Terry began the meeting at 4:28pm.

Fr. Raj opened the meeting with a prayer.

Present: Terry Brennan, Brad DeSaye, Bill Jacobs, Eileen Grant,  Anne Welborn

Absent:  Bob Dressler, Keoni Murphy

Staff: Fr. Raj, Jim Wren, Donna Maneely, Shelly Cooper, Fr. Gaspar

  1. Minutes Approval:
  • Bill requested to change the word “tithes” to “plate collections” in the February minutes.
  • Eileen motioned to approve the amended March meeting minutes; Brad seconded it; approved
  1. Financial Statements:
  • Gaspar explained that even though he is working for the Claretian Order he is still working full time for Sacred Heart, but is only being paid half time even though this is budgeted full time.
  • Anne motioned to approve the January Financials; Brad seconded the motion; motion approved
  • Brad motioned to approve the February Financials; Eileen seconded the motion; motion approved
  1. Bank Statement Approval:
  • Brad reviewed the January bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted
  • Eileen reviewed the February bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted.
  1. Pastor’s Report:
  • Holy Week begins next week
  • World Youth Day is August 1-8 in Lisbon, Portugal. 7 pilgrims from Sacred Heart are attending. Fundraising is ongoing. They are meeting each month for hikes etc. Fr. Raj is also going to WYD. Gaspar is concerned that not all of the pilgrims are showing up for the fundraisers; this has a greater impact on our Parishioners.
  • Fr. Raj will be attending the Day of Reflection on April 3rd at the Diocese.
  • Fr. Raj praised the Eucharistic Exhibition; almost 1000 people walked through the exhibit.
  • Divine Mercy Sunday is on April 16th
  • 47 people are to be confirmed at the Easter Vigil Mass and 10 will be baptized
  • The Confirmation and First Eucharist Mass for the Atrium and school children is on May 6th. Fr. David Kelash will be administering the sacraments.
  • Fr. Raj commented that the Youth Ministry and Young Adult programs are doing well.
  1. Parish Manager Report:
  • Charity and Development Appeal update: $107k, which is close to 80% of our goal.
  • March plate collection: $86k and online giving $47k so far
  • The Carlo Acutis Eucharistic Exhibit was very successful. The exhibit was kept open late each evening due to the number of people attending.
  • Jim met Bishop Dolan at St. Germaine’s while attending Mass there one weekend; Jim asked him when he was coming to Sacred Heart. He replied, ‘soon.’
  • Roof status: Jim originally reached out to the Diocese after Christmas. Since then we have had many leaks due to all the rain and snow this winter. We have received 2 bids that were submitted to the Diocese in January. The Diocese had several delays in responding and there was confusion about a resolution being done. This is now close to being resolved and we should be able to schedule the new roof installation soon.
  • John Gust is retiring April 14th; Victor Buitrago will be the new Maintenance Supervisor. We hired Silas McAfee to replace Victor.
  • Jim will not be attending the April meeting as he will be on vacation. He will send his report before the meeting.
  1. Old Business:
  • I-Bonds: The Diocese has passed a Resolution that we can invest with Treasury Direct. We are waiting on our bank to obtain a seal to attach to the paperwork. Once this is completed, we can start investing.
  • Rentals:
    • 233 Summit-we should have the architect plans next week and hopefully start in early Spring. Bill asked if Catholic Mutual will cover the loss of the rentals during the renovation. Yes, they will.
    • Jim met with property management agency, Community Real Estate: they will rewrite the rental agreements, inspect the houses, refer maintenance issues to our maintenance department, collect rent, advise tenants when rent is late, etc. Their fee is 10% of rents. Jim gave the information to Dennis Naughton at the Diocese; he is supportive of the concept. We are waiting to hear back from the Diocese.
  • Budgets: We have not received any information about benefit increases from the Diocese.
    • Parish changes include rent income increase along with 10% property management fee and salary increases
    • School changes include raising number of students due to anticipated marketing strategies and salary increases
    • RCIA-added an additional Director to begin in January as Muriel is retiring in June 2024.
    • Jim is planning to have a new Reserve Budget to review in April; waiting to hear from Scout Solar about the solar panels.

Fr. Gaspar ended the meeting with a prayer at 5:25pm.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely