Minutes

Terry opened the meeting at 5:04 pm.

Jim began the meeting with a prayer.

Present: Terry Brennan, Keoni Murphy, Bill Jacobs, Brad DeSaye, Eileen Grant

Absent: Anne Welborn, Bob Dressler, Fr. Raj

Staff:  Jim Wren, Donna Maneely

  Minutes Approval:

• Eileen motioned to approve the May meeting minutes; Keoni seconded it; approved.

  Financial Statements:

• Bill noticed that our checking account balance is increasing and would like to discuss what to do with the money. Jim would like to get direction from the new pastor before making any decisions.
• Eileen motioned to approve the May Financials; Keoni seconded the motion; motion approved.

  Bank Statement Approval:

• Anne reviewed the May bank reconciliation. Anne did not attend the meeting. She signed off on the statements.

Pastor’s Report:

• Fr. Raj is on sabbatical

  Parish Manager Report:

• CDA: according to the diocese we are over 90% of our goal this year
• Collection plate so far in June: $70k, online giving: $41k
• Three hundred people have registered for the Eucharistic Revival on June 29^th. We are the only parish in the country hosting a Eucharistic Revival. Three priests are speaking. We have eighty volunteers and close to $6k in donations. The event is free except for the optional $5 lunch.
• The farewell reception for the Claretians is on Sunday, July 14^th from 2pm-5pm in the school gym. Fr. Gaspar and Fr. Ralph will be there. Bishop Nevares will be saying the 1pm Mass and attending the reception.
• The annual staff day of reflection is on July 26^th. It will be a shorter day than usual due to the installation of the new pastor the next day. We will have Mass, a reflection and lunch. Only staff will be attending this year.
• The installation of our new priests is on July 27^th at the Vigil Mass. Bishop Dolan will be celebrating the Mass along with Fr. Ralph, Fr. Raj, Deacon Mark, Deacon Tony and the two new priests. We are awaiting information from the diocese about the installation and reception. There will be a reception following the Mass.
• Catholic Mutual Insurance did their annual inspection of the church, school and properties. They only found minor issues like rotting tree branches at one of the rental houses. All the items have been addressed.
• The chiller has been a major problem this year. Our June building and maintenance financials will show a large negative variance due to the chiller. According to Climate Control, the chiller was not installed in a complete fashion. On the first hot day this year, it failed. Climate Control was here multiple days repairing it. The problems are fixed for now. They are working on revamping our maintenance contract. Also, Climate Control got behind on their billing, so, in June, we paid many bills that go back to November.
• New Fair Labor Standards Act exempt salaries go into effect on July 1^st.  There will be another increase in January 2025 which is being challenged in court. The July increase impacted the Music, Youth and the Facilities Director salaries. If the January increase is allowed, it will affect most of our director positions. We are awaiting the $125k bequest so Jim is not concerned about this affecting the next fiscal year budget.
• The diocesan audit has been a requirement when there is a pastor change, but Jim was informed by the diocese that the rule changed. It is not required if the last review was performed in the last few years, which it was. If the new pastor requests an audit, it will be scheduled. We can review the last audit with the new pastor.
• Jim’s Internal Controls presentation has been postponed to a future meeting.

  Old Business:  2024/2025 Budget

• Bill asked about the 400 club being a budgeted item. The school started budgeting for it this fiscal year.
• Fr. Raj sent an email approving the budget.
• Brad made a motion to approve the 2024/2025 fiscal year budget; Eileen seconded it; motion passed.

  New Business:

• Bill would like to revisit hiring a Rental Manager for our properties. Jim reminded the council that the diocese rejected all proposed contracts because the vendors would not include the diocese’s language. The new pastor will need to decide on the next course of action for the properties.
• The July meeting was changed to July 24^th since Fr. Raj will be in attendance.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:50pm with a prayer from Jim.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely

Terry opened the meeting at 5:00 pm.

Jim began the meeting with a prayer.

Present: Terry Brennan, Bob Dressler, Keoni Murphy, Anne Welborn, Bill Jacobs

Absent: Brad DeSaye, Eileen Grant, Fr. Raj

Staff:  Jim Wren, Donna Maneely, Shelly Cooper

  Minutes Approval:

• Keoni questioned why the school needs $20k of the $114k bequest as the school financials look good. Jim explained that after adjusting accrued tuition and CEA funds at the end of the year, the school will need those funds.
• Keoni motioned to approve the April meeting minutes; Bill seconded it; approved.

  Financial Statements:

• Keoni motioned to approve the April Financials; Bob seconded the motion; motion approved.

  Bank Statement Approval:

• Bill reviewed the April bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted.

Shelly’s presentation on the school:

• Shelly said that the school is doing well academically. Our standardized test scores are at the top of the Diocese.
• The Reading Specialist has been doing a great job with her students; the students have shown amazing growth.
• The Math and Language curriculum is aligned.
• The School gave out ‘Holy Moments’ book last year and have seen many Holy Moments, especially with the fourth graders.
• The School will be focusing on Service next year. The students, not the parents, will be performing the service.
• All the fifth graders will be trained as altar servers.
• She has six more potential students for the coming school year.
• She hired a new fifth grade and a new PE teacher.
• The council discussed how to get the word out about the school’s high-test scores to attract more students. Jim will reach out to the Chamber of Commerce.

Pastor’s Report:

• Fr. Raj is on sabbatical

  Parish Manager Report:

• CDA: we are at 81% of our goal this year
• Collection plate so far in May: $70k, online giving: $43k
• Two hundred people have registered for the Eucharistic Revival. We have received $5k in donations which will help subsidize the food, travel and port-a-johns. One hundred volunteers have signed up, thirty-five security volunteers. Martha Lamb is going to speak about the Revival on Relevant Radio. Immaculate Conception Parish in Cottonwood is chartering a bus for its parishioners to come.
• 221 N. Summit: it is cleared out; only the vehicles remain as the Diocese is supposed to contact the state about an auction. MTM Contracting will be doing the renovation at a reasonable cost. When Jim called the building department at the Diocese he found out that the director, who was new, was no longer there and no one has filled his position. Jim was able to get the renovation approved with help from the catholic mutual representative.
• Fr. Jerry will be leaving Sacred Heart on June 25^th. The carpet in his room will be changed and his bathroom will be renovated.
• We received twelve applicants for the open custodian position. Ten were rejected and two were interviewed. Unfortunately, neither passed Safe Environment. The son of a friend of Christine from the church office would like to work for the church. He applied for the position and passed SET. He will be starting in June.
• We have only received one application for the Youth Minister position so far. Amanda will stay to help train a new Youth Minister.
• The Claretian Farewell reception will be on July 14^th from 2-5pm in the school gym. Fr. Ralph and Fr. Gaspar will attend.
• The annual staff day of reflection is on July 26^th. Lisa Klise, a parishioner, will be doing a reflection. The event will be shorter than previous years due to the installation of the new Pastor the next day.
• The installation of the new Pastor and Associate is on July 27^th at the Vigil Mass. Bishop Dolan will be celebrating the Mass. We are awaiting information from the Diocese about the installation and reception.
• The 6-month CD matured and was reinvested at 5.28% into a 6-month T-bill.
• Jim contacted the Diocese again about not receiving salary recommendations. They were sent to Fr. Raj in March. Jim reached out to Fr. Raj who forwarded the recommendation to Jim. Four percent was the recommendation, which was the same as what was budgeted.
• Jim reached out to Doug Pritchard at the Diocese about when our Audit will be since we are getting a new Pastor. He was out of office so Jim contacted the Diocesan Attorney who referred him to Doug.

  Old Business:  2024/2025 Budget

• We will need an email from Fr. Raj approving the 24/25 budget.
• Bill asked how much we are going to send to the reserve during the 24/25 fiscal year. It was decided to send the current amount: $20k a month.

  New Business: none

The meeting was adjourned at 5:50pm with a prayer from Jim.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely

Terry opened the meeting at 5:00 pm.

Jim began the meeting with a prayer.

