Terry began the meeting at 5:00pm.

Fr. Raj opened the meeting with a prayer.

Present: Terry Brennan, Anne Welborn, Dan Putschoegl, Brad DeSaye, Bill Jacobs, Bob Dressler

Absent:  Eileen Grant

Staff: Fr. Raj, Jim Wren (via phone), Donna Maneely, Shelly Cooper

  1. Minutes Approval:
  • Anne motioned to approve the September 28, 2022 meeting minutes; Dan seconded it; approved
  1. Financial Statements:
  • Anne questioned the low collection numbers (compared to budget). Collection income is higher than last year, though we may have budgeted too high.
  • Anne motioned to approve the September Financials; Bob seconded the motion; motion approved
  1. Bank Statement Approval:
  • Anne reviewed the September bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted
  1. Pastor’s Report:
  • Heritage Week went very well. More parishioners attended the Festival. The committee did a great job.
  • Fr. Raj reported on the attendance count that the Diocese requires each week in October: 1700-1800 parishioners are attending Mass each week and 1200-1400 are receiving communion. Anne asked why the Diocese needs this information. The Diocese sends this information to the Vatican.
  • We have a new staff member, Dora. She is Jimena’s new assistant.
  • held a Sacristan formation meeting; more meetings for liturgical ministers are planned.
  • Fr. Raj would like to resurrect the Vocation Committee; the first meeting is in November.
  • The Claretian Missionaries will partially sponsor attendees to World Youth Day (WYD) in Portugal in the Summer of 2023. There will be a meeting in November for anyone interested in going to WYD.
  • The Ministry Fair was a success. Many parishioners signed up as new volunteers.
  1. Parish Manager Report:
  • Collection plate in October: $72k, online giving – $41k.
  • 10% of the 5th Sunday collection in October is going to Operation Deep Freeze (Winter Warm Up).
  • Sr. Anne is still in a hospital in Phoenix; we do not know when or if she will return to work.
  • Patti Indelicato has taken over Sr. Anne’s responsibilities for the Winter Warm Up program. Sacred Heart is responsible for bringing dinner each night in November.
  • Jim met with a couple who is going to make a provision in their will to Sacred Heart. They wanted to know about any future projects. Jim put together a report for them. They will be meeting with their attorney and will designate a specific project in their will.
  • St. Vincent de Paul is forgoing their donation again for the next 3 months. We gave this month’s donation to the Bishop’s Disaster Relief fund for Hurricane Ian instead.
  • Profits from the Heritage Festival will be going to the Claretian Missionaries. The Bounce Houses, Hawaiian dancers/food were all positive additions. The weather was good and we had 3 times as many people as last year.
  • About 40 new parishioners attended the new parishioner dinner. Dinner was well received and some new parishioners are interested in joining the Knights of Columbus, helping with counting the Sunday Collection and serving on the Finance Council.
  • Scout Solar inspected the solar panels. They notified us that we can have electronic access to our production; we were never told this. They also said that the system is disconnected. There is no dire fire danger as were told by Sun Valley Solar. Jim recommends taking the new panels and having Scout Solar install them. We are waiting for the Diocese to confirm what Scout Solar’s next steps will be.
  • Blessed Carlo Acutis is the patron of the 1st year of the Eucharistic Revival. Before his death he created panels of all the Eucharistic Miracles. This exhibit is traveling around the world. The Diocese is hosting the exhibit throughout the Phoenix area. Jim asked if the exhibit could come to Sacred Heart. It will be here in the Spring. No date has been set.
  • The Advent Mission is scheduled for December 4th and 5th. Sr. Regina Marie is our speaker. We will not be having a Lenten mission; instead, Fr. Jim Sichko will be presenting a mission in May.
  1. Old Business:
  • I-bonds: According to Scott Sas, BOK cannot be custodian but he will research for us who can. The question is how much to transfer to an I-bond. Brad said it is limited to $10k a year but there is no limit on Treasury bills which are typically shorter and can reinvest when mature.  It was suggested that we use the money that we usually send to the reserves each month.  Jim will research treasury bills first. Bill also suggested looking into brokered CDs.
  • Several recommendations regarding rental properties were discussed. Fr. Raj will need to discuss with the other priests.
  1. New Business: none

Fr. Raj ended the meeting with a prayer at 5:52pm.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely