we want to explore ways to draw in members during the rest of the year.
   5. We would like to update the Parish Handbook in the coming year.
4. We want to let the parishioners know that we are examining the Town Hall Meeting suggestions, but it will take time to get through all of them.

   Post:
   The suggestions and concerns presented at our recent Town Hall Meeting have been organized and summarized into six areas of our parish life. Over the next several monthly meetings, the Pastoral Council will discuss the information in each area and publish a summary in our bulletin along with posting it on our web site.

5. Many activities which might draw various age–groups into parish involvement were discussed. NO decisions were reached but we agreed to continue to explore new ideas.
6. Our Social Justice Ministry called attention to recent notices from the National Catholic website Network. These are important calls for our attention and action on issues related to our Catholic lives. The current urging was for help for Haiti. We will make special envelopes available for parishioners to donate what they can and we will hold a special collection on January 31.

The next Pastoral Council meeting will be held Monday, March 8, 2010 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory.

The status of the Christian Mothers and Women’s Guild was discussed.

1. They find it hard to recruit members and difficult to find officers.
2. They would like to continue without officers.
3. The current membership wish to retain a covered dish dinner, a meager meal (related to a Mass), and a tea.
4. We recommend they operate as a "pay as you go" group. They can work through the parish office to handle fees for their selected activities.

The change of Saturday Mass time from 4 pm to 6 pm for the summer was revisited:

1. The change accommodates late afternoon summer weddings.
2. The intent was that after this year to keep the Saturday Mass at 4 pm winter and summer.
3. Strong interest has been expressed to keep the 4 pm winter and 6 pm Summer times.
4. It was agreed to review other churches to decide how well the various Saturday Mass schedules perform.

The 55 Plus would like to open their membership to outside members and change the age requirement. While we encouraged membership in St. Margaret Mary Church as a primary criteria, we would not oppose the groups desire to bring in members from out side the parish. Nor would we oppose a change of age requirement for the group. It was indicated that the current organization guidelines already allow outside membership if sponsored by a member of the group.

The Parish Summer Fun Fest is scheduled for July 26, the last Sunday in July. Most committees are set up and ready to go. Discussion touched on golf, Bocce, Bingo, Pony Rides and the games: sac race, golf ball and spoon, water balloons.

The next Pastoral Council meeting will be held Tuesday, June 22, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory.

The Summer Family Fun Fest was the topic of discussion. We will use the Gilmary site again. We will begin with 12:30 pm Mass celebrated at Gilmary. We will have the same activities as last year with the addition of pony rides. Pastoral Council members volunteered to perform the leg-work to arrange for the various activities: Snow cones, hot dogs, Make your own Sundaes, dessert smorgasbord, Bocce, Bingo, the Balloon Guy, the Bounce House, swimming, children's games in the pool and on land. Set-up and clean-up groups will be lined up.

The next meeting will be held Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory.

We have a service ministry EUCHARIST TO THE HOMEBOUND/NURSING HOMES. The service actually involves two groups: one group for the nursing home and the other group for the homebound. Chris Stasa co-ordinates the Homebound group, while Pat Krnich co-ordinates the nursing home group. Both groups help the Pastor to provide friendship and spiritual to these needy parishioners.

Pat Krnich reported on the service ministry transporting the Eucharist to the nursing home patients. (Chris will report on her group at another time.)

1. The service ministry was begun 11 yrs ago by Ginny and Jerry Eberle.
2. While there are 4 primary volunteers, there are actually 11 members participating in this ministry.
3. Each Sunday, after the 9:30 am Mass, the celebrant calls the group to the altar.
4. Each member is given 5 or 6 hosts to carry in their Pyx to the Catholics in the West Hills nursing facility.
5. There are 4 corridors in the nursing home, so each member covers a different one.
6. The entire process takes about 60 minutes.
7. In addition to the Body of Christ, they distribute bulletins and the Pittsburgh Catholic newspaper.
8. On Ash Wednesday, they will distribute ashes.
9. The nursing home’s Activity Director confirms the Catholics resident in the facility.
10. Once a month, Fr. Jim will say Mass in the nursing home.
11. If the resident can not receive Communion, then prayers are said with the patient and often they will lay hands on them as they pray for the patient.
12. They get close to the patients and generally will go to the funeral.

Easter Liturgies:
1. The Saturday Mass of Anointing on April 4th at 8:30 am Mass. Pastoral Council members are encouraged to attend and participate in the prayers over the people.
2. Passion Play April 6, Monday at 7:00 pm. Even more parishioners are involved this year.
3. The Reconciliation Service will be April 7th at 7 pm.
4. Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper will be at 7:00 pm. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are asked to be present and part of the processions.
5. Holy Thursday, Keeping the Vigil from 8 pm to midnight. Participants are asked to sign up for 30 minute commitment. (Sign-up forms are in the main vestibule.)
6. Holy Thursday, Church walk from 8 pm to midnight. Since a bus will be used, sign–up for this activity in the vestibules also.
7. Good Friday, Solemn Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion and Death at 1:30 pm.
8. Bless Easter Baskets on Holy Saturday at 10:00 am in the church.
9. Easter Vigil Mass at 8:30 pm Saturday evening.

The Summer Family Fun Fest is moving along smoothly. The contract has been agreed upon and it just needs the proper signatures. We will increase the number of hot dogs and sundaes for this year. We are close to securing the Balloon Guy and the Bounce House. Ponies will be available this year. We are in the process of contacting church groups to help with the set-up and clean-up

The Saturday Mass will change from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on April 25. It will change back to 4:00 pm on November 7. We will monitor the response to the changed Mass times and decide next fall if we are going to modify this change of time during the year.

The AED is mounted in the school building with up-dated battery and pad packs. We are considering offering a certification class in the parish.

The Knights of Columbus representative sought some clarifying answers related to their Christmas Seal project.

The Bereavement Ministry has 4 couples now, but would like to add a few more. They will work with Fr. John to select new members.

The next Pastoral Council meeting will be held Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory.

Several members contributed to the report on the Father/Daughter Dance:
• Participants felt it was a very nice affair.
• Corsages were provided for each girl.
• All ranges of ages from infants to teens were represented
• Train the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
• There were over 100 girls escorted by their fathers, many were multiple year participants.
• A DJ provided the evening’s music.
• Hospitality ministry helped with refreshments.

Lori Lizzi reported on the Summer Family Fun Fest:
• The date is the last Sunday of July, the 26th.
• We will use the same facility as last year – the Gilmary Center.
• We will add ponies to this year’s activities.
• Activities: Bounce house, Bingo, Sundaes, Bocci, Children’s Games, Flavored Ice Balls,
          Driving Range (Golf), Hot Dogs, Water Balloon Toss.
• We will begin with 12:30 pm Mass in the Gilmary Chapel.

A brief review of planned Lenten Liturgies:
1. Station of the Cross each Friday at 7 pm.
2. Anointing Service April 4th at 8:30 am Mass.
3. Passion Play April 6, Monday at 7:00 pm.
4. Penance service April 7th at 7 pm.
5. Holy Thursday Church walk after evening service.
6. Bless Easter Baskets on Holy Saturday.
7. Encourage Sign Up for Easter Vigil.

Pastoral Council retreat is confirmed for Sept.12 at the Felician Sister’s Mother House. Fr. Jim, Marietta, Marcia and Lori will work on the program.

Food Bank collection will be March 8. It will also be a part of the March Good News. We will focus on parish-wide collection for the Food Bank 4 times a year.

The Saturday Mass will revert to 6:00 pm by mid-April (right after Easter).

The United States Bishops are expected to release the new prayer Sacramentary next year. Information on matters related to the missal changes can be found on the Bishop’s web site: http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/missalformation/index.shtml

The next Pastoral Council meeting will be held Monday, March 30, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory.

The Liturgy Ministry has been subdivided into two groups:

Worship
• Help with special celebrations in the community.
• Train the lectors.
• Train the altar servers.
• Train the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.

Art & Environment
• Focus on the themes of the scripture
• create an atmosphere for services with decorations and artifacts.

Pastoral Council scheduled their Day of Recollection for September 12, 2009.
   - The program will run from noon to 6:00 pm. and will end with Mass.
   - The Recollection program will be held at the Felician Sister’s Motherhouse.
   - We will brainstorm on goals and objectives for St. Margaret Mary.

The Pastoral Council reviewed the special ministries of the Christmas Holiday. Parish response was very positive to each of the holiday activities.

The Valentine Dance scheduled for Feb. 6 from 7 to 9:30 pm has good interest. They could use some teenage girls to help with the corsages and a few ladies for some general adult supervision.

We have Fr. Michael Sullivan booked as our Advent speaker for the Parish renewal during Advent 2009. Parish renewal will be 12/5 to 12/9 beginning at 7:30 pm.

Bob Summers wanted the Youth Group to collect for the Food Bank. The plan is to co-ordinate with Pastoral Council. Extensive discussion about how we can schedule collections for the West Hills Food Bank. It was suggested that we do this as a parish Lenten project. Boxes could be set in the lobbies for on-going non-perishable collection. Details of this and other collections related to the food bank will be published in the bulletin.

The next Pastoral Council meeting will be held Monday, February 23, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory.

The recent elections were discussed. Ray Paulos, Alice Schmidt, Bill Deemer and Britany Leddy were elected to the Pastoral Council beginning in January. The remaining four candidates will be alternates, filling in resigned positions until the next election. All eight candidates will meet with Stan Truskey on January 12 for an in-service to acquaint all with the concept and process of the Pastoral Council.

A tentative date was picked for the annual "Day of Reflection" for the Pastoral Council. All Pastoral Council members will spend the day in prayer, reflection and planning at the Felician Sister’s Motherhouse on Saturday, September 12. Planning for a town hall meeting will be put on the agenda.

