|
Commissions
& Activities
Forum Follow-Up May 2010
Opening Remarks:
On Wednesday, May 12, about 200 parishioners
from Saint Ann and Saint Zepherin parishes gathered in Saint Ann parish
hall for the second of a series of forums regarding the formation of one
parish community. Citing the prophet Habakkuk "Write the vision; make
it plain on tablets…" (2:2-3), Father Jim focused on the importance of
creating a vision, which would be the foundation of our identity as a
new parish community. He challenged us to imagine what we could be as
one community in one location and what more we could do in outreach to
the needy beyond our community.
Father Jim also pointed out that we
are engaged in a distinct twofold process:
(1) uniting the two parishes into one canonically and civilly. This involves
the suppression of both parishes, as it is described in cannon law and
the creation of a new one with a new name. It is hoped that this will
formally take place on January 1, 2011; and
(2) consolidating into one location which most likely would not occur
before 2012. This will not be an arbitrary decision but one based on a
thorough study of all assets and needs of the new parish. Father Jim also
said that we are receiving help and encouragement from the Archdiocese
during this process. The Archdiocesan office recognizes that the consolidation
of parishes that was carried out in 2004 was not entirely successful.
That history should not be repeated, and the Archdiocese is very interested
in the path that St Ann and St Zepherin have taken to become one parish.
Many wonderful steps have already
been taken regarding the first part of the process: sharing a common worship
schedule; a combined staff in one location; we share a music director
and youth minister; the Parish Pastoral Councils have been meeting jointly
for almost a year; the worship committees are meeting jointly and the
Parish Finance Councils have begun to meet together; this year's annual
Appreciation Social for Volunteers and other events have been worked on
collaboratively and celebrated together.
The Core Team
A Core Team has been created to facilitate
the process of coming together. Steve Ahlquist was introduced as the chairperson
of this team. He introduced the other members: Nancy Carapezza, Paul Connolly,
Sally DeGeorge, Patricia Harlan, Paula Morgan, Richard Stack, Patty Wright
and Dennis Berry who serves as a liaison with the Parish Pastoral Councils.
Steve described the responsibilities of the team: to create and manage
the transition schedule; facilitate discussions towards combining committees
and establishing new ones; encourage communication and feedback from all
parishioners; define the process for engaging the parish in selecting
a name for the new parish; help the PPC in defining the mission and vision
of our new parish.
The Real Estate Team
Bill Whitney, the chairperson for
the Real Estate Team, introduced the other members: John Boyle, Barbara
Matyi, Kevin Murphy, Bill Shannon. The Real Estate Team will address the
question of what is the best use of our facilities as a combined parish.
They will take responsibility for providing a recommendation for the location
and character of the facility. The process will start by defining what
is the ideal space and then assessing which alternative comes closest
to meeting the ideal, the St Ann site, the St Zepherin site or a third
site. The recommendation will be accompanied by a preliminary design and
associated cost.
Both the Core Team and Real Estate
Team pledged to keep parishioners informed as they progress through their
respective consolidation tasks.
Questions and Answers
The forum was then opened to parishioners
for questions and comments. This portion of the meeting was moderated
by Dan Ponsetto, and highlights are given below.
Q. How is the value of the current
church sites determined?
A. The value of the property to a purchaser is a function of the reuse
of that property. Different reuses (e.g., commercial, residential) would
support different purchase prices. This is the case if certain of, the
present buildings are retained and the balance of the site reused, or
if the site is completely redeveloped.
Q. There is a need for a new space
design and cost estimate, will this be done? A. Yes, that is part of the
Real Estate team charter.
Q. What happens to the money from
the sale of any property or other assets? Does this money go to the Archdiocese?
A. The money does not go to the Archdiocese. Any monies realized from
the sale of property or other assets belongs to the newly formed parish.
This reality is governed by Canon Law concerning the merger of parishes.
N.B. The current disputes between the Archdiocese and suppressed parishes
holding vigils involve other issues in canon and civil law which do not
apply to our situation.
