Minutes

Terry opened the meeting at 5:00 pm.

Fr. Raj began the meeting with a prayer.

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

Absent:  Anne Welborn

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

Guest: Mary Brunson via Zoom

  Minutes Approval:

• Eileen motioned to approve the September meeting minutes; Bill seconded it; approved.

  Financial Statements:

• Keoni motioned to approve the September Financials; Eileen seconded the motion; motion approved.

  Bank Statement Approval:

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

Youth Ministry Report:

• Amanda Cardenas, our youth minister gave the council a presentation of youth ministry.
• The Middle School ‘Edge’ group meets on Monday nights and averages ten students.
• High School group meets Sunday nights and about fifteen students attend on average.
• Young Adult group: there are ten active participants and forty more in the group chat. This group includes young professionals, Embry Riddle and Yavapai College students.
• Amanda recently spoke with Fr. Matt Lowry, Pastor of the Newman Center at NAU and Episcopal Vicar of the North about opening a Newman Center in Prescott to serve ERAU and Yavapai College. She suggested using some of the recent restricted bequest for this purpose. Jim also spoke with Fr. Matt regarding opening a Newman Center. Fr. Matt suggested a Ministry House would be more appropriate, where students live and pay rent. This would require finding a house, fundraising and working with the Diocese.
• Youth Ministry has been partnering with St. Germaine’s Youth group for retreats and activities.

Pastor’s Report:

• The Annual Corporation Meeting was held on October 23^rd at the Diocese. This maintains our Nonprofit Corporation status.
• The monthly Eucharistic Encounter nights are becoming popular; the goal is to help people in Eucharistic Devotion. The committee is planning to organize a local Eucharistic Revival Conference in June 2024.
• Knights of Columbus, Legion of Mary, St. Vincent de Paul, That Man Is You and Women’s Circle are fulfilling their objectives in serving the mission of the parish. Their numbers and participation are encouraging.
• Sacred Heart Catholic School currently has 132 students in Preschool-eighth grade. Students attend Mass on Wednesdays and prepare and participate in the Sunday Mass once a month.
• Interviews were held for the position of Director of Catechesis this week. Four candidates were interviewed, one via Zoom. Second interviews will be held next week for the remaining three candidates.
• Heritage Festival Week activities were well attended. The main goal of Heritage Week is to celebrate our heritage and to develop community building opportunities.
• Next week, our liturgy will be focusing on All Saint’s and All Soul’s Day celebrations.

  Parish Manager Report:

• October Collection totals so far: $70k – plate, $42k – online giving. Ten percent of this Sunday’s collection will go to the Salvation Army’s Winter Warm Up.
• The solar panels are being replaced starting today. It will take 5-6 days to complete. All costs are covered due to the warranty and donations.
• We interviewed three well-qualified candidates for the position of Director of Catechesis. We should have a decision next week.
• A financial planning seminar which will include funeral planning, led by Catholic Community Foundation is scheduled for November 14^th at 8am and 5:30pm.
• 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. He will speak at Masses the weekend of December 2nd. 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.
• Heritage Festival: we lost money due to the tee shirt cost and lack of tee shirt sales. We are still selling them in the office for the Eucharistic Revival. The festival is not set up to make a profit , but to celebrate community.
• After last month’s discussion about what to do with the excess cash in our general checking account, we opened a Goldman Sachs 6-month CD with $250k at 5.4% interest and an Invesco Money Market account at 5.3% interest with another $250k.
• Reserve Study: Jim sent in the application along with the 50% deposit. The study should be completed by November 5^th.

  Old Business: none

  New Business:

• Mary Brunson from Investing for Catholics gave an investment review presentation over Zoom.
• Martha Lamb , President of the Parish Council, will be invited to speak at the November meeting.

Jim closed the meeting at 6:19pm with a prayer.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely

Bill began the meeting (due to Terry attending the meeting by Zoom) at 5:00 pm.

Fr. Raj opened the meeting with a prayer.

Present: Terry Brennan (via Zoom), Bill Jacobs, Bob Dressler, Keoni Murphy, Eileen Grant

Absent:  Brad DeSaye, Anne Welborn

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

1. Minutes Approval:

• Terry motioned to approve the July meeting minutes; Eileen seconded it; approved.
• Bill praised Jim, Shelly, Donna and Fr. Raj for their good work maintaining the strong financial health of the parish.

2. Financial Statements:

• Eileen motioned to approve the July and August Financials; Bob seconded the motion; motion approved.

3. Bank Statement Approval:

• Bob reviewed the June bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted.
• Eileen reviewed July bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted.
• Terry communicated that Brad reviewed the August bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted.

4. Pastor’s Report:

• The Inter-Council Social was held in August. Thank you to those who attended.
• We are bringing back Communion under both species this coming weekend.
• 160 priests attended the clergy convocation in Flagstaff with Bishop Dolan. The theme was on how to evangelize the parish and how to reach out to unchurched people.
• Eucharistic Encounter nights will be held each month. The next one is on October 18^th during Heritage week. Deacon Mark will be speaking.
• There are many things happening within our Hispanic Ministry: The Mexican consulate was recently at Sacred Heart; one hundred people attended the apologetic mission talk, which took place over 2 days; the new Christ in the Neighborhood ministry has formed small faith groups; and 12 parishioners are attending the Kino Catechetical Institute.
• Fr. Raj reminded the council about renewing their safe environment training by December 31^st.
• Heritage Week starts October 17^th. Some of the events include a Faith Walk, new parishioner dinner, and the festival in the gym.
• A few parishioners are promoting first Saturday devotions in the hope that more parishioners will attend.
• The Lord’s Bounty Meal, which took the place of the Homeless Supper Club, has started. It will be held on the 2^nd Sunday of each month.
• Fr. spoke about how World Youth Day was a great experience for him. He was inspired by the 105 million youth that attended.

5. Parish Manager Report:

• September Collection totals so far: $68,909 – collection, $42,832 – Online giving
• 233 Summit: the roof and windows are complete; flooring and appliances are next. The house is expected to be done at the end of November or early December. There was termite damage in the house, which was taken care of. The house next door had termite damage as well. All the houses will be checked for termite damage.
• 229 Summit: the floor was sinking from termite and water damage. We used the same contractor who is rebuilding 233 Summit to fix the floor.
• A new dishwasher was installed in the forum. A parishioner donated it as well as the labor to install it. Estimated cost for the total project- $15-20k.
• Solar panels were going to be delivered next week and then installed in two weeks. We do not have anywhere to store the panels so Jim is working with Scout Solar to see if the panels can be delivered later.
• Heritage week: the Finance Council is invited to the new parishioner dinner. 97 new parishioners were invited and about 20 are coming so far.
  • Heritage week events: Tuesday – Movie Night, Wednesday – Eucharistic Encounter with Deacon Mark, adoration, benediction, confession and dessert, Thursday- New parishioner dinner, Friday- Living Rosary at the School, Saturday- Historical Downtown Walk with Mike King, Sunday- Festival in the Gym
• Jim asked the council for input on what inflation rate to use on the Reserve Study application. It was decided to use the T-bill rate of 3 ¾ percent.
• We have five applicants for the RCIA Director position; three are local and two are out of the country: Canada and Mexico. (They will be interviewed via Zoom.) Interviews will be held on Oct 24^th and 25^th. A decision will be made by the beginning of November with a start date in January.
• After the convocation of priests in Flagstaff, Bishop Dolan came to Prescott for a reception. The bishop outlined his priorities with the group. Jim asked him how we can communicate with his office. Bishop Dolan indicated that there will be a parish manager convocation soon.
• Catholic Community Foundation will host a Retirement Planning seminar on November 14^th at Sacred Heart.
• This year, about forty students are attending the Embry Riddle Mass on Sunday night. Last year only ten attended.

6. Old Business:

• none

7. New Business:

• The council discussed what to do with the excess money in the PNC Bank general fund. There is close to $900k in the account that does not earn any interest. It was determined that we need approximately $240k each month in cash on hand.
  • Bill made a motion to purchase CDs or similar investments, not to exceed $600K; the CDs cannot be more than $250k in one institution; some short term-30, 60, or 90 days and some for a year. Eileen seconded the motion; motion approved. Jim will speak with Scot Sas at BOK and Mary Brunson from IFA about best strategies for these investments.
• Bill encouraged the council to ask questions about different accounts for more in-depth information. It was decided to invite the Youth Minister, Amanda, to the next meeting to discuss Youth Ministry.

Fr. Raj ended the meeting with a prayer at 5:44 pm.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely

Terry began the meeting at 5:00 pm.

Fr. Raj opened the meeting with a prayer.

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

Absent:  Bob Dressler

Staff: Fr. Raj, Jim Wren, Donna Maneely

1. Minutes Approval:

• Bill motioned to approve the June meeting minutes; Anne seconded it; approved.

2. Financial Statements:

• Anne motioned to approve the June Financials; Brad seconded the motion; motion approved.