Results of Stewardship Sunday were discussed. Thirty-six parishioners completed forms to volunteer for the various ministries. Many indicated interest in several ministries. The contact information was given to the respective ministries. Those that completed forms will be contacted by year end.

Sister Jeanine indicated that due to declining population nationwide, the Felician Sister’s Motherhouse in Coraopolis will no longer be a "Motherhouse" after November 2009. It will be a convent.

The special services for Advent were discussed in regard to which council members would be available to help with each service.

The next Pastoral Council meeting will be held Monday, January 26, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory.

Joe Martonik reported on the Health Fair of 11/8/08.

1. For the Friday set-up help came from the Confirmation class members and several scouts accompanied by Rick Zelazny.
2. Saturday, over 400 flu shots were administered.
3. Many vendors were present to talk of their health related service and to hand out literature.
4. Free will offerings came to $1360.
5. St. Joe and St. James parishes also contributed and attended.
6. Many helpers but Barb Stopperich deserves a special thanks for all that she does to line up the shots and the staff to administer them .

Lori Duffy reported on the automated external defibrillator (AED) training session of 11/6/08. Slightly more than 20 people were trained including all the key ministry and groups in the parish. We will schedule certification classes after the first of next year.

A preliminary report on the change of the Saturday Mass from 6:00 to 4:00 indicated that attendance had increased with the time change. Fr. John will monitor the situation and we will discuss it some more at a later date.

Stewardship Sunday will be November 23. We will distribute the ministry information page on November 16 as an insert in the bulletin and will present the slide show on the parish ministries before Mass on the 16th.

The Pastoral Council discussed the Nov. 16th election of four positions on the Council. The biographies and pictures have been posted in the lobbies and distributed in last week’s Bulletin. Following the Homily, the ushers will distribute the ballots. The ballots will have the biographies printed on the back. After a short voting period, the ushers will collect the ballots and secure them for tally by the Pastoral Council committee. Ballot boxes will be in the lobby for anyone who was not able to complete their voting in the time allotted.

Our Thanksgiving food drive will be split between the Little Sisters of the Poor and the West Hills Food Pantry. Food drives will be 4 times a year. The details will be posted in the Bulletin and on the Web site.

A "Goodbye / Thank You" reception for Fr. Jim will be held after the 12:30 Mass on December 7. There will be cookies and punch and time for pictures.

The next Pastoral Council meeting will be held Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory.

Janet Cannon presented a Ministry report on the Welcome Committee.

1. Janet has chaired the committee since 1999.
2. The committee of 5 share the visitation opportunities
3. Our Parish Administrative Assistant (Sophie) notifies the committee regarding new parishioners.
4. The committee contacts the new member and offers to meet with them to help make them more aware of ministries offered by our parish.
5. Encouraging the new members to get involved in our ministries helps them feel included in the parish family.
6. Sometimes the visit can only occur by phone due to schedule conflicts.
7. The committee completes between 13 and 35 visits per year.
8. Should they want their home blessed, they contact Fr. John so that he can schedule it.

Stewardship Sunday will be November 23. We will distribute the ministry information page the week before. We will also present the slide show on the parish ministries before Mass on the 16th.

Four positions in the Pastoral Council will be open in January of 2009. Father John will be taking recommendations for nomination over the next week or so, with an election taking place in November 16th. Pictures and biographies will be posted in the church lobbies.

The planned change of time for the Saturday evening Mass to 4:00pm during the winter months was briefly examined. The parishioners have shown a favorable response to the change.

The Health Fair is scheduled for November 8. Representatives from the three churches in our cluster have participated in the planning. Flu shots will be available. We will ask for a donation of $5, but there will be no charge for the flu shots. Confirmation Class members will again help with visitor needs during the fair.

A lengthy discussion began on the Food Pantry needs. In response to the question of what we could do to support the program more than we currently do, the Social Justice Ministry will establish a program. The intent is to create 4 collections per year. More details will come out through the Bulletin.

The next Pastoral Council meeting will be held Tuesday, November 11, 2008 in the Rectory.

The successful Family Fun Fest/ Parish Picnic was discussed. Over 280 people were in attendance. The addition of the bounce house for children, and the serving of hotdogs were very well received and will be included next year. All gave praises to the boy scouts for helping those that assisted families to and from their cars and to the Knights of Columbus for volunteering to set-up and tear-down the tables. There were no complaints about the removal of door prizes from the picnic. A date and alternative for next year’s picnic were determined.

Four positions in the Pastoral Council will be open in January of 2009. Three members will be leaving after the maximum 6 year term. One member resigned earlier in the year. Father John will be taking recommendations for nomination through the fall, with an election taking place in November.

