St. Joseph's

 

PPC Members Present

 

Father Peter Lennon      Mary McGinley

Jennifer Evans             Claire Stilwell 

Anne Burns                Margaret McDonach                                                                                                    

Jenny Gallagher          Rosaleen Moffatt

Margaret Nicol                                         

Apologies:  Geraldine Lyden

 

The 200 Club draw for August and September took place prior to the meeting.

 

Opening Prayer

Father Peter opened the meeting with a short prayer and spiritual reflection.

  

The Role of the Parish Pastoral Council

Mary McGinley thanked all for attending the meeting and advised that the aim of the Forum was to provide parishioners with an opportunity to meet with members of the Parish Pastoral Council and to update them on the previous year’s activity and obtain their views on priorities for the coming year.

The PPC is responsible for assisting the Parish Priest to decide the priorities for liturgy, catechesis, social events and parish life for the coming year.  The Annual Open Forum allows parishioners to contribute their views to this process.

 

Review of last year’s activities of the Parish Pastoral Council

Improving Communication

Mary McGinley highlighted that improving communication was brought up at last year’s Open Forum and was one of the objectives taken forward. She explained that the PPC minutes are now available on the PPC Notice Board at the back of the Church, both in normal format and in a larger font on yellow paper to make it easier to read.  A list of PPC Members and information on PPC activities can also be found on the PPC Notice Board. PPC updates are provided in the Parish Bulletin and posted on the Parish Website.

Parish Website

One of the main achievements of the past year was the setting up of a parish website. The Bishop’s Conference for Scotland recommended that this should be an objective for all parishes. The website contains a short history of the parish together with photographs and details of church services. The Parish Annual Accounts, Gift Aid Forms and Minutes from PPC Meetings are also available on the site.

The Parish Bulletin is posted on the site each week and this is useful for keeping up to date with parish news. Two parishioners have taken up advertising space on the site contributing to the annual running costs. The parish website recently featured in the Scottish Catholic Observer as a good example of a parish website.

Encouraging participation in the liturgical life of the parish

The meeting was informed that Jenny Gallagher has now been commissioned by Archbishop Conti as a Catechist following her successful completion of a two year programme of Catholic Theological Education at the University of Glasgow.  During the past year Jenny has led the RCIA programme and a number of prayer and reflection groups for parishioners. The meeting was advised that we are very fortunate to have a parish catechist to work with Father Lennon and parishioners to develop catechesis within the parish. Jenny has prepared a short presentation on the activities she has taken forward together with ideas for liturgical growth and catechesis in the coming year. This presentation was given later in the meeting.

Selecting two parishioners to represent St Joseph’s at the 2011 World Youth Day

Geraldine Lyden and Jennifer Evans who represent Youth on the PPC were involved in the process to obtain nominations for the 2011 WYD which will be held in Madrid.  An information sheet for our young parishioners was included in the Parish Bulletin inviting them to consider submitting their name as a parish representative for the WYD. Two responded before the closing date and Hannah Baxter and Michael Canning were nominated to represent St Joseph’s in Madrid.  A number of fund raising events have been organised by the Halls Committee and a donation of £400 has been received to help fund their participation in this event. Father Peter confirmed that the young people themselves were also organising a fund raising event to help meet the £1,500 cost.

Improving and maintaining Parish financial stability in difficult times

It was explained that the Parish Finance Group are obliged to submit an annual report to the PPC and Kathleen McGinley, who helps Father Peter maintain the parish accounting records presents this Annual Account Report to the PPC.  A copy of the Parish Accounts together with notes on income and expenditure is also shared with all parishioners via the Parish Bulletin and on the Parish Website. Father Lennon advised that the Parish Accounts are submitted annually to the Archdiocese for inspection and are also subject to an independent audit. Kathleen reported that the financial position of the parish has improved although still remains fragile.

Kathleen explained that the Halls Committee manage the use of the Halls and generate their own funds, these sufficient to maintain and upkeep the fabric of the hall buildings and meet all other hall running costs. Margaret McDonach manages and maintains the 200 Club accounting records and Rosaleen Moffatt manages the Church Stall and newspaper purchases and sales. The Halls, 200 Club and Stall figures are incorporated into the year end Parish Accounts. Kathleen advised that she welcomed the support provided by the PPC in generating ideas for improving parish finances. There were a number of measures taken to reduce costs and improve income as a result of discussions with the PPC. Since 2008 the Halls Committee now refund the parish for the cost of the Halls insurance, gas, electrical and fire safety inspections and this has been helpful in reducing church account expenditure by approximately £1,500 per annum.The re-introduction of the 200 Club by Margaret McDonach has also provided much welcome additional income of almost £1,800 since it was restarted in April 2009. There was also the introduction of Quarterly Collection Envelopes in June and September to help improve parish funds.

Kathleen gave a brief report on the benefits of Gift Aid advising that the parish received a very substantial £11,500 in the past year at absolutely no extra cost to parishioners who had signed a Gift Aid Declaration.  It was suggested that there was potential within the parish to increase parish income significantly if more taxpaying parishioners participated in the Gift Aid Scheme.  It was considered that there may be some reluctance due to the requirement to use a Weekly Offering Envelope; this required for audit trail and Inland Revenue purposes. Kathleen pointed out that this could be avoided by parishioners opting to pay their offering by monthly direct debit. Jim McCarron asked how many parishioners used direct debit and was advised that 55 of the 107 Gift Aiders pay their Offering by Direct Debit.  It was noted that Gift Aid Information Leaflets and Direct Debit Forms are available at the back of the church and also on the parish website.

Jim suggested that a Gift Aid Promotion Appeal could be made to raise awareness and this was seconded by Kathleen Owen who suggested that now would be a good time after the positive response to the Papal visit.  It was agreed that further promotion of Gift Aid and use of Direct Debit should be taken forward. Kathleen Owen asked if every Parish has Finance Group and Father Lennon confirmed that this was the case.

 

Discuss plans and key objectives for next year

A working group to take forward church refurbishment plans

Mary explained that the PPC hope to take forward a plan to repair and redecorate the church in advance of the Church Centenary which will be in August 2012. Following a request in the Parish Bulletin for volunteers with expertise a PPC Sub-Group has now been set up to take forward the Centenary Repair and Refurbishment Plan. Father Peter, Anne Burns and Mary McGinley are the PPC members on the sub-group together with parishioners John McTernan (Quantity Surveyor), Jim Shields (Building Contractor), Brian Hawkin (Civil Engineer) and Kate Ferrie (Project Admin).

The group has agreed that they should scope the work required and then obtain prices for the required work. The initial report following an external review of the condition of the church roof and stonework was positive.  However on the exterior wall at King Street a fault/crack was identified. It was agreed that this should be monitored using special glass ties to check whether there is ongoing movement. Depending on whether there is ongoing movement or not will determine the extent and cost of the remedial work required. 

In order to obtain an initial target figure for fundraising and to take forward early discussion with the Archdiocese of Glasgow on the proposed scheme, prices are being requested from painting and flooring contractors for refurbishment of the interior.

Margaret Nicol asked about the rewiring of the church. Mary responded that she had been advised that the church does not need rewiring at the moment as it was totally rewired around 25 years ago and should therefore not require rewiring although a full electrical inspection is planned.

Mary reported that we could submit an application for funding to the Scottish Churches Architectural Heritage Fund and/or Historic Scotland if structural repairs are major and costly. However if the repairs are mainly internal refurbishment we are unlikely to be eligible for any grant funding.

Those present were reminded that the church belongs to the parishioners and that we are responsible for meeting the total cost of any repairs and refurbishment work. The Parish will require approval and Approved Expenditure Status from the Archdiocese of Glasgow before proceeding with the plan.  The Archdiocese may be willing to provide a loan to the Parish to allow the work to be taken forward.  Any loan would require to be fully repaid by the parish as the Archdiocese will not contribute towards any refurbishment.  It was agreed that significant fund raising efforts would be required. Kathleen McGinley suggested that a second collection could be taken up each week and where this was not already committed to a named Archdiocese cause such as Assisted Parishes, Sick & Retired Priests etc it could be used to help fund the refurbishment. This proposal was seconded by Marion Gow and was generally supported by those present. Jim McCarron suggested looking at what other parishes have done in order to raise cash for refurbishment.  He advised that in his mother’s parish donations for building the church hall have been raised through families donating in memory of deceased relatives. He agreed to find out more about how this fund raising effort operated.