3. Bank Statement Approval:

• Bob reviewed the June bank reconciliation; he will give his report at the next meeting.

4. Pastor’s Report:

• Fr. Raj feels the church is more stable since Covid. Parishioners are supportive and have an evangelization spirit.
• Eucharistic revival: Muriel is leading a class on the Eucharist in September. Our Advent and Lenten missions will focus on the Eucharist.
• School opens next week. The Open House is this Sunday following the 9am Sunday Mass.
• Fr. Raj commented that there are 25 couples currently preparing for marriage in our parish.
• Our World Youth Day pilgrims leave tomorrow -July 27. They return August 7^th.F

5. Parish Manager Report:

• July Collection totals so far: $70k collection, $43K Online giving.
• Ten percent of this Sunday’s collection will go to disaster relief. Half of the proceeds will go to Operation Underground Railroad, which is an organization committed to ending child trafficking and the other half will be held for a future cause.
• Our annual insurance inspection was yesterday. Jim was happy and surprised to see that all the tenants have taken care of their hoarding issues. The only issue brought up in the inspection was a cart left in front of the Preschool closet door, which is easily fixed.
• The floor in the house at 229 Summit is sinking. We will bring in a contractor to look at it.
• The Staff and Council Day of Reflection is Friday. Fr. David Halm is our keynote speaker.
• The $114k bequest from the Viliborghi family has been received.
• Mary from IFA will assist us with reviewing our investments at no charge.
• The Solar panels will be replaced on the parking structure in September or October. This will be completely paid for by the warranty proceeds and donations. Any leftover money will be used to pay Scout Solar to maintain the panels.
• November 4^th is the 5^th Anniversary of the rededication of our church. Bishop Nevares will be saying the Vigil Mass in celebration.
• Jim posted the Director of Catechesis job since Muriel is retiring in June. The position is being expanded to include overseeing and coordinating all the catechetical ministries-RCIA, Atrium, Youth and Hispanic Ministry. We have one applicant already who has a master’s in theology. Interviews will take place this Fall with a start date in January.
• Catholic Community Foundation will be hosting a retirement seminar here on November 14^th. It is open to all parishioners and local parishes.
• Mission Canyon update: It was decided that there are too many risks involved for just one parish to take over the Mission. Jim contacted Catholic Community Foundation and they are interested in pursuing the opportunity.
• The Bishop’s Assessment increased from $173k to $192k for this fiscal year. This will put us over budget. It is only based on revenue, not expenses.
• There have been no issues with the new roof.

6. Old Business:

• Reserve Study: Due to inflation there is a concern about our Reserves. Bill handed out a memo from Advanced Reserve Solutions with four different options for visits and turnaround times for reporting. After discussing, Brad motioned to proceed with Option 4: which states that our report fee will be $2,400 without a site visit. Eileen seconded the motion; motion approved.

7. New Business:

• Several council members commented that PNC bank is not doing well financially. The council discussed the FDIC $250k limit per depositor and the associated risks. Brad commented that Foothills Bank has a sweep account, in which money is swept out nightly and invested. Jim will check with PNC bank to see if it has this option. The council also discussed the possibility of changing banks.
• The 3- and 6-month T-bills are maturing in August. Jim would like guidance from the council. Anne asked if the first motion included rolling it over; only the first time. Jim would prefer not to have to ask each time they mature. Brad motioned to renew the 3- and 6-month treasury bills automatically with the same maturity and revisit it in one year. Anne seconded the motion; motion approved.
• Fr. Raj passed out questions for the book, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist to discuss at the September meeting.
• The Council Social is on August 30^th.

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

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely

Terry began the meeting at 5:00 pm.

Fr. Raj opened the meeting with a prayer.

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

Absent:  Brad DeSaye

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

1. Minutes Approval:

• Bill asked what the Diocese needed to approve about the rent increase letters. Jim had asked the Diocese for new lease agreements. He made some revisions, and the leases were provided to the tenants.
• Anne motioned to approve the May meeting minutes; Bob seconded it; approved.

2. Financial Statements:

• Eileen asked for the final cost of the roof: $149,000.
• Bob asked how the $82k youth ministry bequest is accounted for. Jim explained that since it is restricted to Youth activities the funds can carry over. It is reported below the line as other income.  It is also kept on the restricted funds report.
• Anne motioned to approve the May Financials; Eileen seconded the motion; motion approved.

3. Bank Statement Approval:

• Terry reviewed the May bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted.