Present: Terry Brennan, Bob Dressler, Eileen Grant, Anne Welborn, Bill Jacobs

Absent: Brad DeSaye, Keoni Murphy, Fr. Raj

Staff:  Jim Wren, Donna Maneely, Shelly Cooper, Muriel Rabideau, Rory Endrizzi

  Minutes Approval:

• Eileen motioned to approve the March meeting minutes; Anne seconded it; approved.

  Financial Statements:

• Anne asked about the $114k bequest given to the parish. The parish gave the school $20k of this bequest to help balance the school budget.
• Bill motioned to approve the March Financials; Bob seconded the motion; motion approved.

  Bank Statement Approval:

• Brad reviewed the March bank reconciliation. Brad is absent from the meeting, but Jim noticed that Brad had initialed the bank reconciliations.

Muriel and Rory presentation on Catechetical Ministry:

• Rory sent out surveys to our parishioners asking for the best time to schedule Adult Education classes. He will hold classes on Thursday evenings and Friday mornings. He will start with three different series on prayer, the Book of Hebrews and a biblical walk through the Mass.
• Rory has met with the directors of Youth ministry, Hispanic Ministry and CGS.
• So far one person has signed up for CIC and 3 or 4 for RCIA. CIC begins the third week of August and RCIA begins the second week of September.
• Rory will be attending seminars in the Diocese on liturgy basics and Nullity training.
• Jim thanked Muriel for her 40 years of dedication to the church. There will be a staff lunch on May 16^th and a meet and greet for parishioners on May 19^th.

Pastor’s Report:

• Raj is on sabbatical.

  Parish Manager Report:

• There was a Cybersecurity attack at the Diocese in January. Employees of the Diocese had their benefit information compromised. The Diocese has offered free credit bureau monitoring to those affected.
• CDA total to date: $105k which is 76% of goal.
• Easter collection – $29k, Collection plate so far in April: $70k, online giving: $36k
• The maintenance staff have cleaned out the house on 221 Summit except for some furniture which will be donated to St. Vincent de Paul. MTM, the builder who renovated 233 Summit will renovate the bathroom and paint. We cannot do anything with Fr. Gary’s vehicles. They will be auctioned off by the state.
• So far, 112 people have registered for the Eucharistic Revival.
• The Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity has been accused of embezzling funds and has been replaced. Habitat for Humanity notified the parish.
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has raised the minimum exempt salary. This could significantly increase our budget. Jim reached out the Diocese and was told that we do not have to give salary increases to meet the minimum salary. It would affect exempt staff who work overtime and do not make the minimum salary.
• We have two open positions. Amos, our custodian is leaving due to school. He has been an excellent worker. We received fifteen resumes in 2 days for the position. Interviews will be next week. Judy Carlisi is resigning as the Atrium assistant. We are hiring Mary Rizk to replace her. Mary has expressed a willingness to take over Lisa Baynes’s position the following year.

  Old Business:  2024/2025 Budget

• Health insurance costs are increasing by 5%. We still have not heard anything about salary increase recommendations.
• We are keeping three priests in the budget as we are unsure how many we will have. Clergy insurance and food will depend on if we have 2 or 3 priests.
• We could increase the collection plate

  New Business:

• Bill suggested that we invite the Security group to speak at the July meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:57pm with a prayer.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely

Terry opened the meeting at 4:57pm.

Fr. Raj began the meeting with a prayer.

Present: Terry Brennan, Brad DeSaye, Keoni Murphy, Bob Dressler, Eileen Grant, Anne Welborn, Bill Jacobs

Staff: Fr. Raj, Jim Wren, Donna Maneely, Shelly Cooper, Jill Wagner, Jimena Lopez-Leyva

  Minutes Approval:

• Bill motioned to approve the February meeting minutes; Keoni seconded it; approved.

  Financial Statements:

• The 3- month and 6-month T-bills matured in February and were not automatically reinvested. They were reinvested within a couple of days. Both accounts show zero balances at the end of February.
• Eileen motioned to approve the February Financials; Bob seconded the motion; motion approved.