Kathleen Owen suggested selling the Church Halls in Grant Street and building a new hall in the church grounds at Lomond Street.  She thought this might be a way of raising money. Many of those at the Forum agreed that this was a good suggestion.  Views were expressed that walking from Lomond Street to Grant Street may put people off from attending parish meetings or coffee mornings and it would be better to have the hall beside the church. Jim echoed the point that where the hall is adjacent to the Church parishioners are more likely to use the hall. This is the case in his mother’s parish where parishioners make good use of the hall by getting together socially after Mass.  

Kathleen McGinley advised that the Archdiocese in calculating our annual levy provide a cost allowance of £2,000 for the Church Hall. A request to the Archdiocese for a £2,000 allowance for each of the three halls that we maintain was unsuccessful as the Archdiocese recognises the three halls as only one building. Kathleen further advised that last year we paid £3,800 for Church gardening, an annual cost which would be avoided if a Church Hall and Car Park were built in the grounds.

Kathleen commented that it may be possible to invite potential developers to provide a parish community benefit as part of a possible halls/land deal, for example if the developers build a new hall and car park beside the Church as part of a potential housing/property development at Grant Street. Kathleen Owen thought this would a very good proposition and offered to discuss this further with parishioner Stephen Gibson who has social housing expertise.

Anne Burns suggested that the Archdiocese may not give permission for the sale of the Halls and recalled that some years ago the Parish had failed to purchase the old laundry adjoining the church which would have been ideal for a Church Hall.

Mary McGinley cautioned that fund raising for the Centenary refurbishment needs to be taken forward now and we cannot rely on selling the halls as a solution at this point. Given the slow pace of Local Planning decisions and the work required, including approval from the Archdiocese, it is unlikely that this would be completed by 2012.  It was however agreed that a Feasibility Study should proceed and if the scheme is viable a Centenary Hall in the Church Grounds would be a great and lasting legacy.  Further detailed exploratory work is however necessary before any decision can be made.

Mary advised that at the Parishioners Fundraising Meeting the previous week, a decision was made to set up a Fundraising Sub-Group for Church Refurbishment. The two PPC members are Mary McGinley and Jenny Gallagher who will chair the group and parishioners Margaret MacInnes and Clive Burns.  Their first task will be to plan for the 2011 Family Fun Gala Day. As parish support is necessary for this to be successful it was agreed that the parishioners will be kept fully informed as plans progress.

Father Lennon’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations- March 2011

The meeting was informed that Father Peter will celebrate his Golden Jubilee on Friday 18^th March 2011 and Father advised that there will be a Concelebrated Mass at 1pm on that day. Margaret Nicol stated that she will organise a celebration buffet in the Church Hall after Mass for Father’s invited guests and parishioners. It was agreed that the parish will also wish to mark this very special occasion and plans for this will be taken forward.  Anne Burns advised that Prize Bingo fundraising has been organised to cover the Golden Jubilee catering costs.

Fundraising for two young parish representative for WYD

Anne Burns reported that fundraising events have been planned to help meet the cost of supporting our two delegates at World Youth Day. Cathie Egan asked if the 2 young people would be involved with the fundraising themselves and Father Peter confirmed that both families have started doing some fundraising.

Support for the Parish Catechist to further develop the liturgical life of the parish

A copy of Jenny Gallagher’s presentation to the Parish Open Forum is attached to these notes. Please take time to read and to share with fellow parishioners whom you think may wish to be involved. Jenny presented a short talk on the role of the Parish Catechist and discussed the faith sharing activities taken forward by her during the past year. She also provided ideas for further development of faith within the parish. She advised that the Archdiocese is keen to see the excellent preparation for the sacraments currently provided within schools to be complimented with church and parish based learning. Jenny hopes to take this forward within the Parish.

Mary reminded the Forum that Anne Muldoon had made a great contribution to parish liturgy and that she also prepared the children’s liturgy and organised the children reading at  9.00 am Mass. Since she has now returned to her previous parish in Glasgow we are missing Anne’s contribution, demonstrating the need for more people to be involved in developing the Children’s Liturgy.