4. Pastor’s Report:

• The school year is completed. The school is holding two 2-week sessions of summer school.
• Fr. Raj reminded the council that Safe Environment training renewal should be completed by September 30^th.
• Fr. Raj is happy with church attendance.
• Lector and Minister of Care training is on June 26.
• World Youth Day is approaching. Two of the youth dropped out due to their work schedules. Their sister will be taking one of their places. The dates are August 1-6. The Claretians will be meeting 3 days before and 3 days after with the pilgrims.
• Eucharistic Renewal
  • Muriel’s class this Fall will be about the Eucharist.
  • Our Eucharistic procession in June was a success; about 250 parishioners attended.
• About 100 parishioners attended the recent Volunteer Dinner.
• Youth ministry is continuing through the Summer with activities.
• Anthony will be helping from July 21-August 21 when Fr. Raj is away at World Youth Day.
• Fr. Raj is pleased with the work on the parking lot and new roof.
• A patriotic rosary will be said at 8am before the 9am Mass on Independence Day.
• A new ministry has formed- Christ in Our Neighborhood. Small groups within the Hispanic community will meet to reflect on the Gospel.
• Fr. Raj visited Mission Canyon in Kirkland today; many risks involved if Sacred Heart were to take it over. Terry asked if the Diocese could take it over. Jim agreed this is the best idea so all parishes could use it but could be a conflict if everyone wanted to use it at the same time for retreats. Jim is researching it.

5. Parish Manager Report:

• June Collection totals so far: $77k collection, $43K Online giving.
• Mark T. McLaughlin has been hired as the contractor for 233 N. Summit. Plans are in the permit process. Catholic Mutual has been great to work with. We will get paid for the missing rent. The previous tenants are interested in moving back in once complete.
• All tenants have been notified of the rent increase and the new lease agreements were delivered today.
• New heaters have been installed at the school, the parking lot has been re-striped, and the church has a new roof.
• The Day of Reflection for Staff and Council members is on Friday, July 28^th from 8:30-3pm. Fr. David Halm will be the guest priest. Shelly and Jim will give a short talk.
• The 3 and 6-month T-bills will be maturing in August. Jim will need direction from the Council when they mature. Bill suggested that Chris Kissel come to speak with the Finance Council to get his advice. Bill will ask him to come to the next meeting.
• Solar: Jim received the proposal from the Diocese on June 27. It was dated June 2^nd and expires June 30^th. We will get an extension since it was sent to us so late.  The cost is less than $100k which will be entirely paid by donations and the Bosch rebate. The new company will be hired to maintain the panels on both the school and parking structure.
• The $114k bequest, which is not designated, was mailed on 6/8 but we never received it. Jim will fill out a lost check affidavit, so it can be reissued.  To balance the school budget, we are allocating some of this bequest to the school.
• CDA: Sacred Heart parishioners donated $145k, which exceeded our goal of $138k.
• Mental health ministry update:  two parishioners, Fr. Raj, Deacon Mark, Jim, and Alma will attend a one-day training on the basics and how to direct people to the resources available.
• Muriel is retiring next year. Jim has updated the job description; expanded it greatly. He is waiting on the Diocese to approve. He will start advertising soon to a larger audience than Prescott for the position.
• A Parishioner thinks that our Church main doors need to be replaced. He was quoted $15k to replace the doors. Jim had received a quote of $25-$30k previously. Jim told him that he would discuss it with the Finance Council. We do not have the budget now, but it is in the Reserve budget 5 years in the future. Eileen suggested we paint them instead.

6. Old Business:

• Budget:
  • Jim’s biggest item of concern is how to recruit more students. Shelly is working hard to do that by advertising on the radio and by print ads. Prescott is a transient community so as new families come; old ones move away.  Word of mouth is the best way to recruit.  We have a good flow of students from our preschool.
  • Jim’s second concern is the Bishop’s Assessment. Jim is frustrated since we pay the Diocese so much, but it is hard to reach anyone there, especially on Fridays and around holidays. Only three employees work in the Building Department for the whole Diocese. Therefore, they do not always get out to inspect projects like the roof, for which we simply submitted photos.  Jim is encouraged that Fr. Matt Lowry has been appointed the Vicar of Northern Arizona.
  • Eileen motioned to approve the 2024 FY budget; Bob seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously.
• New Business: None

Fr. Raj ended the meeting with a prayer at 6:00pm.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely

Terry began the meeting at 5:00 pm.

Fr. Raj opened the meeting with a prayer.

