St. Thomas Aquinas Parish
The Catholic Community of Palo Alto, CA
Annual Report 2011-‐2012
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Annual Report 2011-‐2012 Pastoral Center 3290 Middlefield Road Palo Alto, CA 94306 650-‐494-‐2496 www.paloaltocatholic.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS From the Pastor ............................................................................................................................1 Our Pastoral Ministries .................................................................................................................3 Liturgy............................................................................................................................................................ 3
Hispanic Ministry………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………….5 Catechetical Ministry……………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………7 STAYouth……………………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………………..8 Adult Spiritual Development……………………………………………………………………………………………………..10 Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)………………………………………………………………………………..12 Pastoral Home Ministry…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….14 Our Parish Site Committees ........................................................................................................16 Our Lady of the Rosary………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………..16 St. Albert the Great………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….18 St. Thomas Aquinas………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….20 Our Other Parish Ministries.........................................................................................................23 Maintenance/Facilities ................................................................................................................................ 23 Communications ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………..…………25 Community Life…………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………….27 Green Committee……………………………………………………………………………….....................................……………….29 Human Concerns ………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………..32 Finance Ministry……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………….35
Parish Operations: Year-‐End June 2012 Report………………………………..…………………………………..………..36
FROM THE PASTOR July 1, 2012 marks the beginning of my 3rd year as Pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas. As I look back, I must say it has been an interesting 24 months— never a dull moment! In 2012, I celebrated my 50th Birthday in March and completed my 21st year as a priest in May. I missed the celebration of Ash Wednesday for this first time of my priesthood— a bad back did me in! I had the great joy of leading another pilgrimage to Italy in November. One of the highlights was celebrating Mass on the tomb of Blessed John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica. As I pause after each proud accomplishment, whether it’s the completion of the Easter Triduum, a weekend Engaged Encounter, or a typical 12-‐hour day, it’s always “what’s next?” Let me share with you just a few of the highlights from the past year.
In November, we joined the entire Church in the United States, in praying the Mass from the Third Edition of the Roman Missal. It is been quite a challenge for the priests to learn new prayers; however, we have worked hard at proclaiming these new texts with prayerful reverence. Many of you have your responses down cold, although the Nicene Creed will take all of us some time to get used to. We are very blessed with the addition of Fr. Peter Seimas to our staff. Fr. Peter, with his degree in Family Therapy, has been a valuable resource to our parishioners seeking counseling and family unity. We also enjoyed the presence of Michael Gray who served his Pastoral Year assignment with us. Michael is fondly remembered for his thoughtful Scripture reflections; his work as a 4th grade catechist; and his memorable role as Peter Pan during our Volunteer Appreciation Social. Michael Gray I am quite pleased with the continuing improvement of our Spirituality Tuesday Assemblies with the addition of many new speakers and exciting topics. am grateful for all of the energy, enthusiasm, and hard work that have been directed toward the renovation of Dermody Center, The Thomas House, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, and St. Elizabeth Seton School.
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Fr. John Hester, Fr. Matt Stanley, Judy Foley
Through the tremendous generosity of Mary Barrachi, a gift of $1 million dollars was placed in an endowment fund for the renovation and preservation of St. Thomas Aquinas church. Fr. John Hester was instrumental in working to ensure the legacy of our beautiful and historic church through his many years of friendship with Mary. Judy Foley continues to lead our renovation team through the arduous maze of contracts, blueprints, and permits. We hope to begin phase 1 of our project later this year.
I am quite proud of our ability to introduce Life Teen & EDGE into our Youth Ministry program spearheaded by the enthusiastic leadership of Alley White, along with the beginnings of our new 6pm Youth Mass. And of course the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation is always of our annual highlights. Finally, I look forward to the challenge of renewing and re-‐ energizing all of our ministries for children. Susan Lee Olsen will be joining us in August. She has over twenty years of experience working with children. She has also served in the areas of liturgy, music, social justice, and liturgical movement. I look forward to working with Susan who will help us provide the very best faith formation programs for our youngest members. Susan Lee Olsen Of course none of this would be possible without our parish leaders, volunteers, generous and supportive parishioners, and our talented and dedicated staff. Each and every day, I thank God for all of you. It is because of you that I wake up each day, ready and willing to provide the leadership and vision necessary to help our parish be true and faithful to its mission. Through the intercession of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Albert the Great, and Our Lady of the Rosary, may God give us all the strength each day to do our very best for all of the good people of our parish. Rev. Matthew D. Stanley Pastor 2
OUR PASTORAL MINISTRIES
Liturgy
St. Ignatius of Antioch referred to the Church as a "Eucharistic community" who realizes her true nature when she celebrates the Eucharist. His view of the Church was the local community gathered around its Bishop, celebrating the Eucharist. It is important to note that St. Ignatius became Bishop of Antioch in A.D. 67 — in the midst of the New Testament era while most of the Apostles were still alive and active. St. Ignatius was the second Bishop of Antioch succeeding St. Peter. Thus we can safely trust that this understanding of the nature of the Church and the Eucharist was representative of that held by the Apostles and the Church at large. By the end of the first century the basic form or order of the Liturgy was established and universally celebrated throughout the Christian Church, though with regional and cultural differences in expression. [http://www.liturgica.com/] And so we carry that tradition forward in Palo Alto: The mission of the Liturgy Board is to ensure that every liturgical celebration within the parish is planned well and presented so that these liturgies are a source of spiritual strength, inspiration and hope for all participants. Our work is guided by the liturgical guidelines as stated in the General Instructions of the Roman Missal (GIRM), diocesan directives and other liturgical documents of the Church which are provided to parish liturgical teams for use in planning parish liturgical celebrations. In addition to the parishioners who participate in the Board’s planning and monthly meetings, there are many, many parish volunteers that enable the work of the Board: all our parish liturgical volunteers (sacristans, lectors, commentators, music ministers, ushers, ministers of hospitality, altar servers) and those that train them, those who maintain our church environments and altar linens. Ongoing Activities: • Advance planning for all liturgical celebrations • Working with site committees and schedulers of liturgical ministers so that all masses have all the liturgical roles filled at each mass. • Training and catechesis of new liturgical ministers as they volunteer (altar servers, lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, etc.). • Maintaining a calendar of all liturgical celebrations. • Support the work of the parish Liturgy Coordinator • Support for church renovation efforts at St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Albert the Great. Major Activities This Year • Support for use of the new Roman Missal: advance catechesis to the parish, pew cards, new 3
Mass settings. • Expansion of the 6:00 p.m. Sunday LifeTeen Mass at our Lady of the Rosary to weekly. This allowed regular involvement of our parish high-‐school students as Lectors, Greeters, Eucharistic Ministers and Music Ministers. The Masses ran from September through May, are on hiatus during June, July, and August, and will begin again in September. • Continued support for all the liturgical feasts and related celebrations: • Mass of Remembrance • Thanksgiving Day Mass • Advent and Christmas liturgies and sacred environment • Lent and Holy Triduum liturgies and sacred environment • Special Penance liturgies during Advent and Lent • Taize Prayer Services (monthly, but weekly during Advent and Lent) • Family Masses at St. Albert and OLR each 4th Sunday • Children’s Choir at St. Albert • Appropriate seasonal environments at all churches • Ongoing support of the RCIA process with special rites as directed • Ongoing Altar Server training at OLR and SAG. • Ongoing development opportunities for lectors and Eucharistic Ministers.
Work of Director of Liturgy and Music In addition to the work of the many volunteers on the Board, and those who fulfill and many liturgical roles at mass, Nora Lundin, the Parish Liturgy Coordinator, fulfills many necessary liturgical needs. She schedules the presiders for daily and weekend masses, the lectors/EMs at St. Albert the Great, and is responsible for all liturgical supplies (bread, wine, candles), orders flowers and other special seasonal needs, and works with the church sacristans and environment teams on special needs. Nora also serves as the parish funeral and wedding coordinator, meeting with wedding couples and grieving family members to plan marriages and funerals. The Liturgy Coordinator also participates in all Site Committee meetings as well as the St. Thomas Aquinas Interior Remodeling Committee as they work through recommendations for changes to that church. Members: Fr. Matt, Fr. Peter, Fr. Randy, Deacon Daniel Hernandez, Micky Martin, Paul Prochaska, Bill Mahrt, Jean Ramacciotti, seminarian Michael Gray, Nora Lundin (parish Liturgy Coordinator), Pat Briggs, Kay Williams (secretary), Chris Lundin (chair) and other occasional participants.
