Pastoral Council Minutes,  March 15th, 2022
 
Present: Elizabeth Amsberry, Kris Dunkin, Nathan Heitz, Elaine Lawler, Phil Paladino, Father Doug Wathier, Wayne Green.  Zoom: Joe Barber

•  Meeting called to order by Nathan. Father Doug started with prayer
• The February 22nd minutes were reviewed. Joe moved to accept the minutes, seconded by Elaine, and approved by the Council.
• Bequest
  • Recommended we remove the executor by court order.
  • Will request asking how the property is being maintained and requesting a walk through.
  • During the discussions, Phil noticed on the Black Hawk Assessment website that St Mary is listed as deed holder of the property as of 12/01/2021. Dixie/Phil will check with our attorney about taxes and insurance if indeed we are owners.
• Phase 2 Update
  • The proxy process has been completed with the Archdiocese.
  • Next step is to present updated plans to the Archdiocese Building Commission.
  • Once we receive approval from the Archdiocese we will conduct town hall meetings with the parish. 
• Finance Committee
  • It was decided to not take the March withdrawal from the Religious Endowment Account.
  • The work on the church roof will begin as soon as weather permits. Materials have been purchased.
  • There was a recommendation to communicate to the parish on the upcoming roof work.
• Staff Update
  • There has been one person express potential interest in the Discipleship Coordinator position. This will be pursued.
  • No potential candidates for the Director of Religious Education position as of yet. 
• Kris moved that the meeting be adjourned, seconded by Elizabeth, and approved by Council. Next Council meeting will be Tuesday, April 19th at 7:00pm 

 
Finance Council –  Mar 23, 2022
Present: Kelly Flege, Steve Phyfe, Becky David, Becky Willson, Joe Barber, Fr Doug Wathier. Also present: Deacon Phil Paladino, Dixie Jacobs.
Monthly Financials: Offertory is above budget by about $10,000. Online giving continues to be used more. The nave furnace controller was reviewed by a tech and it was determined the controller is working and does not need to be replaced. The furnace has been repaired for about $800. Expenses are within budget. Becky D made a motion to accept the financials as presented; Kelly seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Bequest Update: The council discussed the recommendation to not remove the executor at this time. They would like an expected timeline when the parish should proceed with the removal of the executor if the estate is not liquidated. Dixie will contact the parish lawyer to request this information.
Phase 2 Building Update: The Archdiocesan proxy (giving Archdiocesan approval) for the capital campaign has been approved. Documents are being assembled to send to the Archdiocesan Building Commission; the commission will schedule a meeting with the parish representatives this spring. Parish townhall meetings to present the preliminary drawings to parishioners will be scheduled soon, and the capital campaign will begin after that.
Religious Education Endowment: a $16,524 (4%) withdrawal is budgeted for this fiscal year. Kelly made a motion to not make the budgeted withdrawal this year; Scott seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Budget 2022/23: A draft budget will be included in next month’s packet. It will include proposed budgets from faith formation and other committees.
Mar 15 Meeting: Estate update, Phase 2 update, 2022/23 budget. 
Meeting adjourned.
 
 
Peace and Justice Meeting Minutes,  March 14, 2022 @ 7:00 p.m.
 Present: Lindsey Kuhlmann, Phil Paladino, Wayne Green, Jan Kriener, Ted Mulert, Becky David,   Chuck Carlin, Val King
Opening Prayer at 7:05 - Phil

1. Food Bank volunteer day

• Approximately 20 participants
• Reminder to say prayer and take picture at beginning as people leave at different times later in the morning
• Lindsey will look at booking the first Saturday in June. 

2.  Habitat for Humanity

• Spring Benefit in March went well. Amount raised has not yet been released.
• Home dedication March 22 at 425 Clay in Waterloo. Owner is Karen.
•  Working with the consulting group from the Lupton Center.
  1. Structured surveys: Assisting in evaluating neighborhoods using the Flourishing Neighborhood Index (FNI).  Provides software to capture data on neighborhoods.
  2. Provides assistance in developing neighborhood focus groups (creates social support).
  3. Economic survey - assessment of businesses in neighborhoods.
  4. Develop local neighborhood leaders.
  5. Walnut and Church Row neighborhoods in Waterloo. City planners from Waterloo are involved in the process.

 
3.        Mary’s Meals for Lent - Ash Wednesday is March 2.

• Goal set for $10,000.  Molly stated she will post collected amounts periodically throughout Lent.
• Money raised to date is $3887.

 
4.  Keep thinking of ideas for possible educational programs sponsored by the Social Justice committee.  
 5.  Website

•  All agree our meeting minutes should be posted on our link on the parish website.
• We agreed to  list the organizations we usually support with a mission statement or brief description and a link to the organization’s website.  Becky, Wayne, and Ted will work on this and present at our next meeting. 

 6.        Tithe: 

• a.    Becky presented the following proposal to the Pastoral Council on 2/21/22:

 
Mission Statement:  The St. Mary Parish Peace and Justice Committee seeks to mobilize the St. Mary community to care for the poor and marginalized in the name of Jesus through the lens of our Catholic faith.
The committee created this mission statement to guide its activities in engaging and educating the parish in activities that support the social justice teachings of the Catholic church and distributing the funds set aside for parish tithing. 
Criteria were identified to use to direct the distribution of parish tithes to organizations whose objectives are in line with catholic social teaching.  All organizations who receive tithes are evaluated according to these criteria based on their mission, efficiency of operation and long-term helpfulness of the services provided to the people they serve.
The committee has a schedule for distributing funds each month.  All organizations are reviewed annually to determine if they continue to meet the guidelines established.  New organizations are evaluated as they are identified and added if they meet the criteria.
The committee is seeking authority from the Pastoral Council to submit the monthly tithes directly to the Business Manager and have them paid immediately instead of waiting for approval by the Pastoral Council each month.  Payments and reporting are being delayed and are making it difficult to determine what funds have been paid out and what is available to distribute.
The committee will submit reports quarterly to the Council for oversight and provide any information requested to ensure transparency and that committee activity meets parish goals.
Recommendation on fund distribution was approved by the Pastoral Council provided that approved contributions remain within the scope of the P&J mission statement. This approval will remain valid until the end of the church fiscal year.  At that time the Pastoral Council will evaluate re-approval on an annual basis going forward. 
Becky will maintain a list for the Pastoral Council report.
 
March Tithe:
Local:  None.  Clarify past food bank distributions for this fiscal year.
State/National
       NE Iowa Food Bank - $1000 ***if received by the end of March, contribution will be matched.
        NAMI - $1000
        Birthright - $500
International
            Sister Water Project - $1000
            CRS - designated for Ukraine - $1000
           
Next meeting is April 11, 2022 @ 7:00 p.m.  Closing prayer @ 7:45 – Ted.  Minutes prepared by Val King