Q. Who determines future parish needs?
A. That will be a combination of Real Estate Team and Parish Pastoral
Councils. In addition, input will be sought from parishioners through
a variety of means, including forums, suggestion boxes, and individual
contact with parish committee members.
C. This should not be viewed as a merger but a mission. Funds remaining
from consolidation should perhaps not be used just for a new church but
also to further our Christian mission.
C. A plan/pro forma is needed for the future which takes into account
demographics before and after merger, finance needs for the new parish
both presently and a five year projection.
Q. Are there any restrictions to the
sale of parish land?
A. There was a 50 year restriction on the sale of St. Ann property, but
that restriction has expired.
C. Make certain that the Archdiocese is involved in the planning process
so as to minimize any danger of our future plans being overruled. And
the Eucharist and worship are the most important considerations, not parking
or classroom space.
Q. Are we currently spending anything
toward capital improvements at either site? It might be wasted money.
A. No, we are doing only essential maintenance work on each site. All
capital improvements are on hold.
C. The worship space at St. Ann is
traditional and the access for persons with disabilities is poor.
A. In the new worship space, the altar will be closer to parishioners
and there will be full and appropriate accessibility for persons with
disabilities. This will be true regardless of what the final site of the
parish will be.
Q. Communications to parishioners
will be important during the process, what are the plans to keep us informed?
A. There will be a web page accessible from either parish website with
the latest developments and Core and Real Estate Team meeting minutes.
The team members will be listed and identified in photos. Printed versions
of developments will be available and updates will be included in the
bulletin. There will also be additional parish forums, coffee hours after
Masses with team and PPC members attending to answer questions and we
are considering small neighborhood meetings at parishioner homes.
Q. Has any consideration been given
to the youth? Could there be facilities built such as was recently done
at the Trinitarian Church?
A. All options are on the table at this point. That is an excellent suggestion
for the Real Estate Team and PPC to consider.
Q. Have any sites other than St, Ann
and St. Zepherin been discovered?
A. No. It's very early in the real estate analysis and that has not yet
been considered.
Q. How will the mission and values
of the new parish be developed?
A. The joint PPC will develop the mission statement and identify the fundamental
values of the new parish. The Archdiocesan Office of Pastoral Planning
will provide assistance.
Q. Who makes the final decision about
the site of the new parish?
A. While the ultimate decision technically resides with Cardinal Sean
O'Malley, the planning effort of the type in which we are now engaged
is very much encouraged by the Archdiocese.
Q. How do we get as many parish members
as possible involved?
A. In the fall, we are planning neighborhood gatherings at parishioners'
homes to discuss the unification. All parishioners will be invited to
participate. These gatherings will make convenient for any parish member
to participate and contribute.
Meeting
Minutes - St. Ann and St. Zepherin Parishes MINUTES of
the joint PPC meeting March 2, 2010 Present: Len Andrews,
Dennis Berry, Peggy Coons, Amy Hanania, Pat Harlan, Pat Hughes, Kate Jenney, Susan
Keller, Jon Kenney, Fr. Jim, Maureen Lampert, Barbara &Phil Mayti Dan Ponsetto,
Sister Roberta, Darrell Simpson, Jean Whitney Opening Prayer:
Darrell Simpson and Amy Hanania 7:05p.m. Fr. Jim announced the
following people will serve on the core team: Stephen Ahlquist Nancy Carapezza
Paul Connolly Sally DeGeorge Pat Harlan Paula Morgan Richard Stack Patty Wright
Dennis Berry will serve as liaison from the Core Team to the PPC The
Team will meet with Fr. David Couturier, the Director of Office of Planning of
the Archdiocese, in the next few weeks. He will create a "road map" for the Core
Team and define for us how the Team will interact with the PPC and the other committees.
Members of the PPC who are available will be invited to attend. Fr.
Jim announced the following people will serve on the Real Estate Team: John Boyle
Kevin Murphy Barbara Mayti Bill Shannon Bill Whitney It was suggested that another
woman be added to the Team. Fr. Jim reported on his contacts with
the Archdiocese (see full report in Fr. Jim's e-mail to the PPC on Feb 22,) There
were 4 Architectural firms suggested by the Archdiocese, and we are allowed to
contact an independent firm with no connections to either church or the Archdiocese.
The firms will be interviewed by the Real Estate Team. Fr. Jim will be the liaison
for decisions that are made by the Team. The role of an Architectural firm will
be discussed. Communications: Several parishioners responded to
Amy Hanania, Pat Hughes, or Jean Whitney after the Bulletin appeal for Communication
Committee members. The current Committee members are: Len Andrews, Amy Hanania,
Dan Ponsetto, Sister Roberta and Jean Whitney. There will be a
joint Appreciation Celebration on Saturday, May 1st after the 5p.m. Mass. Volunteers
who will help are: Peggy Coons, Pat Hughes, Kate Jenney, Susan Keller, Jon Kenney,
Maureen Lampert and Barbara Mayti. The details are to be determined. Our
next PPC meeting is Tuesday, April 13th. The meeting adjourned
at 8:35p.m. Patricia M. Harlan
Minutes
of the Joint PPC Meeting - January 5, 2010 In Attendance:
Leonard Andrews, Dennis Berry, Tom Chisolm, Peggy Coons (recorder), Amy Hanania,
Pat Harlan, Pat Hughes, Kate Jenney, Father Jim, Jon Kenney, Barbara Mayti, Phil
Mayti, Sue Muldoon, Marge O'Day, Dan Ponsetto, Sister Roberta, Darrell Simpson,
Jean Whitney
Absent: Paula Flanagan, Susan Keller, Rose Narcisco Opening
prayer - 7:10 p.m. As the Core Team and Real Estate Team will
be chosen soon, it was decided that we should list items that we want each group
to consider when making their recommendations to the PPC. (The Core Team and Real
Estate Team are coordinating groups, not decision-making groups.) We are asking
them to make recommendations toward bringing the parishes together. The following
is a result of our brainstorming session in an effort to document the many issues
that may need to be addressed, in the hopes of providing a focus for both the
Core Team and the Real Estate Team. CORE TEAM The
Core Team is to strategize ways to merge/combine the committees of both churches.
They will determine the functions of each committee and develop a plan to bring
each committee together (by a specific date). The Core Team is the group coordinating
the mergers of the committees, not actually doing the work themselves. Father
David Couturier, OFM Cap, Director of Office of Planning of the Archdiocese, may
be able to aid us in this regard. He has given Fr. Jim ideas about a core group
and has a checklist of items to be considered. It may be helpful for him to join
us and advise us as he has a certain expertise in bringing parishes together.
Considerations regarding both parishes. Both
parishes have the following committees that need to be combined: A.
Worship Committees - Core team to strategize how to merge/combine committees.
B. Music - progress has been made with merging the music of
both parishes as we now have one music director. C. Faith
Formation (Family Religious Education Committees, Youth Ministry Committee, and
Adult Faith Formation) - Family Religious Education and Youth Ministry need to
be in place for the start of the school year next September (even if the committees
are not formally merged by then - the programs and staffing should be in place).
The staff is currently working on getting the programs together. We may still
find ourselves with two choices of family religious education programs after our
parishes merge. D. Finance Council - By the time of the merger,
both Finance Councils will be dissolved and a new one formed. (Fr. Jim is hoping
to include a few current members and a few new members for this council.) E.
Pastoral Council - The Pastoral Councils of both parishes have been meeting jointly
for some time now. By the time of the merger, both Pastoral Councils will be dissolved
and a new one formed. (As with the Finance Council, Fr. Jim is hoping to include
a few current members and a few new members for this council.) Considerations
by the Core Team going forward: Parish Life, Christian Service Peace &
Justice Committee, Property Committee, Pre-School Committee, Stewardship Committee;
Safe Environment Committee; the Fall Fair, maintain our relationship with St.
Matthews Parish in Dorchester, can drive, giving tree, diaper drive, social events.
We are reminded of the reconfiguration documents produced
a few years ago when we thought we had to close one of the churches. It may be
helpful for us to review those documents as they contained all of the reasons
we needed both of our parishes to stay open. Staff members will check the records
at the Pastoral Center and try to retrieve those documents. Other
miscellaneous items to be addressed by the Core Team include how to go about choosing
a name for our new parish; our new mission statement; and ritualizing traditions
of each parish's history. We'd like to preserve what our histories are and continue
with the most important aspects of both of our parishes. We expect there to be
a grieving process as part of our transition to one parish. REAL
ESTATE TEAM Members of the Real Estate Team need some
sort of commercial real estate experience and expertise. The following is a list
of items to be considered when the Real Estate Team makes their recommendations.
value of properties (including current evaluations), legal
aspect (ramifications), "buildability", wetlands consideration, zoning limitations,
conservation issues, Septic, traffic flow, Parking, renewal v. building new, assessment
of needs of joint parish, "green" remodeling, handicapped accessibility (to sanctuary
also), demographics (where are our parishioners), Board of Health and town requirements,
envisioning what we need for our mission - does space promote our vision, State
requirements, ultimate disposition of property. The decision
regarding real estate is ultimately the cardinal's but we feel confident that
he will agree with our decisions. The Real Estate Team will present findings and
the PPC will work with their recommendations. The PPC will be the sounding board
of sorts. Once the decisions are made regarding real estate, the Real Estate Team
could then do a similar presentation like the one done by our Finance Councils.
Formation of new Communications Committee: Lois Paul
has continued to be of assistance regarding communications. She has produced a
document entitled "Draft Communications Plan Framework" containing suggested strategies
to keep our parishioners informed and engaged going forward. The soon-to-be-formed
Communications Committee will study this document and determine how best to handle
the ideas Lois has suggested in an effort to keep information at the forefront
and keep the parishioners in the loop. The PPC agreed with
Ms. Paul's recommendations regarding a Communications Committee as it is such
an important part of our successful merger. The Committee will be responsible
for informing and engaging parishioners. There would potentially be quarterly
meetings to update our parishioners. Fr. Jim asked if there
were any members of the PPC who would be interested in joining the Communications
Committee. No commitments were made tonight as a few of our members were absent.
Any members interested in joining the Committee are asked to notify Fr. Jim. OTHER
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS: Archdiocese Interest in our Merger.
The Archdiocese is interested in learning from what we're
doing here at St. Zepherin and St. Ann. Unlike when the reconfiguration happened
and many churches were closed, the Archdiocese isn't imposing anything on us.
Fr. David Couturier has asked for paperwork from our informational meetings -
power point presentations, fact sheet, agenda, etc in an effort to document what
we have accomplished. Sister Roberta will consolidate this information for Fr.
Jim to give to Fr. David. We must keep in mind that in the past, the other closures
were mandated and the receiving parish had to "figure everything out". This is
not the same - Archdiocese is hoping we can document our successful merger.
Publication of PPC minutes. We do not currently have an email list that
contains both parishes. We will look into posting minutes on the websites. Joint
Parish Bulletin. There was a discussion about the joint parish bulletin. Although
there are limitations to the choices we are given for the cover and format of
the bulletin, it was agreed that the cover should probably be a liturgical symbol
rather than a picture of a church. A couple of other items to note regarding the
bulletin: 1. We currently have two mission statements - one
for each of our parishes. This will change as we choose a new mission statement
for our combined church. It was agreed that the mission statements be removed
rather than listing two. 2. Reporting of weekly collection.
It was determined that we should report collections in the same manner for both
churches (maybe quarterly instead of weekly - being consistent for both churches).
We will ask the Finance Councils to discuss the matter and figure out a better
way of reporting the collection. In the interim, we will consider
the weekly bulletin a work in progress!! Potential members
of the Real Estate and Core Teams: Please submit names to Fr. Jim (no need
to ask them personally first.) He already has a substantial list of potential
candidates. We want invested, open-minded people. (At least one member of the
Core Team should be from Natick.) The core team will consist of four parishioners
from each of our parishes; the real estate team will consist of three parishioners
from each of our parishes. Of course, the real estate team needs commercial real
estate and other related experience. The next scheduled meeting
of the Joint PPC is Tuesday, February 9. Closing prayer -
9:05 p.m. |