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Hispanic Ministry August: 13, 14, 15: The young adults of our parish, in a team effort, along with other young adult leaders from the Diocese of San Jose worked very hard during the summer in preparing the annual young adult retreat, which Our Lady of the Rosary Church (St. Thomas Aquinas Parish) helps sponsor. This retreat is called Encuentro de Hijos/Hijas. It requires a lot of work and preparation on the part of the young adults, a lot of sacrifice on their part as far as time and work are concerned. Approximately 100 young adults attend this retreat, and close to 40 others work in preparing it. August 20th: A day of prayer, reflection and training was given to all catechists working in the Hispanic program, by Maria de Jesus, the director of the program. After this day, several catechists were inspired to continue their training and signed up for classes in the Diocese to become better catechists and they went to a three-‐day workshop at the Chancery. August 27th: A retreat was given by a Jesuit priest from Los Gatos to 10 volunteers and the director of the community to train them on how to pray and reflect with a special book called Desafio (“Challenge”) based on St. Ignatius spirituality. This group meets every other Sunday at the Pastoral Center at 7:30 am to share and reflect on their experiences from their daily reflections done at home. This group is the first to start on something that we hope to do with other community members in the future in order to give others tools to help them grow in their spirituality. September: Our catechetical program began the weekend after Labor Day. The number of students in our program did go down a little from last year, but on the average, the groups are pretty much the same size. This month the Hispanic Community was able to join the rest of the parish community with a higher number of assistance to the parish picnic due to the fact that the picnic was held at OLR. We know many members of our community generously contributed food for this picnic and they also enjoyed the events, as well as being able to mingle and getting to know our parish priests. October: This month we were happy to see that the 9 am Mass assistance is pretty much the same, if not a little more than in the past years. We are seeing more and more new parishioners coming to our community, most of them from Palo Alto and Mountain View. We would also like to mention that the very day of Time and Talent, perhaps we did not get anyone to sign up, but in part it was because we keep inviting people to serve during the whole year, and about a month or two before Time and Talent, we had several (5) new lectors join, mostly young adults, and 3 new catechist signed up to help. November: This month the young adults had a tamale breakfast on a Sunday to raise money to help St. Vincent de Paul with money to buy Christmas gifts and toys for the less fortunate. The young adults look forward to helping St. Vincent de Paul members to buy and distribute the gifts to these families in need. 5
December: On the 9th we had a group processing from Heritage Plaza to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church for Vespers. Sunday, December 11th, 12:00 pm Mass with free lunch for everyone, celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Monday December 12th, mañanitas for Our Lady at 5:30 am, lead by Fr. Randy and Maria de Jesus. December 16, Christmas Posada, prepared by the young adults. February 11th: Volunteer Appreciation Party: Volunteers from the Hispanic Community joined the volunteers from the English-‐speaking community in a very fun afternoon, organized by the staff of St. Thomas Aquinas in appreciation for all that the volunteers for this parish do. March 3rd: International Dinner: Parishioners from different regions and states of Mexico, and from countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, and Colombia, shared their culinary talents by supporting our fundraising dinner for LA Congress, bringing some delicious food that is traditional in their countries. The response from the community was so overwhelming that we ran out of a lot of the food, and there were still persons with tickets left. People found the food to be so delicious that they kept buying tickets and going back for time after time. So for those who came late, there were fewer choices of food. We are very grateful for the wonderful support provided by the parishioners. March 10th: Confirmation Retreat: Our youth and their parents had a great learning experience with the help of Fr. Randy and Fr. Engelberto Gammad who helped out in this retreat. After the talks and some activities, the retreat ended with Reconciliation in preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation. Our second year confirmation students received the sacrament on May 12th along with the students from the English program. March 23, 24, 25th was L.A. Religious Congress weekend. Ten persons from the community attended the LA Congress this year, 2012. Among the group who went were liturgical ministers and catechists, and Maria de Jesus with her husband, now Deacon Jaime. May 5th, First Communion all day retreat: Children who were going to receive their first communion later in May had a day of retreat with their parents. Retreat consists of learning about Last Supper, Mass and how to receive Communion, and the putting on of skits. After lunch we have Adoration and a moment of reconciliation between parents and children. Children read letters to parents and parents to their children, a very touching moment between them. After this, the retreat ended with children receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. Fr. Randy Valenton was there for the children’s special day. May 12th, Ordination of Jaime Garcia as Deacon: This day was the ordination of a member of our community and staff, who has been here for nearly 7 years. Members of the community and staff accompanied him, and his wife, Maria de Jesus, to the beautiful celebration at St. Joseph’s Cathedral on the day of the ordination, and members of the Hispanic community organized a lovely reception at OLR hall in celebration and thanksgiving. 6
th May 20 : Fr. Engelberto Gammad, assisted by Deacon Jaime, celebrated the First Communions for the Hispanic Community in a 8:30 am Sunday Mass. Fifteen children participated in this liturgy in one way or another and received Communion for the first time, making this day even more memorable for them and their families. ILM graduates: Three members from the Hispanic community graduated this year from the Institute for Leadership in Ministry: Maricela Gonzalez, Eucharistic minister coordinator, Eduardo Mendoza, confirmation catechist and young adult group leader; Pilar Rengifo, Eucharistic minister and adult catechist.
Catechetical Ministry STAKids (K – 5th grade) Catechetical Board Report
Activities: This year began with our annual Pancake Breakfast Meet & Greet. Ted Baer and his usual team, including the Knights of Columbus, spear-‐headed this event for us again and because of their unending dedication and support, it was a great success. The parish was invited to meet the new and returning STAKids teams for this coming school year. Classes began on Sept. 11, 2011, with larger numbers than past years, approximately 250 students for both sites and counting. All classes were manned with Catechists, Co-‐Catechists and class aides on the first day this year. We were pleased to have our own seminarian, Michael Gray teaching 4th graders at SAG. All members of the parish Catechetical teams were commissioned during the Catechetical Sunday Commissioning on Sept. 19th. The Faith First/Legacy series, the curriculum we use, has updated their student books to reflect the changes to the New Missal references this year. This year one class per month will be asked to collect food for our Food Drive. We are also pleased that our Parent Catechesis classes continued during the year with Hal Fletcher at SAG and Susan Clingingsmith, then Director of Religious Education, at OLR. Sue Clingingsmith left us in June to pursue other interests, and we have now welcomed Susan Lee Olsen, our new Coordinator of Children’s Ministries. 7
Our Children’s Catechumenate and older Sacramental Prep class is at an all-‐time high: 26 students. Children’s Liturgy team is also growing. And we have incorporated our website into the new parish website. We are encouraging families to visit the website. Our STAKids Catechetical Board is growing. Members now include: Hal Fletcher (SAG / PSC rep), Teresa Strathearn (SAG / chair), Anh Kunita (OLR), Bella Aguilar (OLR), Cleia Muggler (SAG) & Lisa Wicki (SAG).
STAYouth
Middle and High School Youth Program About STAY – ST. Thomas Aquinas Youth St. Thomas Aquinas’ Youth Ministry program is committed to love, nurture, inspire and motivate all middle and high school youth to be faithful lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ who serve their community. We offer weekly youth group sessions of faith sharing with peers, monthly youth masses, social events, social justice and outreach projects, and leadership opportunities. Find us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-‐Thomas-‐Aquinas-‐Youth-‐STAY-‐Palo-‐ Alto/162320081502 2010-‐11 Enrollment 72 Middle School students. 48 High School students. 33 Confirmation candidates from STAY. Academic Year Sessions: Middle School and High School hold sessions in the Dermody Center on the OLR site Sunday evenings Middle School (grades 6-‐8) meets from 4:30 to 5:50 p.m. for 2011-‐2012 continue to follow the EDGE program curriculum http://paloaltocatholic.net/index.cfm?load=page&page=161 High School (grades 9-‐12) meets from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. For 2010-‐2011 continue to follow the Life Teen program curriculum http://paloaltocatholic.net/index.cfm?load=page&page=162 Weekly Youth Masses As the LifeTeen and Edge curricula center around the mass, the parish continues to offer a youth mass each Sunday at 6:00 p.m. at OLR from September though May. The mass is between the middle school and high school sessions. Attendance at the Sunday evening masses has been steady.
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Confirmation: 8th -‐12th grade students are eligible to receive the sacrament of Confirmation through the STAY; the candidate’s readiness to receive this sacrament is determined through a discernment process involving families and the parish staff. This year, the Oneight program curriculum from LifeTeen was used for sacramental preparation. http://www.paloaltocatholic.net/index.cfm?load=page&page=274 Confirmation for both the STAY and Hispanic Ministry’s candidates was held during the regular 5:00 p.m. mass at SAG on Saturday, May 12, 2012, with Monsignor Fran Cilia presiding. STAY COOL Continued to Have Positive Community Impact This year’s service projects were fully a part of the preparation for Confirmation. Assisted in filling holiday food boxes for those in need at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in East Palo Alto before Thanksgiving and Christmas. At these two events STAY youth worked together with the St. Francis parish community. Layette Drive and Layette bundle preparation in May. Valentine’s cards and food drive during January and February. Prepared meals for Hotel de Zink Other Notable Events: EDGE Lock-‐In: EDGE hosted a lock-‐in for the middle schoolers. We went on a driving scavenger hunt around Palo Alto, went to the indoor trampoleen center (Sky High) in Santa Clara and played games at Dermody. Life Teen Retreat: St Thomas Aquinas hosted a retreat for all Deanery 2 high school youth groups in January at Dermody Center. The Alpha Omega reteat was a fun and faith-‐filled weekend. Oneight Retreat: The confirmation program held its annual confirmation retreat at Mt. Hermon Retreat Center in Scotts Valley. Twenty-‐eight of our confirmation candidates attended the Dr. Seuss-‐themed retreat and spent the weekend reflecting on their upcoming sacraments in small groups, participating in Mass, Adoration and Reconciliation. Friday Night Lights: Throughout the year we hosted Friday Night Lights, evenings filled with fun and games at Dermody Center. On February 3, 2012 STAY students took CalTrain down to SCU to watch the annual Reverends vs. the Seminarians’ basketball game. 2012 Diocesan Youth Retreat (DYR; formally known as Tahoe) took place June 9-‐13, 2012. This year the retreat took place at the Mt. Hermon Conference Center – a new larger location that accommodated more youth than the Emerald Bay site. Six of our STAY teens attended. (http://www.dsj.org/ministries/youth-‐ministry/diocesan-‐youth-‐retreat-‐dyr) Urban Immersion – Took place from June 25 –29. This was a week of service on the Peninsula and in the San Jose area. Thirteen of our STAY teens participated in this week of service. 9
Monthly Board Meetings At the St. Thomas Aquinas Pastoral Center. With Gratitude Thank you to Fr. Matt, Fr. Randy and Fr. Peter for your ongoing support and encouragement. Thank you to Maria de Jesus Garcia, Hispanic Ministry, for the coordination of Confirmation programs. Thank you to Chris Lundin and Nora Lundin for supporting the Youth Masses at OLR. Thank you to the parish Liturgy, Human Concerns, and OLR Site committees, we appreciate all that you do for us 2011-‐12 Youth Ministry Board Mary Clifford, Chair; Anna Zara and Karen Recinto, PSC Representatives; Vikki Howard, STAY COOL
Alley White, Director of Youth Ministry; Katie Yankoski, Youth Music Minister; Fr. Peter Seimas, Pastoral Advisor
Adult Spiritual Development
God is present; God is active; God is persistent Our Mission: To plan, organize and implement opportunities for the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Community to deepen and grow their awareness, experience and gratitude toward God while complimenting our existing spiritual formation activities plus bring us closer together as community through shared experience.
