April 29, 2004 Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the Meeting of the St. Therese Pastoral Council
April 29, 2004

The Pastoral Council met April 29th, 2004 in the conference room of the Wooldridge Center. Nancy Fahey, Tom Skorupa, Pris Pawlikowski, Steve Hilliard, Joe Doetzl, Damien Gerstner, Wayne Snyder, Linda Winter, Dennis Meier, Brad Grill, Linda Albani and Fr. Mike Roach were present.

Facilitator: Wayne Snyder
Scribe: Joe Doetzl

Tom led a reflection of the Gospel (John 10:27-30). The leadership role of the Pastoral Council was compared to the “Good Shepherd”.

Wayne led a brief review of the process of discernment, and then facilitated a discernment exercise regarding the mission statement of the parish and how it relates to the charism of St. Therese.

The first discussion question of the exercise was “What are your personal expectations for authentic faith life at St. Therese?” Responses were recorded on a whiteboard, a digital photograph of the whiteboard was distributed to all present. Responses included:

Ø Sacraments
Ø Eucharist
Ø Model for Prayer
Ø Faith Growth
Ø Opportunity for individual reflection on prayer life
Ø Further community involvement with a spiritual building block
Ø Frequent prayer/retreat opportunities and adult education
Ø Community
Ø Prayer inspired
Ø Scripture driven
Ø Greater realization of the gift of faith
Ø Communal sharing
Ø Family nurturing
Ø Open mindedness to different approaches and levels of faith
Ø Platform for justice
Ø Connection to wider church
Ø Fellowship
Ø Reconciliation
Ø Relationship with Christ and beyond
Ø Authentic Liturgy
Ø Welcomed/Known
Ø Supported and encouraged to live out our faith
Ø Challenged to be life-giving
Ø Grounded in prayer, the gospel message and the essential truths of our faith
Ø Caring
Ø How does faith integrate into our other roles? (Father, Mother, Wife, etc.)
The second question of the exercise was “What do you think are expectations of others in the St. Therese Community for authentic faith life at St. Therese?” Only those responses not included in the response to question #1 are listed below:

Ø Invitation to activity
Ø Comfort
Ø Meaning
Ø Consistency
Ø Prayerful and Ethical Leadership
Ø Clear moral guidance
Ø Ministries
Ø Means of supporting people in their vocation

The third question of the exercise was “How does St. Therese’s Charism and ‘Little Way’ change your reflection on expectations of authentic faith life at St. Therese?” Responses included:

Ø Appreciation and recognition of Truth
Ø Spirituality
Ø Choosing All
Ø Suffering
Ø Love
Ø Do small things with great love
Ø St. Therese was patient and non-judgmental
Ø St. Therese was able to find Christ in all people
Ø St. Therese had a devotion to Mary


The group discussed how these themes related to both the Charism of St. Therese and the “Authentic Faith Life of St. Therese Parish”. The next meeting will focus on how to apply what we’ve learned about the charism of St. Therese, discernment and evangelization to the process outlined in Revisioning the Parish Pastoral Council.

Future meeting dates of May 13, 2004 and June 3, 2004 were chosen. At the next meeting on May 13, Brad Grill will lead the prayer, Damien Gerstner will facilitate, Joe Doetzl will scribe.