Jenny advised that the Archdiocese were providing education evenings for those who wish to be involved in parish liturgy and preparation for the sacraments. Courses will commence at the end of October and in February 2011.  It was agreed that a Liturgy and Catechesis Team should be established in the parish. Jenny will co-ordinate on behalf of Father Peter and the parish. If you wish more information please contact Jenny.

Sunday Masses

Kathleen Owen suggested reinstating the 5.30 Sunday Evening Mass, indicating that she was concerned that discontinuing this had resulted in fewer young people attending. She considered the youth were more likely to go to Mass on a Sunday evening adding that in her view the Saturday Vigil was not the same as attending on a Sunday. She stated that she understood why the Mass had been cut but wondered if other priests could come to the parish to celebrate Mass on Sunday evenings.  Kathleen McGinley replied that this had already been subject to much discussion. It had to be appreciated that Father Peter is already in his 70’s and is working single handed in a very busy parish and that there are three Masses available for parishioners to fulfil their Sunday obligation. Kathleen considered it was not practical to have rotation of priests to provide evening Mass at St Joseph’s, adding that very few parishes in the Glasgow Archdiocese now have Mass on a Sunday evening. There is however a Sunday evening Mass at St Patrick’s Dumbarton, a parish where is more than one priest and it was suggested young people could attend Mass there. Father Lennon said that it was not his choice to reduce the number of Masses; the Archbishop had instructed him to have fewer.  The decision was based on the number of parishioners attending Mass, the size of the church, and the fact that there is only one Priest in the parish. He also commented that it was unlikely that there were other Priests available to provide an additional Mass.  

Jenny suggested a monthly mass for the youth. She said that we could perhaps get Nick and Steven Dunn involved with the music. Jim agreed that this was a good idea but thought that it would be hard to engage the youth on a once a month basis. He thought that a regular weekly mass would be better.  It was also suggested to try and make 11 o’clock Mass more youth friendly to try and engage the youth more. Claire Stilwell suggested the formation of a church youth group rather than a monthly mass. Jennifer Evans said she knows that the youth should make the effort to go to Sunday Mass no matter what time it is at. Realistically she explained that many of the youth will not make the effort on a Sunday morning and agreed that they would be more likely to attend on a Sunday night.  Sharon McCarron explained it is very difficult to encourage young people to attend Saturday Vigil as they are likely to be more focussed on their social activities that evening. General discussion followed. Mary McGinley concluded that the PPC should be concerned about meeting the faith needs of the youth of the parish and that as Sunday Evening Mass is no longer an option we should organise an event for the youth of the parish to seek their views.

New members for PPC

Mary explained that apart from Father Lennon, Bobby Hosie was the only male member on the PPC and that he had intimated that he and others were due to stand down.  She invited the men present at the Forum to consider joining the PPC as it is important that the PPC is representative of the whole parish community and their input would be most welcome.

Those interested in becoming a PPC Member can contact the PPC Secretary Jennifer Evans on 01436 672565 for further information.

The meeting ended at 2.00pm with a prayer and blessing by Father Peter.

 

Summary of Agreed Priorities to be taken forward during the coming year

• Develop and cost the plan for refurbishment of the Church prior to the Centenary.
• Obtain Approved Expenditure in co-operation with the Parish Finance Group.
• Set a target for refurbishment plan and involve parishioners in fund raising.
• Organise Father Lennon’s Golden Jubilee Celebration.
• Organise fund raising activities for WYD & Golden Jubilee Buffet.
• Support Parish Catechist in taking forward liturgical and faith sharing programme
• Establish a Parish Liturgy and Catechesis Team.
• Raise awareness among parishioners of Gift Aid and payment by direct debit.
• Undertake a Feasibility Study on sale of halls and building of a new church hall.
• Organise an event for Young Parishioners to obtain views on youth involvement.
• Secure nominations to achieve a gender balance on the Parish Pastoral Council.

 

The next meeting of the Parish Pastoral Council will be held at 7pm on Monday 8^th November, 2010 in St Joseph’s Church Hall.