We deepen our faith through the following opportunities: Taize Prayer: Taize uses music, chants, prayer and meditation which promote a sense of peace and lead naturally to contemplative prayer. Father Randy is our guide; Chris Lundin leads the music. St. Albert the Great hosted two during Advent and two more during Lent; then four at Our Lady of the Rosary. Centering Prayer meets Thursday evening at 7 pm at OLR. The hour-‐long gathering consists of two sessions of meditation with a short walk between them. Jean Ramacciotti and Carrie Skelly teach and facilitate this course which prepares one to receive the gift of Christian Contemplation. All are welcome to join this peaceful evening of prayer. The Zacchaeus Program continues at SAG Hospitality. Thibaut de Bretagne and Anne Grycz lead 15 active participants toward a greater awareness of God. The Thursday evening meetings alternate between teaching, personal exercises, prayer and sharing with each other. Through the Holy Spirit they seek to progressively transform themselves.
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Ignatian Exercises are held on Thursdays from noon until 1:30 in the Thomas House library with Nancy McGaraghan and Anne Grycz. The Spiritual Exercises include prayers and meditations developed by St. Ignatius Loyola to help those attending to deepen their relationship with God. The Chinese Renew Group has been meeting each Wednesday evening for over 15 years. With 7-‐8 active members, this faith-‐sharing group uses At Home with the Word. The readings are in English and the discussions are often bi-‐lingual. What they value most is the support of like-‐minded Chinese Catholics in our diverse community. The Thursday Morning Scripture and Faith Sharing group uses the following Sunday’s liturgy readings from the Breaking Bread Missal. They also review, very briefly, salient points from the previous Sunday's homilies. Sondra Dingman is the moderator. These seekers meet from 10-‐11:30 am at St. Albert Hospitality Room. Hal Fletcher leads “The Joy of Discovery”, an overview of Old Testament Scripture. Through the great people and events encountered there, we are invited to come to a better understanding of God in our lives today and a deeper knowledge of ourselves. Adapted from a formal study, this group meets in the 6th grade classroom at SAG on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month. Spirituality Tuesday Assembly is our largest spirituality undertaking. This event is held in the SAG Hospitality Room at 7 pm from September through April. Our objective is to foster spiritual growth through a series of invited speakers and the talents of our Parish priests. Our topics have been chosen using a Parish wide survey and suggestions from parishioners. • Key Moments in the History of the Catholic Church.Fr. Matt continues the journey through Church History with an episode each month. Our travels, thus far, have gone from early persecution of the Church to the Crusades. • Become One Body-‐One Spirit in Christ opened our series. Fr. Matt explored the depth, richness and the layers of meaning in the new liturgical text. • Anne Grycz reminded us of our baptismal call and mission when she presented “People of God: The Laity in the Church. How should we respond? • “Say What!” was a fun evening with Deacon Daniel and Michael Gray. They tackled confusing and controversial verses in the New Testament untangling their mystery. • My Faith Journey; living with cancer. We had an uplifting, spiritual evening as Fr. Thierry shared his faith journey through his cancer experience and his trip to Lourdes • The Gospel according to Mark: Monsignor Warren Holleran, a delightful and knowledgeable presenter, deepened our understanding and answered our questions. • Holy Mary: The Mother of God: Father Anthony presented the difference in focus of the Byzantine Rite on Mary and those of the Roman Rite Churches. • Christmas traditions and symbols. Our charming December speaker was Fr. Don Allen. A font of knowledge on many topics; there were many surprises this evening. • Creating a Solid Marriage with Fr. Peter; a practical guide for strengthening marriages. This topic was so well received that Fr. Peter plans to share more about this next year. • The Exodus Experience was masterfully presented by guest speaker Rabbi Waldenberg. He shared the Jewish Master Story and his own with us; an outstanding talk. 11
• Vocation Stories in the Old and New Testaments with Fr. John Kselman. Well known for his knowledge of scripture, Fr. Kselman broke open many Gospel stories for us. • The Death Penalty: What People of Faith Should Know. An able presenter, Terry McCaffrey explored this front page issue in light of faith and practicality. • Open Forum with Fr. Randy, Deacon Daniel and Michael Gray. Ask any question about faith, or our Church, and have it answered by those in the know. • Mormonism; who are the Latter Day Saints? Fr. Jose Rubio filled the room with those eager to learn about this topic. A very informative evening! • Our Experience of Suffering in Culture and Faith with Sherry Cassedy. We gained some insight into this emotional topic from Sherry’s experience, and study, which applies to each of us. A special evening which deeply touched many of those who attended. • The Holy Spirit in our Hearts and in our Lives. God is present to the world through the Holy Spirit. Father Randy and Michael Gray revealed the Holy Spirit. • The Spirituality of Simplicity, with special guest speaker Pamela Bjorklund, Ph.D. What is simplicity and how we might find the freedom to choose it. • Mexican Fiesta Pot-‐luck; our annual wrap-‐up session. We celebrate our year and look ahead and plan for next fall. We supply the chips and salsa, plus beverages (including traditional libations). A “not to be missed” fun evening!
Members: Fr. Matt; Fr. Randy; Fr. Peter; Deacon Daniel; Susan Adams; Pat Briggs; Jeanne Ramos; Sharon Nelson and Beverly Wade.
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
The Rite of Christian Initiation is designed for those who, after hearing the mystery of Christ proclaimed, consciously and freely seek the living God and enter the way of faith and conversion as the Holy Spirit opens their hearts. Ideally, by God’s help they are strengthened spiritually during their preparation, and at the proper time receive the sacraments fruitfully.
Spring, 2011: The period of Inquiry: Informal sessions, called The Inquiry, were held for any adult interested in the initiation sacraments. They continue to be offered year round for new inquirers. There were 12 Inquirers in 2011. Four of them received Sacraments at the Easter Vigil along with the other 5 who were already Catholic. They were Confirmed at the Vigil. Fall, 2010: The period of the Catechumenate: The weekly catechesis and faith-‐sharing meetings began in September, meeting on Monday evenings at the Pastoral Center from 7:30-‐9:00 pm for the following seeking initiation sacraments at the Vigil: Five catechumens were seeking Baptism, one already baptized Christian was seeking Reception into the Catholic church, and four already-‐baptized Catholics were seeking Confirmation only.
A BBQ was held in August for RCIA Alumni, Inquirers, 12
Team and priests. Around 40 attended the event at the Pastoral Center. Hospitality committee members Donna Pellizzari and April Austin assisted and contributed.
Winter, 2011-‐2012: The candidates and sponsors attended the Communal Penance service at St. Albert the Great in December, and afterwards gathered in SAGH for a Christmas party with the priests, Team and RCIA alumni. The Rite of Acceptance for the adults seeking Baptism was celebrated in early January. Later in January The Rite of Welcoming was held for the already-‐baptized Christians seeking Reception/Confirmation. Spring 2012: The period of Purification and Enlightenment On the first Sunday of Lent the three catechumens celebrated The Rite of Sending. They signed the Book of the Elect, and Fr. Stanley blessed them and sent them to the Cathedral for The Rite of Election with Bishop McGrath and Bishop Daly that Sunday afternoon. Bishop Thomas Daly and James Harris The Penitential Rite for those candidates already baptized was held on the second Sunday of Lent. The Rites of Scrutiny were held on the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent at St. Thomas Aquinas church. A Lenten retreat for all the candidates was held the Retreat for Candidates Saturday before Palm Sunday at SAGH. Fr. Stanley, Fr. Seimas, Michael Gray assisted Jean in leading the retreat. The Rite of Ephephta was celebrated plus anointings and blessings. Anointing and blessings at retreat Those seeking reception and a few of the other already-‐baptized Catholics made their First Sacrament of Penance at the Communal Rite of Reconciliation at SAGC the week before Easter.