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

Absent:  Bob Dressler, Keoni Murphy

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

1. Minutes Approval:

• Jim questioned the April minutes that stated that Muriel’s replacement will be hired next April as it had been agreed on to hire a replacement in January. Anne suggested it be deleted from the minutes.  Anne motioned to approve the April meeting minutes with the deletion; Bill seconded it; approved.

2. Financial Statements:

• Bill asked if we charge for funerals. Yes, there is a fee schedule in place, but we waive the fee for some parishioners if they are unable to pay. Deacon Pete evaluates and makes a recommendation to Fr. Raj if he feels the fees should be waived.
• Anne asked about school lunch expense. For the past couple of years, the government subsidized lunches so students received free lunch. The school continued to pay but the parents did not. Now that it is no longer free, less students are participating.
• Bill asked about the suspended St. Vincent de Paul monthly donation and if we still contribute to SVdP monthly from the collection. We no longer have a monthly collection for SVdP, and the $900 monthly donation was suspended at SVdP’s request. Jim explained that SVdP asked if the next fiscal year’s budget included donating to SVdP; we lowered the donation expense, but it still includes donating to SVdP. They are working on a plan to offer low-cost dental services.
• Eileen motioned to approve the April Financials; Anne seconded the motion; motion approved.

3. Bank Statement Approval:

• Keoni reviewed the April bank reconciliation; no discrepancies noted per an email sent to Terry.

4. Pastor’s Report:

• The Sacred Heart of Jesus feast day is on June 16^th; Mass will be said at 5:30pm.
• There will be a Corpus Christi procession on June 11^th after the 11:00 am Mass. It will end with Benediction.
• Preschool, Kindergarten, and the 8^th grade graduations take place this week.
• The Easter mission was a great success. The church was full both nights. Fr. Raj thanked Jim for his hard work in bringing Fr. Sichko.
• The new roof is being installed.
• The new Mental Health ministry is forming. Kate Hald, a parishioner and counselor has volunteered to be on the committee along with Deacon Mark, Alma, and Jim.
• World Youth Day participants will be holding two more fundraising events.
• A new ministry will be starting in the Fall: Christ in Our Neighborhood
• The Light of The World retreat was a success; 23 people participated.
• The Volunteer Appreciation dinner is on June 15^th. Please RSVP by Friday, May 26^th.

5. Parish Manager Report:

• May Collection totals so far: $67k collection, $36K Online giving.
• CDA-we are 94% of goal. There were fewer donors this year: 327 last year and 284 this year.
• A one-day mental health training is being offered by the Diocese if we have at least 5 people. Alma, Jim, and Deacon Mark will attend. Deacons are encouraged to take part in longer training sessions for certification.
• Martha Lamb is leading the newly created Committee on Eucharistic Revival. Muriel’s Fall class will be centered on the Eucharist.
• We are expecting 2 bequests. The first one is $115k from the Viliborghi family. It is a Certificate of Deposit that was left to the Parish. The second is $82k from John and Janet Good for the Youth Ministry. The family is coming to show a video of their parents.
• Jim and Victor will be visiting the Mission Canyon Retreat Center in Kirkland – the owner wants to turn it over to catholic organizations within the Diocese. They will meet the Diocesan Building Director there. It would be used for retreats. Other parishes are being considered as well.
• Jim sent the rent increase letters to the Diocese for approval. The Property Management arrangement will not work due to liability issues. The Diocese wrote an addendum, and it was rejected by another management company. For now, we will keep things as they are. The Diocese will be giving Jim a lease agreement template that we will implement as soon as possible. Rent increases are effective July 1.
• The heater in the school is broken and it can’t be fixed. The estimate is $16k to replace. Bill suggested taking the money out of reserve funds to pay for it.
• Staff changes: Silas, the new custodian, quit suddenly. Isaac, the school custodian gave 2 weeks’ notice for a better paying job. We promoted Christine Matthews, the cook, to take Andrea’s job. We hired a new cook, Violet, who is also taking on custodian duties so she will be full-time. And a new parishioner, Amos, who reached out to Jim has agreed to take the custodian job on the weekends.
• Shelly met with a possible 5^th grade teacher for the next school year.

6. Old Business:

• Budgets: Bill asked why the Vacation expense doubled in the budget for 23/24. Vacation expense was never converted when we changed to accrual basis. Budgets will be adopted at next month’s meeting.
• I Bonds- it may take another 13 weeks before the account is ready to use as we are awaiting IRS approval.
• The 3-month T-Bill matured. It was reinvested in accordance with previous recommendations from the Finance Council.

7. New Business: None

Fr. Raj ended the meeting with a prayer at 5:42pm.

Respectfully submitted by Donna Maneely