Father John is considering moving the Saturday evening Mass to 4:00pm during the winter months as a trial to see if it would be as popular as it has proven to be at other local parishes. He has been approached by many parishioners about making this move to allow parishioners to travel to Mass in the daylight. Other parishioners feel that this time would better suit their schedules. The Mass would have to be moved back to 6:00 pm in the summer and spring to accommodate already scheduled weddings. If the trial is successful, the Mass could be permanently rescheduled in the future. Father John is looking into the approvals needed from the diocese for this change.

Two fundraising request letters were discussed.

The date for Stewardship Sunday will be November 23, 2008.

The next meeting is Monday, October 13 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory.

In response to a parishioner’s concern regarding the lack of participation by the people in our Sunday liturgies, the Council discussed matters related to the perceived fervor of the parish activities. Improvements have been made on all areas of concern over a multi-year period. As a group we will continue to strive to improve the ministries of our parish.

Rick Zelazny reported on the Religious Education Sub Committee that was formed to examine new ideas and formats for our Religious Education Program.

1. Parish family response to the survey was very satisfactory.
2. They seek to energize the parish on Religious Education.
3. A complete report will be published in the bulletin and on the web site.
4. The Diocesan Curriculum is now posted on our web site.
5. Source ideas for parents of children in our programs will be available by grade and special needs on our web site or through the Religious Education Office.
6. We are doing the best we can with the resources available to us.

Lori Duffy led a review of the preparations for the Parish Family Fun Fest to be held August 3, 2008 at the Gilmary Family Center. The Knights of Columbus will set up the grounds before the 12:30 Mass in the Gilmary Chapel. We will have: various children activities, balloon twisting, Bingo, Bocce, Bounce House, dessert smorgasbord, golf to the pin, hot dogs, open swimming, relays, sack races, sno cones, water balloon toss. Game awards for the day, and Bruester’s ice cream will close out the day around 5:45 to 6 PM.

We are still pressing to purchase another defibrillator and will be planning a training session for interested parishioners.

The next meeting is Tuesday, July 22 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory.

Mary Batyko reported on the very successful Social Justice Ministry presentation on Domestic Violence. Approximately 25 people attended. The speakers on the panel were engaging and the audience had good questions. The program was taped and will be aired on Moon Access Channel 14.

The parish picnic was discussed in detail to determine if we have enough volunteers for set-up, running the games/events and tear down. It was determined that an announcement be placed in the bulletin to ask for additional volunteers for the picnic.

Diana Scally reported as a representative for the Communications Ministry. Bernie Vogler had previously reported on the website. The Communications Ministry, aside from the design and maintenance of the website, is responsible for the monthly Good News, parish calendar, submitting bulletin announcements resulting from Pastoral Council meetings, and assisting the various ministries in promoting their upcoming events. The communications ministry also puts together the bulletin announcements, press releases, flyers and letters to other community parishes when there is a major Parish event such as a Parish Renewal, Town Hall meeting or Stewardship Sunday.

A sub-committee was formed to meet to further discuss new ideas and formats for the Religious Education program. It will meet one-hour prior to the June 2nd meeting.

A council member concern was brought up concerning the defibrillator located in the rear of the church. The parish bought a defibrillator several years ago, but the unit is somewhat hidden in the closet near the cry room. It was discussed that the signage needs to be larger and clearer and new training lessons should be scheduled. It was indicated that a second unit was to be purchased for the Dompka Education Center, with the help of a donation from the Women’s Guild. New training sessions would be scheduled in conjunction with the purchase of the new unit.

The next meeting is Monday, June 2 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory.

Joanne Tayman reported to the Pastoral Council the on the growth of the Liturgy of the Word with Children:

1. About 15 moms share the duties; dads are welcome also.
2. The children are generally from 4 to 8 yrs; occasionally accompanied by an older child or a parent.
3. The Children’s Mass is the first and third Sundays of the Month.
4. It began with the 9:30 am Mass and has expanded to the 11:00 am Mass.
5. Working from a planning guide, they follow the sequence of the Mass but at the children’s level.
6. A focusing question is used to guide the children’s attention to the message of the day.
7. They go over the readings and the gospel to help the children understand what they mean.
8. An activity is planned that is related to the gospel to reinforce the basic concept.
9. The group has grown to about 30 per Mass.

Joanne also reported on Moms and Pops with Tots:

1. This is a ministry to help the new mom or pop get out of the house and begin to socialize with people of similar interests and needs.
2. The group does contribute to the socialization skills of the children.
3. Stories can be read to the children and there are toys for the children play time,
4. They meet the second Tuesday of the month.
5. The membership ebbs and flows, but usually about 4 per meeting.

The Pastoral Council spent a great deal of time discussing the CCD Survey.

1. They concurred on the Monday evening timeslot for CCD.
2. We do not have a satisfactory plan for summer sessions at this time.
3. Rick Zelazny agreed to chair a committee of concerned individuals that will be formed to examine the many aspects of the CCD program, parish and family needs.
4. We want the parents more involved in the CCD process. Discussion ranged from the Good News, family discussion topics and facilitation meetings.

A reflection on the Passion Play showed a general strong feeling that it was very well done and the parish involvement was excellent. It did raise the thought that we need more activities in this parish for mid-life couples.