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Pastoral Home Ministry
Mission: St. Thomas Aquinas Pastoral Home Ministry offers spiritual and social support for the sick and the homebound parishioners of all ages. Members: Anne Ackerman, Chezire Aclimandos, Fran Adams, Nickie Andrews, France Bark, Lenora Carlson, Ruth Chippendale, Prue Delamater, Fred Dietrich, Pat Dietrich, Mary Fong, Pearl Glaves, Pat Keicher, Mark Kreutzer, Micky Martin, Anne Morrison, Bill Morrison, Carol Pulliam, Jean Ramacciotti, Bonnie Shirley, Judi Swope, Joe Teresi, Onna Vancheri, Dick Freeman, Mary Stratton and Cheryl Tibshirani. Pat Dietrich and Mary Fong are the coordinators of this ministry. We visit clients in their homes and also serve several nursing and retirement homes: Lytton Gardens, Palo Alto Nursing Center, Channing House, Hyatt Classic Residence (Vi), Sunrise and Palo Alto Commons. During individual home visits we bring the Eucharist, pray and give spiritual support. Many clients like to visit and talk. We sometimes run small errands, read and write letters for them. We can also give short respite to their caregivers. In nursing and retirement homes we make individual visits and lead communion services. In communion services all the clients get together in one meeting place. This is a good time for them to meet other Catholics in their community and share with each other. There is a weekly communion service at Lytton Gardens following the rosary. There are also weekly communion services at Sunrise and PA Commons. Fr. Randy visits the group at PA Commons about every two months and at Sunrise occasionally. We can help arrange priest visits and arrange transportation to mass if possible. We also have information on meals, transportation and home care. Our ministry also provides information package to family of recently deceased parishioners to help them with their grieving process. Our Home ministers help coordinate and set up the monthly masses at Lytton Gardens and Palo Alto Nursing Center. The masses are presided by our parish priests. Roberta Uebbing played the piano at Lytton Gardens for many years and recently Larry Schemel has agreed to play the guitar for us there. We thank the many volunteers who help with the singing at the masses. We also thank the members of the Legion of Mary of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception who help at these two masses. In the past few years we have special Ash Wednesday services at Lytton Gardens, Palo Alto Commons and Palo Alto Nursing Care. Our clients have a fondness for this special feast day. Fr. Randy Valenton and Judi Swope at Palo Alto Nursing Ctr.
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We are also responsible for the maintenance of the ‘pray for’ lists in the Sunday bulletin and updating a confidential ‘pray for list’ for members of the Prayer Circle by weekly e-‐mail and bi-‐ weekly regular mail. We provide our clients with the book, At Home With the Word so that they can follow the Sunday readings. We bring them the church bulletin so that they can keep up with our parish news and events. We also provide them with the little books for the different liturgical seasons. Our home bound parishioners were very happy to be included in our parish directory and to see their pictures there. Christmas Gifts for our Clients During Christmas season we bring good cheers to our clients by presenting them with candies and gifts that our Religious Education students make. We advertise our services several times a year through the e-‐bulletin and Sunday bulletin. We like our parishioners to know more about us and make good use of our services. We can be contacted by phone at (650) 494-‐2496 X22 or by e-‐mail to Mary at
[email protected].
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OUR PARISH SITE COMMITTEES Our Lady of the Rosary Site Committee Mission: Assure that the OLR Liturgies are reverent and inspiring, that the church, hall and grounds are attractive and that parish events celebrated here at OLR help share the Gospel through worship, education and service with our whole community. General Information: We meet 4 -‐5 times a year, to plan for the change of liturgical seasons, to evaluate the liturgical and environment needs of completed church seasons during the current year, and to discuss and update any physical needs of the OLR site. [This meeting schedule for full site committee meetings is result of site members decision. Each Ministry chair at this site -‐-‐Hospitality, Environment, Liturgy, Music—is responsible for the ministry’s ongoing service for that season] Scheduling Liturgical Ministers: The parish Director of Hispanic Ministry takes care of scheduling the Hispanic lay ministers for their 9:00 am Sunday Mass. The 10:30 Mass schedule, which includes the Greeters, Lectors, Commentator, Eucharistic ministers, Hospitality, and Environment teams, is prepared by Carole Brown, and Katia Reeves. Micky Martin schedules the youth for Family Mass Sunday. Each schedule covers 3 months. The 4th Sunday of each month is Family Mass Sunday most of the ministers being regularly scheduled youth. Requests to serve as minister for 10:30 Mass are also accepted year round, with special emphasis during Volunteer Sunday in October. OLR Environment: : We have four teams who serve once every four weeks to prepare the OLR church environment. Hospitality -‐ Laura Chiu, Chair Shared among 5 families for 10:30 after-‐Mass coffee and refreshments each month. Two new families have volunteered in the last three months to replace two families who have been faithfully serving our Mass community for some time. But new volunteers are always sought. Music -‐Chris Lundin, Director The group of about 15 musicians provide inspirational music that makes the 10:30 OLR Mass come alive. Every 4th Sunday is “Family Mass” Sunday with the youth especially invited to participate under Chris’s leadership. The 9 am Hispanic Mass community has their own excellent group of musicians, as does the 6:00 p.m. LifeTeen Mass. Eucharistic Ministers & Lectors – Currently we have good numbers of volunteers for each of these liturgy related ministries, and always try to include any new volunteers who may wish to serve’. 16
The 8:30 a.m. daily Mass has daily Lectors regularly scheduled, as are the five sacristans. High school youth trained, and scheduled regularly, usually serve on Family Mass Sundays. As seniors graduate, and more youths are confirmed, new youth are recruited, trained and scheduled by Micky Martin as active 10:30 AM Sunday Ministers. Sunday 10:30 AM sacristan, Michael Veuve, also recruits and trains Altar Servers for that Mass. The 6:00 pm Sunday Life Teen Mass at OLR (Fall, Winter & Spring) also provides weekly opportunities for more youth minister participants, including altar servers. Ushers -‐ Jim McLaughlin – Head Usher-‐-‐Jim is also the parish Safety Chair. Jim has made the OLR ushers manual available to other sites for adaptation to their local situation. OLR Site Committee Jim is currently working on Safety pew instructions in case of earthquake or other emergencies and preparing emergency pew cards, modeled after those in use at the Stanford Memorial Church. Newcomers: Our WELCOME TABLE is set up twice a month in the hall to register newcomers, answer questions and distribute information about parish activities. For several years now, able and loyal volunteers Ron & Elaine Andrews and Roberta Uebbing continue to provide this service, Pancake Breakfast: This kickoff to the Faith Formation (Religious Education K-‐5) season is normally held on the last Sunday in August with food provided by the R.E. Program and cooking by the Knights of Columbus. OLR hosts S.O.U.P. every Wed @ 6PM during Lent except during Holy Week and every other Wednesday except during Lent. Bring your bowls (and perhaps some cheese and crackers to share) and donate what you would have spent on the meal. Proceeds are divided among several worthy projects, including our Fr. Jack Donald former parishioner who has been working in Honduras for many years. Ongoing Work: With Bill Morrison, chair, we continued working on the Dermody Center Project. Mold abatement done, forced air heat/air scrubber installed for 3 large rooms, main rooms repainted, termite/carpenter bee treatment. Utilization of the building is increasing, including good use by Youth, Hispanic, K of C and others. See Bill, Jerry, MIcky or John Uebbing for a look at the facility if considering it for one of your meetings or activities. All Parish Picnic 2011: The All-‐Parish Picnic was at the OLR site (Sept. 18) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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St. Albert the Great Site Committee MISSION STATEMENT: To create an effective and loving spiritual community through masses, religious education, spiritual groups, and social activities. This community will function within the larger community of St. Thomas Aquinas parish under the guidance of the parish clergy and staff. SITE COMMITTEE: Patricia Briggs, Chair, Kathleen Hart, Secretary. Pat Keicher, Representative to PSC, Susan Adams, Ted Baer, Neil Barrett, Harry Brown, Jackie Diouf, Rosemary Finnerty, Nora Lundin, Donna Pellizzari, Marguerite Purcell, Roland Quintero.
St. Albert the Great Church Golden Jubilee: The SAG community continued its celebration of its golden jubilee year during the weekend commemorating The Precious Body and Blood of Christ. On Saturday, June 11, the Blessed Sacrament was carried in procession from the Mother Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, to St. Albert the Great Church, where it was placed for veneration and night-‐long adoration. The celebration culminated on Sunday, June 12, with the Mass of Corpus Christi. On August 13, a Parish Tea was held at the SAG Hospitality Center to celebrate and honor women’s service to the greater parish community throughout the years and the women who gave of their time and talents. The St. Albert the Great Arts and Crafts Show took place at the St. Elizabeth Seton School Gymnasium. The art work and crafts of 25 parishioners was displayed and viewed by over 300 visitors. The Jubilee Celebration culminated on November 12 with an Anniversary Mass celebrated by Bishop Patrick J. McGrath. This was followed by a parish-‐wide reception hosted by the Community Life Committee. 18
Church upgrade: Thanks to an anonymous pledge of $2,500 and collection of matching funds, some of the gilding in the sanctuary was repaired and repainted and the crucifix was cleaned. The work, which began on November 2 and was finished in time for the November 12 Jubilee Mass, was done by Fiarde Architectural Design under the supervision of Tobias Freccia. An ongoing investigation is being made by a five-‐member site subcommittee to address the need for new flooring and carpeting in St. Albert the Great Church. Samples have been reviewed and one company has expressed an interest in making an estimate. Additional estimates will be sought. In order to complete the estimating phase of the project, the committee will work with the Building and Maintenance Committee to arrive at an acceptable process. Hospitality Center: Because of the increased usage of the Hospitality Center, the Site Committee has been attempting to develop a more effective oversight process in order to better maintain the facility’s order, cleanliness and readiness for use. Neil Barrett is heading oversight. Christmas Pageant This year’s Christmas pageant was directed by Patricia Briggs with the help of Juanita Loftus and seminarian, Michael Gray. Stewardship Award: The SAG Site Committee bestowed this year’s Stewardship Award to Mary Louise Hanley and Mabel Teresi with much gratitude for their commitment to laundering and ironing altar linens. Linda Ballard also received an award for her commitment and excellence in Altar Server Training. Guidelines: Ted Baer has drawn up guidelines for the safety of women working alone at any of the facilities on the three sites. Guidelines for procedures in the event of on-‐site accidents and injuries need to be drafted for the SAG site. :: Newcomer Sunday: Neil Barrett is replacing Marguerite Purcell as coordinator at SAG for the Sunday newcomer sign-‐up table. Teddy Guenzer is responsible for sign-‐ups on Saturday evenings. At a Sunday Mass, Jerry Lucha, PSC Secretary, presented Marguerite with a letter of commendation and gratitude from the Parish Stewardship Council for her many years of generous and able leadership and involvement in parish life.
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St. Thomas Aquinas Church Site Committee Meetings: The STA Site Committee changed its meeting date to the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Since the completion of the Thomas House renovation in August, 2011, the meetings have been held in the Thomas House. Kay Williams continues as chairperson; Lorraine Dabney represented the Site Committee to the PSC until the rotation of representatives occurred in May, at which time Bob Thomas House & STA Church Barron stepped into that position. Other regular members are Helen Baumann, Ted Baer, Anna Jaklitsch, Mario Veloro, Judy Foley, and others from time to time. The Site Committee publishes a monthly newsletter, Steeple Talk, on the Sunday before the 2nd Thursday, which is inserted into the parish bulletins and also posted on the parish website. Volume 6 of this publication began in March, 2012. Church interior: The Church Interior Task Force meets every third Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. under the leadership of chair Judy Foley and this year refined suggestions for the church interior remodel. The parish Building and Maintenance Committee and the Finance Committee approved a proposal from architect D. Michael Kastrop and he secured the necessary verifications from the City of Palo Alto with as-‐built designs for the altar. Ian Abell of the Diocese of San Jose recommended several construction companies, and Ranger Construction was selected to do the altar. Judy has engaged a liturgical designer and a lighting designer to consult on various aspects of the project. The construction work is planned for November-‐December 2012. Thanks to a bequest in the fall of 2011, given specifically for maintenance of St. Thomas Aquinas Church by long-‐time parishioner Mary Barrachi, who was a good friend of Fr. John Hester, there are sufficient funds now available to accomplish the church renovation. In the meantime, Jan Dedek built a gate for the stairs leading to the choir loft and a closet in the space next to the restroom, as well as adding hand-‐tooled molding to the bathroom door. Other committee members, including Katie Cho, John Arnold, and Bill Voorhees, have contributed to the research that has been necessary to identify areas of concern to be addressed in the renovations. Contact Judy Foley for more information: (650) 322-‐8650, or Gate to choir loft
[email protected]. Garden Committee: Helen Baumann continued to develop a group of volunteers who would help in the gardens around the church and Thomas House. An initial meeting of interested gardeners was held on June 16. Helen hopes to muster this group into a once-‐a-‐month effort. Please contact Helen if you would like to participate in the garden work: (650) 327-‐9236, or
[email protected]. 20
Thomas House renovation project: Construction completed; kitchen improvements: The Thomas House was formally occupied in August, 2011. Since then, the two public floors of the house—the basement hall and the main floor—are seeing many group meetings, prayer sessions, speaking events, and hospitality gatherings. Regular hospitality after the 8:45 and 12:00 noon Sunday Masses, and occasionally after the 10:30 Sunday Mass, fills up the main floor with coffee-‐ drinkers intent on physical and spiritual nourishment. A complement of 95 comfortable, lightweight black mesh folding chairs were ordered for general seating in the Thomas House for groups and for occasional use in the church. The need for more kitchen cabinets became obvious once three tenants in the upstairs apartments were struggling to find space for their personal kitchen stuff, in addition to the supplies and beverages used by the Sunday Mass hospitality groups. The Site Committee, under Helen Baumann’s leadership, prevailed upon Site Committee member/architect Mario Veloro to draw up a plan for more cabinets; the Finance and Facilities Committees reviewed it; and a budget of $12,000 was allocated to the effort. Handicapped access: The handicapped access ramp at the rear of the House was completed in April 2012 with the installation of safety gates at the top of both sets of stairs. The completed ramp and landing lead into the Bride's Room and beyond to the central rooms of the main floor. Library development: Mary Carlstead Thanks to the leadership and enthusiasm of Ted Baer, the Thomas House library tests safety gate. collection is being organized as it grows. Donations of books on Christianity, spirituality and religions of all kinds, Church history, saints, encyclopedias, Bibles, etc. have poured in. Jan Dedek built sturdy and attractive shelving for the library. Ted’s committee of Judi Swope, Roberta Kehret, Jean Doten, and Phillip Warman have been meeting weekly since May to sort and catalog the books. Opening of the library to the public is expected on August 27. Hospitality after 7:30 and 10:30 Sunday Masses: The Site Committee hosted hospitality with coffee, fruit and pastries during the month of May at the 7:30 and 10:30 Sunday Masses in an effort to encourage attendees at those Masses to take up the baton and continue offering hospitality. The 10:30 Mass group plans to continue at least once a month. 2011 STA Site Stewardship Awards: Sacristans, ushers and hospitality ministers were the featured recipients of the 2011 Volunteer Awards at STA. The volunteers who were publicly recognized on October 14, 2011, with a certificate for “outstanding service” are largely unsung, behind-‐the-‐scenes heroes and heroines, making their contributions day in and day out with little fanfare. They are: 7:30 Mass: Bill and Bea Peterson, sacristans (35 years of service); 8:45 Mass: Jim Davis, hospitality minister; 10:30 Mass: Joe Kinsella, usher; and 12:00 Mass: Martha Girard and Lalu Kiesling, hospitality. 21
Events: Concert for Philippine Relief: Sunday, February 12, 2012, held in the church. Arranged and promoted by Mari Olsen, a member of the 10:30 Sunday Mass choir, as a benefit for the town in the Philippines from which Mari’s family comes that was devastated by hurricanes in December, 2011. Combined choir Feb. 12 2012 Lenten retreat with Clare Ronzani: Saturday, March 24, 2012, in the Thomas House basement hall, “Meditations with Thomas Merton: A Time of Lenten Renewal.” Sponsored by the Thomas Merton Center, with Barbara Kent as the organizer, Clare Ronzani, theology teacher and spiritual director, drew from Merton’s wisdom to deepen the experience of Lent for the 40 persons who attended. “Then Sings My Soul”, Gospel concert by Joyce Randolph: Sunday, April 29, 2012, held in the church. Sponsored by the Thomas Merton Center as a benefit for Seton School, under the able and inspiring leadership of Jim Davis, jazz vocalist Joyce Randolph, accompanied by pianist “Professor” Bill Bell, performed gospel, sacred, spiritual, and traditional hymns for an audience of 150 lucky persons. A CD of the concert is available; contact Jim Davis at (650) 328-‐2584, or
[email protected]. Second Annual Italian Dinner: Saturday, August 4, in the Thomas House Basement Hall and main floor. Sponsored by the STA Site Committee, with Ted Baer in charge of a small but dedicated committee, a truly gourmet menu, thanks to Ted’s amazing Bolognese and marinara sauces (vegetarian), was enjoyed by 75 people. Basement Hall decked out for Italian dinner.
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OUR OTHER PARISH MINISTRIES Maintenance/Facilities Ministry
MISSION STATEMENT: To coordinate & cooperate with three existing ministries, (Building and Equipment Maintenance, Facility Use, and Safety), and to provide a communication link to the Pastor, the Parish Stewardship Council, and other parish planning ministries. Responsibilities: The parish has a total of 11 buildings, for which this Ministry is responsible to provide upkeep and maintenance. These are listed here for your information. Our Lady of the Rosary Site Our Lady of the Rosary Church Our Lady of the Rosary School (rented by ISP) Dermody Center (Youth Center Building) Pastoral Center (Administration Building)
St. Thomas Aquinas Site St. Thomas Aquinas Church Thomas House (old rectory at 745 Waverley Street) Homer House Duplex (rental property)
St. Albert the Great Site St. Albert the Great Church
St. Elizabeth Seton School
St. Albert the Great Rectory
St. Albert the Great old Convent (Seton School Offices and SAG Hospitality Center)
Members of this Ministry: In accordance with the Pastoral Stewardship Council By-‐Laws, Procedures and Customs, this ministry has recently elected the following to leadership positions in this Ministry. They are: 23
Chair: Mr. Bill Morrison; Vice Chair: Mrs. Helen Baumann; -‐Secretary: Mr. Charles Guenzer. Active Members are: Jim McLaughlin (PSC Rep), Paul Titterton, Chuck Tully, Mario Veloro, Ted Baer, John Eubbing, Mrs. Katia Reeves and our Pastor Father Matt. The changing of the leadership and the increased number of active members has already stimulated the actions of this ministry. New people with fresh ideas have created an attitude of "We Can Do This".
Projects completed or in progress at this point are: OLR:
• • • • • • •
New Kitchen Stove installed in the well used Kitchen Ventilation Fans are being evaluated for better air circulation in the Sanctuary Music wall displays adjusted so that they are visible throughout the Sanctuary Appointed a new Site Representative, Gerald Lucha, to the PSC. Site study of the ISP proposal, with report to Pastoral Council Repair of the moving wall supports in the Hall Revamping the Dermody Center for joint of ministries and resident priest.
SAG & SESS: Pending replacement of the School Kitchen Stove Repairs to the School Gym Floor Cooperating with the Church Interior modification studies. Re-‐connecting the Fire Protection Standpipe System for the school, to a permanent water supply. • Participated in the ATT Proposal for a Cell Tower at the Rectory • Participated with the school Principal and Development Board in the design and • Planning for the new Pre-‐Kay addition to the school. • • • •
STA & THOMAS HOUSE: • Reviewed and participated with the Church Interior modification studies • Coordinated with the STA Site Ministry in installing new safety gates on the rear ramp. • Cooperating with the STA Site Ministry in providing additional kitchen counters and cabinets for both tenants and parish use. SAFETY MINISTRY: • Maintained a membership in the CADRE program for Santa Clara County. • Participated in the “California Shake Out” Earthquake Drill for the county. • Met with other PA area church administrations, regarding overall safety plans for their parishes, obtaining written plans from them and our Diocese in preparation for preparing the STA Parish Plan. • Inventoried and replenished all First Aid Kits installed in parish buildings. • Cooperated with the City of Palo Alto Office of Emergency Services in announcing a training course in Disaster First Aid, for parishioners to attend. 24
FACILITY USE: • Completed the Parish Web Site Mission Statement and goal statements. • Continuing to implement action plans from the Parish Green Ministry and in particular the Carbon Footprint Ministry, thus already saving the parish in unnecessary utility costs over the past year.
Conclusion:
The recent influx of new members to this ministry, and those noted sub-‐group ministries, has increased the vitality and vibrant discussions of parish projects, resulting in a clearing of several older projects as well as taking on new and important ones. We meet once a month and we welcome Parishioners who may wish to present a request for additional service or consideration. We work closely with the Parish Finance Ministry & Pastor in planning upkeep and maintenance of our Parish buildings.
Communications
The mission of the Communications Board is to build an information-‐rich environment to connect and inform all members of the parish, and sometimes members of the surrounding community. The bulk of the Board’s efforts surround a few key communications activities which are produced and delivered on a recurring basis.
The four main communications vehicles our parish employs are: • the weekly paper bulletin • the weekly eBulletin • imaging literature (posters, flyers) • the parish website (http://www.paloaltocatholic.org) Primary focus: “Keep It Running”
Parish Directories: We completed the distribution of parish directories in October. This was a major, time-‐consuming 12-‐month effort to solicit photo appointments and then to design and compile the booklet. Also included in the Directory was an up-‐to-‐date parish roster, carefully “scrubbed” for those parishioners who did not want their contact information shared. We still have a good supply and the committee and several volunteers are working on a plan for delivering the remaining Directories personally to parishioners who are eligible for them. Parish Web Site: Maintaining excellence! The new site went live July 2011. Nora Lundin, Liturgy Coordinator, is responsible for the maintenance of the parish Website. Most content is provided to her for posting. Assistant Webmaster Fr. Matthew Stanley provides a significant portion of the content himself, and the site is kept very current. Nora is willing to train any ministry board members on how to post their own content, but is also happy to do that for them. Nichole and Nora are working together with each ministry to help encourage creative and comprehensive website contributions. 25
Masthead of www.paloaltocatholic.org th eBulletin: Happy Birthday! The parish eBulletin celebrated its 5 birthday on May 25, 2012. The first issue was May 25, 2007. It remains a useful parish tool for timely dissemination of information. The recent subscription drive added 45 addresses to the mailing list, which is now at 359 subscribers. An archive of the eBulletins is available at: http://groups.google.com/group/paloaltocatholic-‐ebulletin/about?hl=en Steeple Talk: While the work of the STA Site Committee (read Kay Williams) this monthly publication is in its sixth year along with the eBulletin and a very useful tool for that site. Vestibule Posters: Our parish photographer Roland Quintero maintains our vestibule posters of the PSC members and the parish staff and both were updated throughout the year as necessary. Roland also photographed and chronicled major parish events and liturgies and made composite posters available in our vestibules. Hotel Mass-‐Time Cards: Nichole will lead an effort to produce “postable” Mass time cards for local area hotels/motels, although the team feels many travelers simply “Google” us. Because they often end up at 3290 Middlefield Road, we’re exploring possibility of posting maps to our three church sites there. Annual Report: Planning is underway for this major effort which takes place over the summer months. Roland Quintero handles the photographic input. The next Annual Report will be a complete recap of the parish’s activities for the year ending June 2012, with reports from all parish ministries, including pictures of important parish events and key groups. It will be distributed to all parishioners (via email) as part of our Time and Talent initiative, and is also given to new parishioners as they register. Looking Forward: Possible areas of exploration this year: • Locked display cases at each of our churches • More original writing in Bulletin/eBulletin if we had more volunteers. • Update of our hotel Mass-‐time cards • Signage at the Pastoral Center to our three churches. 26
The members of our Communications Board are Nichole Khan (chair), Chris Lundin (who is our PSC rep), Pat Briggs, Kay Williams, Roland Quintero (parish photographer). Nora Lundin is our parish staff liaison and works closely with the small, but highly-‐leveraged team.
Community Life Mission statement: Community Life works to build community within the Saint Thomas Aquinas parish through activities that will appeal to a variety of age groups. With parish participation, we strive to make the parish at large a welcoming community. Meetings of this Committee are held the 1st Wednesday of each month. This continues to be an exceptionally active committee for our Parish, and includes some very special events ending the Golden Jubilee year for St. Albert the Great church as well as one-‐time occasions open to all the Parishioners. August 13th, 2 pm to 4:30 pm – A Jubilee Year Parish Tea celebrating the Women of St. Albert the Great Church to which several beloved nuns from the SAG school days were able to come back and enjoy reconnecting with some former students and parents; September 18th, Annual Parish Picnic, at OLR this year was a great picnic which included the introduction of our new Parochial Vicar, Fr. Seimas, and our Seminarian, Michael Gray (assigned here for a year) Bingo, Balloon Toss, Pinata, face-‐painting, craft tables, dancers, and the Balloon Lady who was especially popular, and the Fire Engine which is always fascinating for the children. The Knights of Columbus cooks were in super form, their hamburgers and hot dogs were excellent, as was the marinated BBQ’d veggies for the gourmet group lucky enough to be in line at the right time! Valuable suggestions were noted to make next year even better! -‐ the comments and attendance indicate it was one of the best and largest we have had in several years. September, 24th, The Annual Deanery Dinner held at OLR hall-‐Fr. Matt was host to the clergy and invited parish office staffs for northern deanery parishes. A truly delicious French menu dinner was cooked and served, with lovely linen tablecloths and napkins and attractive centerpieces -‐ “A wonderful evening” characterized the very, very appreciative comments from those who attended. The committee received a standing ovation. October 1 and 2, SAG Art Show. Saturday 4-‐7pm, Sunday 10am-‐3pm. Nice variety of Art shown, displayed professionally; Community life provided wonderful cheese, crackers, grapes and beverages for the many who came to enjoy the talent of our very own parishioners. All agree, One of the BEST events of the Jubilee year. November 12th, St. Albert the Great Jubilee Reception, was held in Seton Auditor after the 5 pm Mass celebration at which the Bishop will Preside. the auditorium was transformed with cream and Gold color scheme reflected in Banners, tablecloths, center pieces, and napkins. Food 27
consisted of Antipasto platters, Salmon trays, meatballs, crackers and special cheese spreads, fruit trays and desserts, plus drinks. Parishioners from all the sites attended. November 18th, Special Mass of Rememberance for Deceased Parishioners: Reception held in the Newly remodeled Thomas House, after the 7:00 pm Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas church. Dec. 2011 Community Life Committee Christmas Party hosted by Jeanne Ramos at her home. A delightful social evening for this hard working committee in celebration of this Holy Season. March 11, Fr. Matt’s 50th Birthday celebration: Held on Sunday after 10:30 Mass at OLR hall. Large number of parishioners stayed after Mass and many from the other sites came by to join in celebrating the Big “50” and personally delivering their Best Wishes. Very festive Hall decorations, tasty refreshments, finger sandwiches, veggie and fruit plates, with a variety of decorated Birthday Cakes were enjoyed by all the guests. Father Matt was presented with his favorite Cheese Cake! March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day Dinner: A sold-‐out event. Recently painted walls helped the Seton auditorium look especially festive and sparkling, featuring Green decor for St. Pat, many of the guests decked out in green; lively musicians and dancers-‐more adult dancers this year-‐ were delighted to see some of our own young parishioners perform with the younger dancers. Seminarian, Michael Gray, danced an Irish dance as well. Again this year, Chef Baer’s kitchen expertise, tasty food; Carol Pullium’s home-‐made soda bread, Joe Kinsell’s enthusiastic sing-‐ along, jolly mingling of all, made for another great St. Pat’s Fun evening!!! Seder dinner, April 3rd, Tuesday in Holy Week: Sponsored and planned by Community Life again this year: donation of $10 per adult and $5 for children under 12, and any additional donations to be sent to Fr. Jack Donald for his missionary work in Honduras. Ted Baer in charge of OLR cooking food and serving –Laurie Vavuris advised and helped with purchase of lamb, potatoes, beans, etc. Jeanne Ramos organized kitchen and her super helpers who prepared the symbol plates, fruit platters and cookies. Micky Martin led the set-‐up crew of several wonderful helpers. Bev Wade prepared the flowers. Room looked great!! Fr. Matt lead the “Passover history” part of meal, with Fr. Randy, Fr. Peter, Deacon Daniel, seminarian Michael, and youth leader, Alley all participating with other lay ministers, in the readings. Much thanks to Jerry Lucha and all the kitchen helpers and the clean up crew. $640 sent to Fr. Donald from the donations. This well organized event involved and included generous parishioners from all sites, Thanks to all who made this event go so well! April 7th R.C.I.A. Reception after the Easter Vigil Mass: Community Life Committee sponsored this reception honoring the new members to our Church and their families. Very well attended as people were excited, hungry and thirsty after the Vigil Mass. The Committee deserved all the enthusiastic appreciation re the food and the attractive décor. Much hanks to Susan and Mario Veloro, Rita Palomo and Roland Quintero who organized set up and clean up, with Special thanks to the clean-‐up crew who finished at l:30 AM. May 27th: Going Away party for Michael Gray after 10:30 Mass at OLR Hall. Seminarian Michael completed his year internship in our parish. Many parishioners came to send Michael off with Blessings and Best wishes for his future. It’s been great having him with us. 28
And Kudos to the amazing Cookie Crew!! This group has provided delicious home baked cookies to so many of the Parish events, including the Tuesday Night series, Fr. Don Allen’s morning Catholic History Series, and many other special meetings. Thanks, you are great!! Coming up -‐ ALL PARISH PICNIC, Sunday, Sept. 16th, at OLR Ongoing activities under the Community Life umbrella Widows and Widowers group This very active group meets on the 1st Thursday of each month. Their ongoing social activities include dinners, theater events and luncheons. The Funeral Reception Committee Co-‐chairs, Helen Short and Winnie McGannon, lead this dedicated band of ladies. Often on short notice, they prepare the Halls and the food for after “Celebration of Life” Masses. Their compassionate family assistance is always very much appreciated by the families at this most sad and stressful t time in their lives. Community Life Committee Members-‐ July 1, 2012 Pat Briggs, Lorraine Dabney, Teddie Guenzer, Barbara Kent, Laisz Lam, Valerie Lo, Micky Martin,(PSC rep) Joan Meyn, Sharon Nelson, Rita Palomo, Marguerite Purcell, Jeanne Ramos, Helen Short, Susan and Mario Veloro, Beverly Wade, (Chair
Green Committee Mission Statement: The Green Committee of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, on behalf of the parish community, works to advocate for Catholic principles and priorities in environmental issues and decisions, especially as they impact those who are poor and vulnerable. The committee works to inspire the parish community to discern and act in ways that reflect our duty to care for God's creation.