  Bank Statement Approval:

• Eileen reviewed the February bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted.

Jimena Lopez-Leyva presentation on Hispanic Ministry:

• Eight students are attending the two-year Kino Institute program for faith formation. They will be completing their first year soon. Once completed, they will assist Jimena with some of her responsibilities.
• A new bible study will be starting on Mondays.
• Jimena is still looking for an assistant.
• Jimena and Rory are working on a bilingual program.
• Raj expressed gratitude to Jimena as she has many responsibilities.

Pastor’s Report:

• Holy Week begins next week, our busiest time of the year. There will be seventeen baptisms and forty-six confirmations at the Easter Vigil.
• Our parish mission with Fr. Paulson was well received. Fr. Loyola also offered a mission on contemplative prayer techniques.

  Parish Manager Report:

• We have received notification of a large bequest to the parish and school. We do not know when we will receive the money. If it is after July 1^st it can be used to help offset the deficit in the school budget.
• While Fr. Raj is away on his sabbatical, Fr. Ralph will be the main signer on the bank account. Either an Associate Pastor or the Chair of the Finance Council can be added as a second signer, which is highly recommended. Terry Brennan agreed to be added as a signer. Fr. Raj will request a resolution from the Diocese to add Terry as a signer on the account.
• Jim received confirmation from the Diocese that the Finance Council meetings can continue without Fr. Raj present. Terry will speak with Fr. Gaspar after the meetings to let him know about any decisions that were made and then Fr. Gaspar will accept or decline the recommendation of the council.
• We received a $10k donation to help with the 221 N. Summit renovations so the Reserve budget for next year can be reduced by $10k.
• According to the Diocese, we can remove everything from the house where Fr. Gary was living except the vehicles. Fr. Robert from the Yakima Diocese went through all of Fr. Gary’s computers and social media accounts to look for any surviving family but found none.
• Our Director of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd would like to retire soon. Jim rewrote the job description and has someone in mind for the position.
• Jim, Shelly and James from Prescott Web recently met to discuss changing over our phone system to a VOIP system. James can do it for us. There is $10k in the reserve budget for this. James believes this will be sufficient to cover the costs involved.
• One hundred people have signed up to attend our Eucharistic Conference on June 29th. We will be asking for donations on the day of the event to cover some of the costs. The Hispanic Ministry and the Knights of Columbus will be providing food which will be available for $5.
• Fr. Raj will be announcing his sabbatical this coming weekend at all the Masses. Other changes will be announced on Divine Mercy Sunday. While Fr. Raj is on his sabbatical, Fr. Tony Diaz will be filling in for the month of April and Fr. Reegan will be here in May and June. Fr. Ralph will be back for the month of July. Fr. Keller, the Claretian Provincial is visiting tomorrow. Fr. Raj will speak with him about how we are paying the visiting priests.
• CDA total to date: $77k which is 54% of goal. From now until April 30^th, CDA donations will be 100% matched.

  Old Business:  2024/2025 Budget

• Jill Wagner, Preschool Director and Shelly Cooper, Principal spoke about combining the school and preschool budget for the coming fiscal year. Doug Pritchard, from the Diocese, said there is no reason not to combine them. He recommends separating departments under the school, for example, the Preschool would only use the Valley of the Sun grant. Fundraising would be shared.
• We do not have the new benefit costs or salary recommendations from the Diocese yet, and probably will not receive the information until April.
• Bill asked if we are budgeting for just Fr. Ralph and Fr. Gaspar in the new budget. We will budget for three priests as usual.
• We increased rental income since we are planning to increase rent for the 221 N. Summit house to $1.90 a square foot. Brad advised that rental rates are decreasing so he suggested reducing it to $1.80 a square food. Donna will update the budget.

  New Business: None

Fr. Raj closed the meeting at 5:40pm with a prayer.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely

Terry opened the meeting at 5:00pm.

Fr. Raj began the meeting with a prayer.