Details of the Domestic Violence program scheduled for April 30 were discussed. This is well planned and the presenters are excellent. There will be posters, handouts and placards of facts related to domestic violence. This is a much bigger issue than we casually admit. The community should plan to attend.

The Parish Picnic planning is a work in progress – some issues are resolved and some we are searching for substitutes.

The next meeting will be Monday, May 5, 2008 at 7:00pm in the Rectory.

Ray Paulos reported to the Pastoral Council the progress and growth of the Bereavement Ministry:

1. The Ministry has been in effect for 18 months.
2. It began with 3 trained volunteer couples and has expanded to 5 to accommodate the volume of funerals at St. Margaret Mary.
3. The Bereavement Ministry was formed to assist the Parish Priest by closely attending to grieving families. The volunteer couples help families through the funeral process and follows-up with support in the weeks following the funeral.
4. Marietta DiCicco assigns a Bereavement couple to a family as she learns of a death in the Parish.
5. The couple then contacts the family with condolences and schedules an appointment to meet with the family to tend to the details of the funeral home arrangements, funeral Mass details, committal ceremony and luncheon following the funeral.
6. The Bereavement couple attends the vigil service at the funeral home, the funeral and the committal ceremony at the cemetery. They also follow-up with the family after the funeral to offer support.
7. The couple offers additional parish services if needed after the funeral.
8. The parish families have been extremely receptive and grateful for the Bereavement Ministry.
9. The Bereavement Ministry was formed as a result of the ongoing "Envisioning" project of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. "Envisioning" is a plan to prepare parishes for a time when there may not be enough priests to have a priest at each parish. Volunteer lay people of the parish will have to begin performing many of the duties that priests have performed in the past.

The Pastoral Council was provided with detailed results of the recent CCD survey completed by the families of the Parish. The council was asked to review the multiple page document to discuss at the next meeting. Sister Jeanine indicated that the most consistent result from the survey was the need for an evening or weekend time slot for CCD classes to accommodate working parents. It was decided that a 6:15pm-7:30pm class would be added for grades 1-7. While many responded that they would like a Saturday or Sunday afternoon class, Sister Jeanine indicated that she did not have enough teachers willing to teach the classes on weekends.

Sister Jeanine also provided the council with several newly popular CCD Models being used in other parishes that may be considered for St. Margaret Mary including year long neighborhood and family group programs.

Details and plans for the Parish Picnic were discussed. The Parish Picnic will be back at Gilmary this summer.

The next meeting will be Monday, April 7 at 7:00pm in the Rectory.

Brenden Griffey met with the Pastoral Council to present an overview of the Music Ministry.

1. The Music Ministry has grown from a choir and a few cantors to an expanded program.
2. The ministry does something at least 1 Mass every weekend.
3. Children’s Choir (currently 14) perform at the 9:30 Mass. This is growing to be more than just a Christmas Choir. They are beginning to learn to use bells.
4. Cantors (currently 14) lead the musical responses at Mass. Brenden meets with them every other week. Many of them are getting professional vocal training to help their ministry.
5. Adult Choir – This is a big happy family. We are pleased to have 10 men in the program; we have traditionally had a strong women’s component and that continues. They do 2 to 3 Masses per month – usually the 11 AM Mass. Judy Elias has been a "gift" to the parish ’ she can direct, play and sing. She continues to upgrade the presentation of the Adult Choir and they truly do enhance the liturgy.
6. Ensemble – this is a work in progress. Currently 13 musicians: we are pleased to have Gregg and his sons, Esther and her son in the program. Jon with drums joins wind, and string instruments to round out the program. While we can use more musicians, there was a chorus component that was to develop with this group – that has not happened. We are seeking vocal support for our ensemble.
7. Resurrection Choir ’ these are volunteers who come to the Funeral Mass. It just works and they add to the liturgy.
8. The Gospel Mass remains popular but we will only be using it 2 or 3 times a year.

Our Choir has been singing at the Light Up Night activities. They have been involved in Mass at the Cathedral and will have another guest spot in the near future. We have added new books to supplement the worship books. Our choir develops special programs for Holy Week, Easter and Christmas.

Brenden is pleased how the website has really helped communication with the choir members. He was recently elected to the American Guild of Organists and will attend executive meetings three times a year.

A concern about copyright laws has become a focus of music ministry. Areas of concern include: Programs, words on the screen and music for cantors or choir.

Bernie Vogler reported he has revised the navigation column on our web site to improve movement through the various topics

Lori Duffy and Pate Shandrick met with the new owners of Gilmary to discuss how the operation is changing. Gilmary is creating a "Youth Towne" activity area. They want to focus on Youth and Family organizations and activities. The new policy will not rent the facility out to non-Catholics and furthermore will only foster family and youth programs. They offer the "Coffee House" program that our Youth Ministry attends. They would consider hosting our Parish picnic and the Father – Daughter Dance if we are interested.

Parish Picnic
Can’t be just Pastoral Council members running it – we need other Church groups involved. We’d like to move away from the commercial door prizes. We are interested in family oriented activities. Pastoral Council Members are exploring a variety of activities – we typically have had swimming, Bocce, volleyball, Bingo, water balloons, ice cream sundaes, a variety of children’s games, the balloon man. Several other activities are being explored for inclusion.

Social Justice has arranged a program for Weds. April 30 at 7:00 PM. The topic "Domestic Violence – Breaking the Silence." The committee intent is to allow audience/panel Question and Answer after the presentation and for individual interaction afterward.

Our next meetings will be March 10 in the Rectory.

Cathy Hetzer met with the Pastoral Council to present an overview of the Liturgy Committee activities.

1. They train Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and keep them up-to-date on procedures.
2. They train the lectors (readers) working in conjunction with Fr. John and the Music Ministry.
3. They stock and maintain the Care Notes library at the exit from the church.
4. They work out the details of special Masses – such as Graduation – co-operating with the Music Director.
5. They participate in planning the Thanksgiving Liturgy with the collection and distribution of food to the community.
6. They integrate the Giving Tree into the Advent-Christmas season.
7. During Advent and Lent, they work with Fr. John to schedule a Mass of Anointing, a Penitential Service, a Mass of Remembrance, decorate the altar, maintain the flowers. With respect to the Mass of Remembrance they work with the Bereavement Committee to invite all who have lost someone during the past year. A touching component of the remembrance liturgy is the reading the name of the lost loved one.
8. Easter Saturday, working with the RCIA program, they participate in preparation for the candidates to receive their sacraments.
9. They participate in the Liturgy of the Word for Children.
10. They train the altar servers.
11. They were instrumental in developing the new "Cry Room" decor.

Bernie Vogler reported on the positive increases in the use of our website. He illustrated the high interest in the Bulletin, and down-loadable forms. A future goal is to increase pictorial components on our site.

Our Renewal Committee has scheduled Fr. Michael Sullivan for Dec. 5 to 9, 2009.

Stewardship Sunday resulted in approximately 60 responses; the names have been distributed to the appropriate ministry or committee. The ministry or committee leadership will contact the volunteers.

The Pastoral Council initiated discussion of short-term goals. It was decided to move forward on efforts to bring back the Parish Picnic. Many factors will need to be resolved before this can occur.

Fr. Jim will begin Bible Study on Tuesday evenings in a few weeks. Watch the Bulletin.

The Pastoral Council agreed to allow the Scouts to sell Spaghetti dinner tickets on Sunday, Mar. 2.

Next meeting will be Monday, February 11th, at 7:00 pm.

This year, we would like to meet with each of our ministries and learn more about their operation, their needs, their goals, time commitments and other factors that will help us to know them better. We began with our new Youth Minister.

Bob Summers, Youth Minister, met with the Pastoral Council to give an overview of where he was trying to move the Youth Ministry program. He reported the response by the Parish youth and their parents has been encouraging. They are working together to set annual events related to this community. Service, religious study, refueling (food), and wholesome activities were woven into a well thought out approach toward involving our youth and growing the program.

The Health Fair was a great success. This year all three churches of the Cluster were involved. The attendees had good reports on the ease of moving among the health information providers, the efficiency of delivery of the flu shots (over 400 were administered.)

While finances are not our domain, we were informed that the Capital Campaign for the Renewal remodeling in nearing completion. Even though expenses were greater than the original estimates the parishioners have faithfully completed their promised support. Future communications will address needs the Finance Council and Fr. John have identified.

We are seeking a Secretary for the CCD program (part time.)

Plans were discussed for the Stewardship Sunday. Materials outlining the ministry activities and giving parishioners an opportunity to become involved will be distributed in the manner of last year.

We continued our discussion of traffic safety as we leave the church grounds after a service. The setting orange traffic warning cones in the street before mass and afterwards seems to be our only option. Another effort will be made to involve the police in this effort.

The discussions related to Pastoral Plan Revisions were rescheduled for the January meeting.

Next meeting will be Monday, January 7th.

A rather serious evaluation of our Mission Statement was made. No changes are planned at this time. We agreed to re-examine it during our Pastoral Council Retreat next year.

The Ministerium's Thanksgiving event will be at 7 pm, Tuesday, Nov. 20 at the Presbyterian Church on First Ave on Neville Island. Bring canned goods or money for the needy.

The Health Fair is scheduled for Nov. 10 in the Church hall. All three churches in our cluster will be helping put on the program. Health information and health screenings will be available. We need set-up help from 3 to about 3:30 pm on Friday. We will have greeters there to help guide the people.

We are seeking a Secretary for the CCD program (part time.)

Plans were discussed for the Stewardship Sunday. We will use a slide show and distribute similar to last year.

The leadership of Ministry of the Word with Children will be changing. Ann Ebberts would like to move on to other activities.

The Council felt a series of meeting with the ministries of our parish would benefit our understanding of what we are doing here. We will start with the new Youth Minister.

The Liturgy Committee will examine the Baptism process to see if there is a need for help during the service.

Next meeting will be Tuesday, November 13th.

Sr. Jeanine reported that the Youth Group Coordinator Committee has interviewed 4 candidates to date. There are two additional resumes expected and interviews to follow.

Sr. Jeanine reported on Summer CCD. Although operating, the student count is down dramatically. Additionally, it has been difficult to get adult instructors for the classes. A consensus was formed that we should spend the time in-servicing our teachers and phase out the summer CCD program.

The newest Pastoral Council members will participate in an orientation program August 27 at 7:00 PM.

We are seeking a Secretary for the CCD program (part time.)

Discussion was initiated on Liturgy and Church Etiquette. After a period of further review, expect to see information in the Bulletin or on the website.

The Parish Fellowship Committee outlined more activities they wish to pursue for this year. The intent is to draw the parish together.

* Their first activity — the "Adoption of Landscape Islands by families or groups " program — was not embraced by the parish to date.

* A second idea revolves around a food fare. Ethnic foods could be available for tasting.

We have been discussing traffic safety as we leave the church grounds after a service. Several avenues were investigated, but the only viable one involved setting orange traffic warning cones in the street before mass and afterwards.

Next meeting will be Saturday, September 8th, the Pastoral Council Retreat.

Sr. Jeanine reported that the Youth Group Coordinator search has resulted in several submitting Resumes and interviews for two are scheduled for May 31. There are two additional resumes expected.

First Holy Communion services were very nice this year. The families maintained a Prayerful atmosphere for their children. The children were well prepared for the liturgy they knew what to do

The Parish Picnic at Gilmary will not be held this year. Since Gilmary has been sold, we do not have the flexibility to schedule the picnic when it best fits our resources. We will ask the Fellowship Committee to examine this event and perhaps recommend a course of action for next year.

We need catechists for the summer Religious Education Program.

New rules go into effect this summer regarding adult clearances to work with children. Parish representatives will attend meetings to learn of the scope of the requirements.

The Parish Fellowship Committee outlined many activities they wish to pursue for this year. The first is the Adoption of Landscape Islands by families or groups program. Participants will maintain parish areas according to guidelines provided by the committee. We feel this is an excellent project.

Next meeting is Tuesday, June 19th at 7:00 PM.

Sr. Jeanine reported that the Youth Group Coordinator search had several inquiries, but none fit the position. Up to this point our search has been among local parish sources, but now the committee will expand its search to Diocese sources

The Lenten Liturgies and Easter services were discussed. Several parishioners commented on moving, powerful services — the Reconciliation service was particularly moving for the participants.

Confirmation and the first of the First Holy Communion services have been very nice this year.

The Parish Handbook has been favorably received. The teal cover was selected to match the new carpet in the church. The committee was congratulated for a job well done.

Since Gilmary has been sold, we will verify that our parish picnic can still be held there in late July. If not then alternate activities will be developed.

Barb Lewis made a brief presentation on the future goals for the Fellowship Committee. Their activities will be announced in the Bulletin.

Next meeting is Monday, May 21st at 7:00 PM.

Global Links sent a very nice thank you for our work in preparing the contents of the shipping container to St. Joseph's hospital in Uganda. They recognized the large effort the parish has made to collect materials and to fund the project over the last 2+ years.

A committee lead by Sr. Jeanine has met to create an interview procedure for selecting a new Youth Minister. The announcement of the vacancy will start with our bulleting and then expand to surrounding parishes.

The Lenten Liturgies reminder: 3/31 will be the Mass of Anointing, 4/3 the Parish Penitential service.

A Pastoral Council Retreat planned for Sept. 8 continues. Stan Truskie will help facilitate and will meet with the 5 newest members to complete their training.

The Parish Handbook has been mailed to parish families.

There will be a National Day of Prayer on May 3rd. A local ecumenical service will be held at 7:00 PM at the Gazebo in Coraopolis (opposite the Police Station). All are invited to attend.

80 students will be confirmed by Bishop Winters on Monday evening, March 26.

The Council will seek to contact ministries on a regular basis to aid communications within the parish.

Cluster consolidation activities so far have included the Bereavement Ministry and most recently the RCIA.

Next meeting is April 23 at 7:00 PM.

A Pastoral Council Retreat was discussed plans for a Day of Reflection in mid-September, 2007. The retreat will begin at noon and end with Mass at 5:30PM. While the program has yet to be finalized, initial thoughts are for sessions on Faith sharing, Current Goals — reviewed, Brainstorming on current needs and new goals

The Lenten Gathering was discussed. 2/25, Sunday at 12:30 Mass begins the Mystery of Faith, 3/31 will be the Mass of Anointing, 4/3 the Parish Penitential service.

The Fund Raising events calendar for the year was reviewed and will be posted on the web site.

An update on contacting Stewardship Sunday volunteer was discussed. Most leaders seem to have initiated contact.

The Council was advised on the shipping of supplies to St. Joseph Hospital in Uganda. The supplies were packed into a shipping container, the manifest indicated almost $50 000 worth of supplies were sent.

The Parish Handbook is being printed and will be released soon. This edition will include a section on the stained glass windows.

Paul and Barbara Lewis will lead the Fellowship Ministry.

Pam Garver will step down as Youth Minister and Young Adult Minister.

Next meeting is March 19 at 7:00 PM.

A Pastoral Council Retreat was discussed and plans were initiated for a Day of Reflection in September, 2007.

The Christmas Holiday liturgy and events were discussed and notes made for next year's efforts. Efforts will be made to communicate the themes of the altar decorations for the holidays.

The status of Fund Raising was discussed; a calendar will be generated to guide our decisions about scheduling them.

We had an excellent response to our Stewardship Sunday survey. Leaders will now contact the volunteers to get the involved with their choices.

The Council was advised of two of our 50th anniversary celebration activities:

1. The medical supplies for the St. Joseph Hospital in the Diocese of Arua, Uganda, East Africa continue to be donated by parishioners. These items include: Wheel chairs, crutches, walkers, quad canes, disposable diapers, bath soap, tooth brushes and tooth paste, plus single sheets and pillow covers. We will transport them Jan. 30 to the shipper, Global Links, Inc. in Bloomfield. They will ship these and many other medical supplies and equipment to Uganda for us. Sadly, we were not able to locate a used X-ray machine to send to the hospital at this time. It will take several months for the container to complete the shipping process and be delivered in Uganda.

2. We have collected and sent several hundred used books to a library in the Philippines - for Mike Bercik, a parishioner, is serving in the Peace Corps there at Western Philippine University.

The Parish Handbook is being updated.

Next meeting is February 12 at 7:00 PM.

The Pastoral Council spent some time implementing the fund raising policy. The policy will be published in the Good News in January.

Our Health Fair, on Nov. 11, was a good example of our mission statement in action. It was well received by the participants — especially the flu shots at the suggested donation of $5.

Stewardship Sunday planning, Nov. 25/26, was completed. Our updated forms will be included in the bulletin Nov. 18/19 so that parishioners can think of how they wish to help. On Stewardship Sunday they can fill out the form in church. A new slide show will be used to help inform the membership of the various activities and opportunities. If you miss the Nov. 25/26 program, sign-up forms will be available on the website and in the church and you are encouraged to get involved. The sign-up forms are for NEW participants in a ministry.

The schedule for Special Liturgies was discussed. They will be announced in the bulletin.

12/13 - Compassionate Friends candlelight service

12/16 - Anointing Mass

12/19 - Penitential service

12/21 - Ecumenical Prayer service

12/27 - Mass of Remembrance

The Pastoral Council began their new role of implementing our fund raising policy and scheduling such events in a standardized manner.

Our Health Fair will be Nov. 11.

Plans were made for Stewardship Sunday, November 25/26. Our updated forms will be included in the bulletin Nov. 18/19 so that parishioners can think of how they wish to help. On Stewardship Sunday they can fill out the form in church. A new slide show will be used to help inform the membership of the various activities and opportunities.

We will change the website to include scanned copies of only the past 4 weeks worth of bulletins. Anyone wishing to see an archived bulletin should contact the Parish Office.

Church etiquette suggests that cell phone ringing be disabled during Mass.

The 50th Anniversary Parish Picnic held on August 6 was briefly discussed. We will plan for an early August 2007 picnic for next year.

The Religious Education registration forms available on our website seemed to facilitate this year's registration process.

The Council was advised of our 50th anniversary celebration activities. Of immediate interest:

1. The September Parish Social highlighted the history of our church. Excellent memorabilia were available to examine and First Communion Pictures were a big hit.
2. We have received duty-free permits for our pending medical equipment donation to Uganda. This process should occur over the next few months. We will announce opportunities to help through the bulletin and the website.
3. Due to current need, the food drive planned for November will occur in September. Please plan to donate non-perishable and canned food items the weekend of September 23 and 24th.

A great deal of discussion focused on a Fund Raising Policy for St. Margaret Mary Church. Parishioners will apply for a date to sell outside the church through the Pastoral Council. The Council will provide accepted applicants with fund raising guidelines and responsibilities.

Our Health Fair will be Nov. 11.

The 50th Anniversary Parish Picnic to be held on August 6 was the focus of the meeting. We discussed all activities, coordinator assignments, supplies and advertisements related to this annual family fun day. We are ready.

Changes to the parish website include pictures of our stained glass windows. This is a project in development and we expect to expand up this in the future.

The Council was advised of our 50th anniversary celebration activities. We are still stalemated in our efforts to gain duty-free permits for our pending medical equipment donation to Uganda. Each of our previous anniversary activities has had good participation and the committee continues to prepare for each of the coming monthly activities.