Members: Ann Akey, John Cabrera, Paul Chestnut, Laura Chiu, Eleanor Hansen, Laisz Lam, Gerard McGuire, Katia Reeves, and Suzanne Ribbe. Email distribution members: Rosemary Gill, Walt Lundin, and Juanita Marquez.
Meetings: Fourth (4th) Monday of the month, 7:30 pm, at the Pastoral Center.
Membership: We welcome new members to join us in this effort for the common good. Please contact Laura Chiu at
[email protected] or Katia Reeves at
[email protected]
Accomplishments (listed in the St. Francis Pledge action format):
Pray: 1. Printed 300 beautiful St. Francis Pledge cards that we handed out at the parish picnic and later made available at the three churches for the feast of St. Francis, Oct 4. 29
2. Requested the pulpit reading of the St. Francis Pledge on Oct 2 at all the Masses which the Liturgical Committee fitted in the Masses that weekend.
3. Through the year, requested inclusion in the Prayers of the Faithful prayers for the protection of the environment and those impacted by climate change.
Learn: 4. Have liaison to Diocese Catholic Green Initiative of Santa Clara County.
5. Attended "Adapting to Climate Change and Sea Level Rise" presentation at City Council Chambers which showed areas of Palo Alto that will be flooded due to creeks overflow and sea level rise unless extensive levies are built around the Bay.
6. Attended "A Religious Response to Climate Change: The Moral Imperative of Responding to Global Warming" presentation sponsored by CA Interfaith Power & Light (CIPL) and Acterra. Environmental message from Pope Paul in 1967 was cited as key driver of the Moral Imperative to act.
7. Conducted a walk-‐through the Pastoral Center and OLR site with an arborist from Canopy to determine locations to plant more trees and suggestions of appropriate varieties. Identified one spot in front of the Pastoral Center that is available for a City tree planting and have made the request to the city.
8. Attended the Cool Congregations Workshop at University Lutheran Church for training and tools to bring back to our parish to measure and reduce carbon footprint. The Diocese also sent representatives.
9. Publicized in parish and attended the CIPL pre-‐release screening of "Last Call to the Oasis" documentary on water issues at Trinity Church in Menlo Park.
10. Publicized in parish and attended "Cooler Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-‐Carbon Living" at World Centric presented by Union of Concerned Scientists. Useful web site www.ucsusa.org
Assess: 11. In collaboration with Chuck Tully who provided the parish utilities meter readings for 2009, 2010, and 2011, have determined our yearly energy usage. This provided insight for opportunities to conserve energy and reduce our CO2 emissions. Reduced the parish buildings’ emissions by 12.5% in 2010 and 3.5% in 2011 thanks to the efforts at all three sites.
12. Working with the Diocese to evaluate potential use of solar panels for parish buildings.
Act: 13. Held a successful Bike / Walk to Mass campaign with parish-‐wide participation and awarded prizes at the 2011 parish picnic.
14. Held a water taste test at the picnic comparing tap water vs various brands of bottled water. This was enlightening to the many participants. 30
15. Invited Acterra representatives to the picnic who brought energy efficiency information and signed up those interested in having home energy audits.
16. Had a very popular waste and recycling activity for children at the picnic with prizes for all participants donated by PA Zero Waste.
17. Worked with Building and Maintenance Committee to continue identifying energy use reductions. Example: more energy efficient appliances installed at Dermody and OLR kitchen.
18. Continued monitoring thermostats and requesting parishioners to keep sanctuary doors closed when the heaters are ON.
19. Supported the Bishop's drive to reaffirm the St. Francis Pledge by gathering signatures after all Masses on Earth Day. The signatures were included with the others in the Diocese by the Diocese Catholic Green Initiative and sent to Washington DC.
20. Online support of bills or proposals for legislature green initiatives.
Advocate: 21. Had a Green table at the picnic with environmental handouts such as the Monterrey Aquarium Seafood Choices cards, membership recruitment poster, and St. Francis Pledge cards.
22. Continue updating the Green Committee webpage with our latest activities information.
23. Hosted Dr. Pamela Bjorklund who spoke about the Spirituality of Simple Living at the Spirituality Tuesday on April 24.
24. Continue periodic postings of relevant information on the bulletins' Green Corner.
25. Wrote the Green Committee editorial article for the bulletins.
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Human Concerns Mission Statement On behalf of the parish community, we respond to Jesus' command to love neighbor and self by working for the common good of all. The committee works to inspire the parish community to discern and act in ways that make the works of peace, justice, and mercy integral to their daily lives. To become salt of the earth and light of the world, we work to alleviate the distresses of hunger, homelessness, disease, lack of housing and health care, and other human needs. We are sustained in this mission by seeing the face of God in others and pray for God's oversight and guidance as we proceed.
Members Chair -‐ (vacant), Secretary -‐ Paul Chestnut, PSC Rep – Laura Chiu, Treasurer -‐ Terry McCaffrey, Volunteer Co-‐ordinator -‐ Laura Chiu. Others -‐ Terry Atkinson, Prudence Delamater, Susan Adams, Sasha Madison, Nancy Ng, Ruth & George Chippendale, Patricia Markee, Alma Lalonde, Mary Fong, Kamal Mansour, Laurie Vavuris, Roberta Uebbing.
Meeting time We have been gathering on the third Tues of each month at 7:30pm at the OLR Hall. However, in order to make it more convenient to potential committee members, we are considering changing our meeting night to the third Wednesday, so that parishioners going to S.O.U.P. may consider staying to join our meeting.
The HCC continued its work of parish education and participation in a variety of social justice activities.
St. Vincent de Paul Society The two chapters of the St. Vincent de Paul Society; one at St. Thomas Aquinas, and one at St. Francis Church in East Palo Alto, continue to provide emergency help to those in need. A volunteer is on duty at the Pastoral Center 4 days a week giving out food bags to residents of Palo Alto. As more people are becoming homeless, we need "portable food." That means flip-‐top containers of ready-‐to-‐eat soups, chili, ravioli, canned fruits, tuna, sausages, granola bars etc. Other forms of help include rent and utilities subsidies, food vouchers, clothing and furniture vouchers, motel vouchers, purchase of medical prescriptions, bus tokens etc. The annual food drive took place in November.
The East Palo Alto chapter, with very strong financial and manpower support from the St. Thomas community, is very active shoring up the safety net in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park. Teams of volunteers respond to approximately 15 emergency calls per day from families requesting assistance. They secured scholarships for many children from East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park to attend summer camps at the Hidden Villa Ranch. The Parish Youth Group, STAY COOL, played a major role in the packing of food boxes for 225 families at Thanksgiving and for 325 families at Christmas. The Giving Trees at the three worship sites were a big part of providing Christmas toys to the children of 325 families. Several parishioners participated in packing and delivering the bags of toys. 32
Windows and Mirrors Exhibit In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the War in Afghanistan, our parish took part in hosting this collection of 6-‐foot panels created by international artists and students to help us reflect on the impact of this war on Afghan civilians. About a dozen panels were displayed in the OLR Hall for one week during October and we also took part in organizing the full exhibition at King Plaza in front of Palo Alto City Hall. Low Income Tax Assistance We publicized the need for volunteers to prepare income taxes for low income people. VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) is an IRS-‐sponsored program to provide free tax preparation to low income people. St. Athanasius Catholic Church and San Antonio Place in Mountain View are the 2 sites of the nearest VITA; and we had several volunteers from our parish. Tax return filers get the most benefits out of two government credits: the Earned Income Credit, which can be worth thousands; and the Child Tax Credit, which is worth $1000 per child. Death penalty abolition Terry McCaffrey, President of California People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty, is spearheading the SAFE (Savings, Accountability, Full Enforcement) California Campaign as it worked to replace the death penalty. In January we received a message From Fr. Matt about a letter from Bishop McGrath concerning the gathering of signatures for two pending ballot measures: SAFE and PNI (Parental Notification Initiative). Our parish conducted a drive to get signatures on February 18/19 and February 25/26. The parish collected 240 signatures for SAFE and 160 signatures for PNI. Over 800,000 signatures were collected for SAFE throughout the state. The film "Empty Chair" was shown on Spirituality Tuesday, February 21. This is a film about four people who lost loved ones through violent crimes. Three are against the death penalty and one is for it. Possible New Ministry Judy Decker is a new member who expressed an opinion about a "hole in the parish." There are people in our midst who need help but are too proud to ask for it. For example, they may need help in going to the doctor, changing a light bulb, cleaning up around the house, preparing warm meals etc. We already have a pastoral ministry for spiritual needs but we also need a ministry to meet their “corporal” needs. The Mormon Church provides a good example of what is needed. Peninsula Interfaith Action AB 1081, introduced earlier this year by Assembly member Tom Ammiano, challenges the embattled federal immigration enforcement program known as Secure Communities. If it eventually becomes law, the bill would make the participation of local law enforcement in the fingerprint-‐sharing program optional, removing California counties from the mandatory program temporarily, then allowing them to rejoin voluntarily. The bill has been dubbed the Transparency and Responsibility Using State Tools Act, or “TRUST Act.” George and Ruth Chippendale, working with PIA, are supporting the Trust Act in an attempt to end the separation of families that occurs because of deportation. San Francisco Archbishop Niederauer is calling on Governor Brown and Attorney General Harris to support this bill. On Jan 28, a rally was organized by PIA at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco and a bus load of our parishioners attended. 33
Anti-‐Torture: June is Torture Awareness Month. This year, in addition to putting up the anti-‐torture banners, we plan to follow the lead of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) in gathering endorsements of a statement opposing the use of prolonged solitary confinement, which is recognized as a form of torture, and which is common policy in U.S. prisons. Refugee Resettlement We have been helping a large family of refugees from the Congo since last June. A suitable 4-‐ bedroom house was found for the family of 16 and we raised enough money to help them with the deposit and several months’ of utilities bills plus other expenses. One volunteer drove them to appointments with doctors, nurses, and dentists. Another worked with their school district to place the 3 school aged children into special programs. Several others made regular visits to read and play with the children or help the teenager with her homework. We have also brought them books, clothes, bicycles, strollers, and other miscellaneous items. When we brought them to the parish picnic, they performed a song for us and one of the children won a bingo prize. For Christmas, one family donated money while another donated time to purchase various gifts for each and every family member. Through the VITA program, we helped them recoup thousands of dollars. We also facilitated the extension of their current lease on the house for an additional 6 months. To mark the milestone of having been with them for a whole year, we had a very nice picnic in May at a city park. Warm Clothes Collection: On Sunday, November 20, we collected coats and blankets for the folks at Opportunity House. The collection netted 80 coats and 20 blankets, plus miscellaneous clothes items. Hotel De Zink: As in past years, Ruth Chippendale organized our parishioners in providing food for the homeless for 2 weeks each in August and April. All the people were very thankful for the food. Bread for the World Offering of Letters: The 2012 Offering of Letters is called "Expanding the Circle of Protection": There is an over-‐all campaign and four mini-‐campaigns – on domestic nutrition, poverty-‐focused foreign assistance, tax credits for low-‐income families, and international food aid programs. We are planning to partake in this effort in September or October. Soles4Souls: Terry Atkinson is working with this non-‐profit organization that collects new shoes to give relief to the victims of abject suffering and also used shoes to support micro-‐business efforts to eradicate poverty. The group receives large donations from footwear companies, retailers, churches, nonprofit ministries, civic groups, schools, and individuals. The schedulde weekend for our parish’s collection is Sept 22-‐23. For more information regarding our activities, please visit our parish’s website: PaloAltoCatholic.org > Ministries & Organizations > Human Concerns Committee You can find our monthly meeting minutes as well as a JustFaith Calendar listing events in our locality that promote peace and justice. 34
Finance Ministry
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2012
The Mission of the Finance Committee, which is mandated by Canon Law, is to oversee the parish finances in a responsible manner and advise the pastor in all temporal matters. The financial information contained in this report has been prepared in accordance with both accrual accounting procedures and guidelines provided by the Diocese of San Jose. Use of these procedures presents the most accurate picture of our parish resources. In the information provided you can see the major sources of income and expenses for fiscal year 2011-‐2012 (July 1st to June 30th) and the budget for fiscal year 2012-‐2013 with respect to revenue and expenses. Descriptions of each of the major income and expense accounts are highlighted at the bottom of the report. The parish account is in an interest bearing Deposit and Loan Fund at the Diocese of San Jose. The funds are available for repairs and emergency maintenance of the many facilities of the parish: three worship sites, two schools, two rental properties, the pastoral center, rectory and the Dermody Center. On June 30, 2012, the balance was $616,439. The amount of the fund allocated to reserves is $600,000 leaving $16,439 for capital building and repair projects. Future maintenance projects are scheduled as a part of the parish’s 5 year plan. Additional building repair and maintenance projects are also under review by the Facilities Committee. The fiscal year ended on June 30, 2012, with $1,442,982 in income (excluding a $1,000,000 restricted bequest for a new St. Thomas Aquinas Church Building Renovation and Maintenance Fund) and $1,415,151 in expenses, with a net of +$27,831 (excluding depreciation). Earnings category (primarily rental income) was at 35% of the total budget. Income from collections was 46% of the total. Stipends, gifts, and income from parish programs made up the balance of income. The parish is still very dependent on earnings from rental income to fund parish operations but, as is evident, a major portion of our total income to support the parish is still derived from collections. The budget for 2012-‐2013 projects a zero net or break even budget excluding the impact of non-‐ cash depreciation expense of $158,938. Total income for the 2012-‐2013 year is projected to be $1,402,732 and is offset by the same amount of expected expenditures. Finally and most importantly, the finance committee would like to sincerely thank all the parishioners for their donations of time, talent, and treasure during the past fiscal year and earnestly seek your continued active support as we journey through our new fiscal year. Members this past year: Fr. Matt Stanley, Norman Swope (Chair), Mary Martinson, Ted Baer, Bill Morrison, Carol Brown, Veronica Duluk, and Chuck Tully (Bus. Mgr.) 35
Parish Operations: Year-‐End June 2012 Report Income
2010-2011
2011-2012
2011-2012
2012-2013
Collections Stipends Earnings Gifts/Donations Programs Other/Festivals Subtotal Bequests Diocesan Appeal Rebates Capital Campaign Rebates
Actual $607,846 $44,241 $428,229 $53,140 $33,585 $4,212 $1,171,254 $370,495 $12,568 $66,059
Actual $667,980 $39,148 $508,578 $47,588 $39,634 $5,907 $1,308,835 $90,173 $11,052 $32,922
Budget $667,700 $37,500 $491,942 $11,200 $57,800 $19,500 $1,285,642 $60,000 $16,780 $30,000
Budget $679,500 $34,000 $537,292 $15,190 $52,250 $14,500 $1,332,732 $30,000 $20,000 $20,000
$1,620,375
$1,442,982
$1,392,422
$1,402,732
$125,007 $256,306 $62,484 $116,598 $75,112 $131,484 $79,347 $34,920 $56,572 $384,436
$183,776 $275,133 $63,408 $116,787 $76,258 $118,267 $92,837 $31,104 $42,651 $414,930
$185,091 $265,080 $63,095 $121,475 $82,013 $111,344 $93,233 $29,957 $41,636 $399,498
$191,807 $254,635 $60,785 $114,173 $83,271 $124,637 $106,886 $25,700 $26,340 $414,498
$1,322,266
$1,415,151
$1,392,422
$1,402,732
$298,109
$27,831
$0
$0
$131,760
$1,000,000 $148,896
$133,509
$158,938
$166,349
$878,935
-$133,509
-$158,938
Total Income Expenses Pastoral Administration Cathedraticum Catechetical Hispanic Ministry Liturgy Youth/Young Adult Parish Programs Rectory Plant
Total Net before depreciation Restricted Bequest STA Church
Depreciation Expense
Net
Income & Expense Budget Definitions: Collections include Sunday and Holy Days;Stipends are from sacramental gifts(ie. Weddings, Baptisms, and Funerals); Earnings are primarily from rental properties but also include interest on deposits; Gifts and Donations include donations that are (specified) directed toward a special purpose or parish related activity or non-specific donation; Bequests are donations left in a will or legacy. This year included a $1,000,000 bequest for St. Thomas Aquinas Church Building Renovation and Maintenance Fund; Pastoral includes all salary and benefits for the parish priests and other clergy related expenses; Administration is made up of the office staff, office supplies, postage, printing, bank fees, telephone/ fax/internet services; Cathedraticum is support to the Diocese and the Bishop; Catechetical Ministry incl. staff salary and benefits and all program expenses; Catechetical Hispanic Ministry includes all staff salary and benefits and all program expenses; Liturgy includes salary and benefits as well as liturgy office supplies, music, sacramental celebrations, and weekly environmental expenses; Youth/Young Adult includes salary and benefits, youth supplies, printing, and postage, and all youth activity expenses including confirmation retreats; Parish Programs include Annual Diocesan Appeal expenses, Valley Catholic, Community Life, Social Justice, Parish Stewardship; Rectory includes housekeeping, cleaning supplies, groceries; Plant includes salaries and benefits for the maintenance personnel, building and grounds supplies,utilities, repair of buildings, insurance, and property taxes; Depreciation is an accounting book entry reflecting building additions (capital improvements), and the writing off of these costs as a yearly expense.
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