Present: Terry Brennan, Brad DeSaye, Keoni Murphy, Bob Dressler, Eileen Grant, Anne Welborn

Absent:  Bill Jacobs

Staff: Fr. Raj, Jim Wren, Donna Maneely, Rory Endrizzi, Mike King

  Minutes Approval:

• Eileen motioned to approve the January meeting minutes; Bob seconded it; approved.

  Financial Statements:

• Anne asked if the Valley of Sun Preschool scholarship is available to the school. It is only for the Preschool.
• Anne motioned to approve the January Financials; Eileen seconded the motion; motion approved.

  Bank Statement Approval:

• Bob reviewed the January bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted.

Mike King presentation:

• Mike King gave a presentation on the That Man Is You ministry (TMIY).
• Mike and Al Caccavale started TMIY to address the lack of parental support in the Youth Ministry program and to create an open-door men’s ministry at the church. They were hoping to appeal to young fathers to come to the group to strengthen their faith and families. They have thirty-three men on their active roster.
• TMIY meets on Saturday mornings; two semesters a year. They are completing their third year with this Spring semester. Meetings consist of social time, a video and breakout session. Attendees enjoy the camaraderie, supportive environment, sharing and enlightenment. It has positively changed the lives of the men in this parish.

Pastor’s Report:

• The Lenten Mission with Fr. Paulson concluded yesterday (February 27). It was well received.
• During Lent, Mass is offered Monday-Thursday at 5:30pm. Confession will be offered on March 22^nd from 4-6pm and March 27^th from 3-5pm.
• The Youth Ministry ceviche dinner is Friday, March 22^nd.
• The school’s spring musical is on Friday, March 22^nd.
• The Anointing Mass is March 16^th at 11am. An anointing is also available after the 9am Mass each Sunday.
• A Lenten prayer reflection with Fr. Amalraj is March 18^th at 10am and 6pm in the church.
• Holy Week is approaching; it is our busiest time of the year.
• First confession takes place this week.

  Parish Manager Report:

• Jim introduced Rory Endrizzi, our new Director of Catechesis.
• We had a flood in the basement of the church on Ash Wednesday. A plastic water line sprung a leak. Preschool and Kindergarten were moved to the school building for a day as a precaution. Maintenance staff cleaned up the water and Service Master did the dry out. The hallway and kitchen were shut down. The kitchen is closed until the ceiling tiles are installed by Service Master. The leak was repaired with a sturdier water line.
• Ash Wednesday masses were well attended. The collection was $5k.
• Fr. Robert from the Diocese of Yakima is arriving tonight. He will go through Fr. Gary’s house. We have the right to pack up Fr. Gary’s belongings according to the diocesan attorney. Alma took Fr. Gary’s cats to Miss Kitty’s Cat House. The rental house will be cleaned, and some renovations done before it is rented again. Rent will be raised to market value.
• The Diocese took a month to get back to Jim for help with strategic planning. They gave him the name of two different companies. It is not a good time for this since there will be a pastor change. We will hold off.
• We closed the PNC Bank money market and transferred the money to an 8-month CD at 4.75%. It will not auto renew.
• March 13^th is the next Eucharistic Encounter Night; Jim is the speaker.
• The June 29^th Eucharistic Revival Congress registration is up on the website. We already have registrations from other parishes, as well as our own parish.
• We will continue to hold Finance Council meetings when Fr. Raj is on sabbatical.
• Jim will be gone for 3 weeks starting April 1^st. He will be in Italy for two weeks.
• David Kelash, the Dean of the Northern Deanery is visiting on March 6^th. He will meet with Fr. Raj, Fr. Gaspar, select parish staff, some members of the councils and Shelly. He will also review Sacramental records.
• CDA total to date: $60k.
• February collection totals to date: plate-$82k, Online giving-$46k.

  Old Business:

• None

  New Business:

• 2025 Budget
  • The school has an $8k deficit before salary and benefit increases. Nothing else can be cut. Jim inquired and found out that a school can only withdraw up to a maximum of 4% of their endowment balance unless it is on the verge of closing. We cannot increase CEA, it is only for tuition scholarships. The school is advertising at a local fitness center and enrollment is not showing much improvement.
  • Anne asked if anyone has spoken about the school and no cost tuition at the Spanish Mass. She suggested some students be available after the Mass to speak with prospective students.
  • Brad offered to let the school use some of the J&G Sales radio ad space to advertise the school. Jim will speak with Shelly about the ads and having a speaker at the Spanish Mass.
  • The budgets are out of balance since we do not have all the information from the diocese about insurance and benefit increases.

Fr. Raj closed the meeting at 5:45pm with a prayer.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely

Terry opened the meeting at 5:00pm.

Fr. Raj began the meeting with a prayer.

Present: Terry Brennan, Bill Jacobs, Bob Dressler,  Eileen Grant, Anne Welborn

Absent:  Brad DeSaye, Keoni Murphy

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

  Minutes Approval:

• Anne motioned to approve the November meeting minutes; Eileen seconded it; approved.

  Financial Statements:

• Eileen questioned why the school’s janitorial budget was over budget. Donna will review and let her, and Shelly know.
• Keoni emailed Jim about why we are only receiving .17 interest per month on our PNC Money Market account. Jim had to contact the bank on a different issue and found out that we have a dedicated account manager. He asked about the low interest rate and was told that the rate can be increased to 2.5% or the money can be put into an 8-month CD at 4.75%. The Council agreed to the 8-month CD. Anne suggested that it not be automatically rolled over.
• Bill asked why collection plate income declined in December as compared to last year. Donna said December 2022 brought in a lot more donations than usual. Not sure why this year was lower.
• Bill asked if we have a Visiting Priest account in the budget like we used to have. If not, should we separate it for next budget? He also asked if we pay visiting priests directly or to the Diocese or their order. Fr. Raj answered that we pay Diocesan priests directly and Claretian priests are paid to the order. Fr. Raj tallies up their number of masses, confession times, on duty days and travel is included as well. Bill commented that Tina used to contact the Diocese to see if a retired priest could fill in. Fr. Raj says that they are not willing to come up here, so he asks the Claretians. Donna will create a new account for Visiting priest stipends in the next budget so that we do not overstate the priest salaries account.
• Eileen motioned to approve the November and December Financials; Bob seconded the motion; motion approved.

  Bank Statement Approval:

• Terry reviewed the November bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted.
• Keoni reviewed the December bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted.

Fr Raj presentation:

• Fr. Raj explained the difference between religious orders and religious congregations. Orders like the Dominicans and Franciscans take solemn vows which cannot be absolved, while congregations take simple vows which can be absolved.
• Fr. Raj stated that all income that a Claretian priest receives goes to the Claretian Missionaries. The priest receives a monthly stipend. All their expenses are paid by their parish or the Claretian Missionaries. Parish pays salary, insurance, retirement, food, and lodging. When Fr. Raj goes to visit India, the Claretians pay for it. Per Father Raj, the priests themselves are supposed to pay for any private vacation expenses from their monthly stipend.
• Fr. Raj said that the Claretian Missionaries manage nineteen parishes in seven communities. Every third year they get transferred and the normal retirement age is seventy-five.
• The annual Assembly is in LA next week. They want to form a new community near the border, so they plan to close one existing community.

Pastor’s Report:

• This year’s Lenten Mission is on February 25, 26 and 27^th. Lent starts in 2 weeks on February 14^th.
• Muriel is retiring in May; Rory Endrizzi, her replacement will be arriving at the end of the week.
• Deacon Joe is moving to Phoenix this month.
• 2025 is the Jubilee Year in Rome.
• Fr. Raj will be taking his Sabbatical April 1^st through July 31^st. He will be visiting the Claretian Missionaries all over the world and taking other trips and pilgrimages. He will be here for two weekends in April and the last 10 days of July. Our Interim Pastor will be Fr. Reegan. Fr. Gaspar will be here as well. Neither priest will be authorized to make decisions and one will be set up as a signer for the bank account. Pending approval of Monsignor Bui and a resolution by the Diocese, he will give one of them authorization to come to the Finance Council meetings.
• We are hosting a Eucharistic Congress for all Northern Arizona on June 29^th. Neighboring parishes will be invited.

  Parish Manager Report:

• The renovation of the house at 233 Summit is completed. Our new Director of Catechesis, Rory, will live there temporarily. The new rent is going to be $1,687 per month. Jim does not want to charge Rory the full rent since he is still paying for rent in Canada while his wife is there. It was decided to charge him $700 per month.
• Rory’s first day of work will be February 12^th. He will be able to attend the Rite of Election in Cottonwood.
• The Charity and Development Appeal begins this weekend. The materials have been out for several weeks. Sacred Heart was one of the parishes that hosted the training this year. At the training, Jim asked who decides who gets the money raised through the CDA. Historically, a group at the Diocese has been deciding. Jim told them that our school and our local St. Vincent de Paul need help. Bishop Dolan is starting up a new application process in April or May 2024 and we will apply.
• The 2024/2025 budget process has begun. We are in relatively good shape. We do not have benefit information yet. We will have a hard time making the school budget balance. Jim inquired of Catholic Community Foundation how much the school could take from the endowment. He has not heard back yet. The RCIA budget will only include Rory’s salary this year so the Parish subsidy should decrease a little, but this will likely be completely offset by health insurance costs.
• The next Eucharistic Encounter Night is on February 7^th with Brad Scott as the speaker. Jim will be speaking in March.
• January Collection plate: $105k, online giving: $42k
• Reserve Study Re-run: We have requested a re-run with changes in some parameters but have not received it yet.
• We are distributing Lent booklets the weekend before Ash Wednesday.
• The Club 180 building may be for sale. A few parishioners are suggesting that the church buy it but did not give any ideas about what to use it for. Jim consulted a local Real Estate Agent about the cost. The agent said the cost was $2.8 million the last time it sold so it could be around $4 million this time. We cannot afford it without a capital campaign and have no stipulated use of the facility.

  Old Business:

• none

  New Business:

• Bill asked if we are still charging for funerals: parish, presider, sacristan, music, deacon and lunch fee. We are currently charging the fees. He also asked if this is normal and if we should be charging. Fr. Raj responded that he set up the fee schedule as a guide only and the family has the ability to decide what they can afford. Jim clarified that we do budget the parish fee in revenue under Stole Fees.
• Bill suggested that we make a long-range plan for the parish and wondered if there was anyone at the Diocese that could help us. Fr. Raj would like to include the councils to create a long-range plan. Bill recommended we use an expert to organize it. Jim will ask the Diocese if they have any ideas.

Fr. Raj closed the meeting at 6pm with a prayer.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely

Terry opened the meeting at 4:58 pm.

Fr. Raj began the meeting with a prayer.

Present: Terry Brennan, Bill Jacobs, Bob Dressler, Keoni Murphy, Eileen Grant, Anne Welborn

Absent:  Brad DeSaye

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

Guest: Martha Lamb

  Minutes Approval:

• Bob motioned to approve the October meeting minutes; Eileen seconded it; approved.

  Financial Statements:

• A question was asked if the bequest that the Youth Ministry received was earmarked for anything specific. Jim replied that it could be used for possible improvements to the Youth Ministry building and for larger youth retreats.
• Another question was asked if the 233 Summit house was finished. It should be finished by mid-January. If the previous tenants decide not to move back in, Fr. Raj would like the house to be rented to a parish or school employee.
• Bob asked if we are using less electricity since the solar panels installation; so far it is about the same.
• Keoni asked about the collection deficit; we are on par with last year’s totals, and we should start seeing an up tick in November.
• Anne motioned to approve the October Financials; Keoni seconded the motion; motion approved.

  Bank Statement Approval:

• Anne reviewed the October bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted.

Pastoral Council Report:

• Martha Lamb, the chairperson of the Pastoral Council brought the Finance Council up to date on the Pastoral Council.
  • Their focus is on hospitality. They contact all new parishioners and greet parishioners after Masses. They are in the planning stages to bring back the Common Grounds ministry by having a different parish ministry host it monthly.
  • The Eucharistic Revival is a top priority for the Council. They approved setting up a committee to plan revival events. The committee started the Corpus Christi procession and plan the monthly Encounter nights. They are starting the Jesus in the Eucharist seven-week small group study in January. They are also planning a Northern Arizona Eucharistic Conference on June 29, 2024.
  • They have instituted the Rosary being said before Masses and they will start a Rosary collection for YRMC patients.

Pastor’s Report:

• Hospitality is a shared responsibility, not just for Pastoral Council.
• Christ the King was last Sunday and Advent begins this Sunday, December 3^rd. The Immaculate Conception Holy Day of Obligation and Our Lady of Guadalupe are coming up as well.
• Confessions will be heard on December 20^th from 4-7pm.
• The School’s Advent pageant is tomorrow, November 30^th.
• Fr. Raj would like to discuss how to evangelize our families and community at the next Finance Council meeting. He would also like the council to read and reflect on the book ‘Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist’ so there can be a discussion later.
• Fr. Zachary will be presenting our Advent Mission starting Sunday, December 3^rd.
• About twenty people get together on Fridays at 3pm to pray The Divine Mercy Chaplet in the church.
• Fr. Raj would like to have two mental health counselors available in the parish office for a couple of hours a week for anyone who needs help. We have already referred five people for counseling.
• AA program will be starting soon for the Hispanic Community.

  Parish Manager Report:

• The Advent Mission starts this Sunday, December 3^rd. Fr. Zachary, a priest from the Society of our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity will be presenting our Advent Mission. The theme will focus on the Eucharist. The Mission begins on Sunday the 3^rd after the 5pm Mass. He will also speak on December 4^th and 5^th at 9am and 6:30pm.
• The Claretian Provincial, Fr. Paul Keller is visiting this week.
• We will be putting the new missalettes in the pews this Friday as well as setting up the Advent wreath. The church will be decorated on December 22^nd.
• We are giving the book ‘Beautiful Eucharist’ to our parishioners. They will be handed out on the weekend of December 17^th.
• November collection totals so far: Plate-$76,628, Online giving-$44,800
• The new Director of Catechesis, Rory, is a Canadian citizen. He needs to apply for an R-1 Visa. Jim has been working with the diocesan attorney to get this set up. Rory will begin later than expected. We will use the savings from his budgeted salary to pay for the fees involved. Rory will also contribute toward the fees.
• We are hosting the Charity and Development Appeal training this year on January 17^th. The kickoff is February 3^rd and 4^th. Our goal is still $138k.
• Alma, Jim and Victor went down to the Diocese for Administrative Professional Day with the Bishop. It was a great day. There was a presentation on mental health and a skit involving a receptionist in a realistic situation. Bishop Dolan wants everyone to know how crucial these jobs are to the Church.
• Update on the Mission Canyon Retreat Center: the owner decided to bequeath it to someone else. Catholic Community Foundation had a lot of stipulations that the owner felt were too restrictive.
• Scout Solar completed the work on the parking structure. We now need a maintenance service agreement. We have two options: 1)Annual maintenance agreement with a 2% increase each year 2)purchase power from Scout for .05 per kilowatt hour for 10 years. The Facility Director at the Diocese recommends the first option. We can use the remaining solar donations to pay for it. We will go with the first option.
• We are having a problem with the heater in the church. Climate Control worked on it for two full days to get it to work. The problem goes back to the installation of the system during the renovation. The heater is running now but we need several replacement parts.
• Jim will be working on the 2024/2025 budget memo the week of Christmas so it will be ready the first week of January.
• There will be some pastoral leadership changes coming in 2024. We will know more once the Claretian Missionaries have their annual meeting in February.

  Old Business:

• Bill reviewed the reserve study and the reserve funding process with the Council. The advantages of having a reserve study done is that it takes the volatility out of the operating budget, presents a capital budget to work with and we do not have to burden out parishioners with capital campaigns.

  New Business:

• The 2024 meeting schedule was discussed. It will be sent out with the next Financials.

Jim closed the meeting at 6:03pm with a prayer.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely