Annual Report July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014 309 Desnoyer Street Kaukauna, WI 54130 (920) 766-3773 www.holycrosskaukauna.org 1 Dear Parishioners; This past year we saw the wonderful event of the Election of Pope Francis. He is known for his simplicity of life, compassion for those on the margins, strong support of Catholic teaching and the spiritual life. Most important for Pope Francis is Evangelization. He began his pontificate with a document entitled: “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel). He wrote about the importance of evangelization, of bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to people with Joy. Not only should we have a loving relationship with Jesus Christ, but we should care enough for the other people in our life that we want to share Christ with them. As members of Holy Cross Parish it is our role to take up this call to evangelization. It is the mission we were given at our baptism, and which we live out in our parish. Every Sunday we are sent from the parish with the call to ‘Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life’. Bringing Christ to the people in our neighborhoods is the reason we exist. Holy Cross Parish should be the Soul of Kaukauna. We do this at every Mass, at every baptism, at every wedding and every sacrament. This is why our annual report is so important. We know who has received the sacraments of reconciliation and communion for the first time. We see who was married and all those who have passed away over the year. We see who was confirmed and all the other reports detailing how we have done God’s work. Please don’t just read this report for information, but use this annual report in your prayer. Pray for the volunteers, pray for those who received the sacraments, pray for all those generous people who support our parish ministries, pray for those teaching in our school and faith formation programs. Then pray for yourself, that you may have the fortitude to take up Pope Francis’ challenge to spread the faith to all the people you know, and do it with great joy. In Christ, Fr. Tom Pomeroy 2 Oktoberfest 2013 Oktoberfest 2013 was a success. We made almost $80,000, which was way up from 2012. A live auction was added to the event, which was a big hit. The Steering Committee had a brat fry a few months before the event to raise awareness. 250 hundreddollar tickets were sold this year, which was also a big hit. All 250 were sold. Volunteers received tie-dyed t-shirts. 300 shirts were donated from a generous parishioner. The Steering Committee purchased bright-colored bowling shirts so they would stand out on weekends they were promoting the event. There was music on both upstairs and downstairs stages, which was a new feature. It was a great fundraising event for the parish. “Christ Renews His Parish” Retreat Men’s and women’s CRHP retreats continue to be held. We had to cancel one this year because of low attendance, but we will continue to hold one for men and one for women each fall and spring, whenever possible. CRHP continues to have a positive effect on the parish, but we need to find new ways to invite people so they will accept the invitation to attend. The fear of something new is still preventing people from accepting. Once they attend, though, they love it. Walking Pilgrimage 2013 The third annual walking pilgrimage to Our Lady of Good Help Shrine in Champion took place on the weekend of the Feast of the Holy Cross in mid-September, 2013. 25 walkers took part, as well as motorcycles, bicycles and a full choir. Bishop Morneau was the celebrating bishop. A bus greeted the walkers and bikers at the Shrine. Fr. Tom, Deacon Bruce and Deacon Mark were present. 50th Wedding Anniversary Luncheon The third annual 50th anniversary luncheon was again a positive event for the parish. The couples seem to enjoy themselves very much, so we will continue to hold this event on an annual basis. Most couples attend 11:00 Mass and then go to Friendship Hall for a catered Van Abel’s chicken dinner. 3 Widows/Widowers Luncheon We held the first luncheon for parish widows and widowers in December 2013. We had a Van Abel’s catered luncheon and a speaker. It was a very enjoyable few hours for the men & women who attended. We will continue to make this an annual event. Care Ministry There are many care ministries in this parish, i.e., Compassionate Friends who send cards or place phone calls to those who have lost loved ones; The Visitation Committee, which visits parishioners in nursing home and assisted-living facilities and our First Friday Visitors. All of these ministries are a wonderful part of our parish. We found that we were missing one big component and that was hospital visits. A group of men and women went through intensive training with Sister Annette from Holy Spirit in Kimberly in early spring 2014. A rotating group of care ministers is set up to visit hospitals on a daily basis, so all areas are now covered. Parent Dinners Fr. Tom, Deacon Bruce and Kim Corey continue to host dinners throughout the school year for parents of kindergartners through third grade. Fr. Tom cooks four-course Italian dinners and we get to know the parents, both from Faith Formation and KCSS. Youth Ministry Beginning this past summer we have begun to focus on some different youth ministry events. We began with a bonfire and an outdoor movie. It was good to get a group of high school age parishioners. They enjoyed that night and followed it up with another fun night. We asked the kids what they want to see for youth ministry and they told us they wanted to do a mission trip. So we are planning a mission trip with the Diocese for next summer. This is in addition to the things already happening, such as the Breakfast Club, the Good Friday Retreat and the Colorado Leadership Retreat. I would invite you to continue to pray for our young people. 4 CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS 2013-2014 James Peter Groenjes Camden James Gerrits Kaleb James Hietpas Eric Michael Ulrich Raelyn Marie George Brooke Elizabeth Hennes Stella Rose Ladd Savannah Grace Sheldon Carter John Vanden Heuvel Alexus Ann Otto Olivia Rose Gillis Logan Eric Wallace Ava Marie Brochtrup-Corey Luke Edward Wallace Drew Jacob Vande Loo Elise Carol VanVonderen Riley Robert Stein Maci Grace Diedrich Marlee Jo Welhouse Addison Suzanne Trickey Jeremiah Robert Pingel Asher Adam Spoehr Carly Rose Stein Myles Jerome Friebel Edward Joseph Salm Reese Elizabeth Kosmosky Reese Jackson Baumgart Nora Corrine Janssen Lucina Grace Robinson Parker Stanley Mader Hunter Michael Marg Addison Virginia Fuzak Kaylynn Joan Crandall-Beach Abryelle Arla Vandenberg Addalee Josephine VanDeHey Jacob Robert VanDerSteen Gabriella Rose Zerkel Piper Ann Janssen Hailey Paige Reinhard Rory Tyler Krzewina Nevette Christine Schmitt Callie Marie Poch 5 William Bottine Sophie Mader Connor Brinkman Rudy Magness Reese Brooks Ava Mau Brianna Brouch Cameron Michalski Elizabeth Campbell Cole Mursau Adrian Colchado John Neumann Damon De Broux Ben Nytes Karlee De Groot Collin Owen Caroline De Valk Dustin Plutz Collin Diedrick Ryann Pomeroy Andrew Domack Maya Promer Caleb Fritsch Lucas Rusch Alayna Garrity Jason Shiffert Alayna Garrity Amelia Stein Megan Glasheen Landon Sterr Kaylyn Hartjes Carson Van Dinter Ella Hartjes Kylianne Van Elzen Macy Hartjes Owen Van Roy Katelyn Haseman Halle Vande Hey Beckett Heindl Cassidy Vanden Heuvel Nolan Hietpas Cason Verhagen Leland Hurst Mitch Verstegen Colin Jeanty Trentin Volovsek Alexa Kinas Alyssa West Alisa Leverenz Logan Young Colton Mader 6 We had a great “first” year of Confirmation! We met monthly, August - February, and incorporated 11am Mass into our classes, followed by lunch. We added some new topics and fun interactive activities, a group service project at Haven of Hope, and a morning of service at church. Listed below are the candidates that were confirmed by Bishop Robert Banks on February 23, 2014: Hannah Baeten Taylor Ball Shayla Binsfeld Megan Boudreau Kevin Bowers Paul Boyle Bethany Braeger Hannah Coenen Mary Cops Marjorie De Grave Cayci Diedrich Elizabeth Elrick Dustin Evers Margaret Gavin Derek Hansen Alissa Heid Miranda Kohl Tres Leon Alex Mahnke Tommy Micke Samantha Ratliff Amanda Schmahl Brianna Smith Sam Tschimperle Amy Van Dyke Justine Vander Heiden Rachel Van Handel Kailee Wanek Trentin Wenninger Faith Williamson Chelsey Wollenberg Brandon Zellner Abigail Zirbel This fall, we are excited to be implementing the “Chosen” Program with Chris Stefanick, published by Ascension Press. If you are interested in previewing the program there is a link on the Ascension Press website. Gloria Schuh and Jennifer Wippich 7 Richard Orde & Brenda Janssen Kevin Biese & Nicole Barbara Scott Beyer & Laura Van Abel Michael Garrity & Donna Allen Jake Hartzheim & Ashley Nussbaum Cole Boge & Kelsey Techlin Keith Rabideau & Aubrey Huelsbeck Tyson Sargent & Katie Wettstein Richard Verhagen & Elizabeth Bongers David Vanden Heuvel & Jenny Harkness Christopher Pohlman & Laura Ackerman 8 Dennis Du Frane Germaine St. Arnold Maurilio Garcia Marian Driessen Audrey De Broux Carol Soffa Jean Bowers Lorreen Egan Evelyn Dolan Earl Siebers Richard Van Dyke Leo Driessen Alvin Szarkowitz Joyce Schuler Anna Verkuilen Patricia Doolittle Beverly Havel Fred Barribeau Blake Williamson David Rausch Agnes Gerrits Alexandria Jansen Arthur Koehne Robert Courtney Serena Oliva Frances Biersteker Ellsworth Johnson Wesley Romenesko Marlene Koehler Michael Surin Vincent Buchberger Helen Lamers Elaine Stevenson Eugene Wyro Stanley Gracyalny Richard Driessen Partick Alibrando Lance Van Groll Gordon Wochinski Thomas Emmer Ruth Kieffer Nancy Bowers Thomas West John Van Zeeland Dorothy Van Asten Marian Vandenberg Cordell Hurst John Ashenbrucker Jerome Fox Robert Haen Virginia Steffens 9 Parish Committee Reports Buildings & Grounds A new committee was formed in 2014. It is chaired by Mark Tetzlaff. The rest of the committee consists of Brian Tetzlaff, Don DeValk, Ron Geurts, & Bob Mooren. For the past few months, we have been evaluating the current physical needs of the parish and school facilities. Due to the newness of the committee, our current agenda was to familiarize us with all aspects of the facility. During this process, we deemed our largest priority was our stained glass windows; knowing this, we recommended to the Finance Council that our immediate need was for repair work to three windows which was added to this year’s budget. The three windows are the “Crucifixion,” “Judgment Day” & “Mary.” All three of them have major frame deterioration and are starting to crack; this is causing water to get into the church and is affecting the structure of the building, so don’t be surprised if you show up one day and these windows are missing. They will be removed and repaired offsite. Holy Cross Scrip Program The scrip program is growing and advancing nicely. It has gone into the digital age and we are now offering on-line ordering. This option offers close to 700 items that are available to order! We have started to carry quite a few new regular stock items as well, offering parishioners a great variety of scrip to purchase and use right away. Many new families have signed up to use the on-line ordering as well as coming in to the office to get scrip. We offer scrip credits to go toward the Parish, KCSS, Faith Formation, and now also the Colorado Leadership Retreat. We have remodeled the parish office, taking down a wall, installed some new flooring, and got a new (donated) desk and coffee nook. Exciting things are happening with the scrip program! Thank you. Julie Huss Scrip Coordinator 10 Faith Formation Together we coordinated grades one through ten in Faith Formation Classes. The Faith Formation theme for the year was “Jesus Loves Us.” This is the eighth year we have had a theme. Last year’s theme was “Gift Of Faith.” We believe it’s important to have a fun, faith-filled, safe place to learn about our Catholic faith. We were blessed to have a wonderful group of volunteers. The Faith Formation Program had 51 volunteers. Our volunteers range from catechists and assistants to playground monitors. We cannot express enough how blessed we are at Holy Cross to have such a wonderful team of volunteers. Each commitment is very important and a blessing to our program. It’s a joy to have some of our youth volunteers return to the program after having attended as students for many years. Each year it seems we have more and more youth stepping up and sharing their gifts to help in the program. To keep our space safe, we have our volunteers wear name badges with their picture when they are in the building. We also have a classroom emergency plan in case of an intruder. This is an ongoing process, and we will continue to update this plan as we see a need. We work together with the Day School so the police and fire departments are consistent with each emergency plan. We also work in preparing the children in grade two for First Eucharist and First Reconciliation. On November 12th, the Second Grade children received the healing sacrament of Reconciliation. We visited with each of the First Eucharist Candidates and their parents in preparation for the Sacrament of First Eucharist which they received on either Saturday May 3rd or Sunday May 4th 2014. We had a total of 52 candidates who received the Sacrament of First Eucharist and First Reconciliation. Six of these candidates were from KCSS, 46 in the Faith Formation Program, with four of them in other grades, one each in fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades. There was a total of 321 students in Faith Formation for grades one through ten. Classes were held on Wednesdays. Grades one through eight attended classes after school from 3:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Grades nine and ten met in the evening from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. We would like to thank everyone in the program for their great energy and enthusiasm as they worked to evangelize the children of Holy Cross. God Bless, Jackie Wallace and Gloria Ackerman Faith Formation Coordinators 11 Ministers of the Eucharist We continue to have no schedule for extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist. Those who are trained have been excellent at stepping up at each Mass to serve in this ministry. We will continue this process as long as it works. Lectors We continue to have a good number of lectors for both weekend and weekday masses, but we can always use more. Ushers and Greeters We hope to build our usher and greeter teams with high school students and families. We are struggling, especially with 11:00 Mass when there are noon Packers games. We plan to develop a stronger “Hosting” Ministry in the next year. Altar Servers We continue to build our altar server program. This year, we will train all KCSS and Faith Formation fifth grade students in the fall. Generally, we train one group in fall and one in spring. FOCCUS We have a small group of five couples who are currently helping engaged couples prepare for their weddings. We can use more couples, but it is currently a solid group. We now have a mixture of new couples and veteran couples. We have moved from paper FOCCUS questionnaires to online, which makes it easier for the couples and facilitators. Children’s Liturgy We currently have a small team of people who rotate weekly for Children’s Liturgy. This program will be looked at over the next year to see how we can better prepare our children for the word of God. Bulletin The Bulletin continues to contain a mixture of news pertaining to Holy Cross, as well as events going on at other parishes. Visitation Committee Currently there are 16 ladies who make monthly visits to Holy Cross Parish members who are in local nursing homes. 12 Compassionate Friends This is the ninth year for Compassionate Friends. We have a great team of volunteers. We currently have 10 members. This past year Dianne Niquette took over for Linda Bongers. Thank you, Linda, and welcome to Dianne. Once again we will be helping with the annual All Souls Prayer Service. Music Ministry The Music Ministry includes musicians, cantors and choirs who provide the music for our weekend parish gatherings, special events, processions, retreats, as well as some KCSS and Faith Formation liturgies. The Celebrators continue to practice weekly and sing for mass every other week. They blend their hearts and voices with great JOY and achieve amazing QUALITY along with their dedicated service to the parish. Queen of Peace Choir truly adds a special uplifting spirit to the parish’s outreach to families at the time of a funeral. This choir fills three pews, sometimes more! There are also six cantors who are available on these occasions. A recording (CD) of the Mass is given to the family each time so they may have another way of recalling the blessing of belonging to this parish family. The “Extension Chords” bring a spirit of joy as they sing and entertain at St. Paul’s Home once a month – third Saturday, at 10:15. This is a group that also has a ministry to sing for monthly liturgy at St. Paul’s Home and Parkside. PALS Youth Choir sings one Sunday a month. It is a great way to involve our young people so they can sing and play their instruments and enjoy each other’s enthusiasm. It is well received. (PALS stands for Praise/Prayer, Action, Listening and Loving, and Singing) The CRHP Singers is a relatively new concept, but an idea that may grow! There are so many ways of getting involved in the parish following a “Christ Renews His Parish” retreat, but maybe more and more CRHP “alumni” will come to lead the music as a group, maybe even wearing their attire! The schedule generally calls them to sing on the second Saturday of the month. A few new people are stepping up to be involved as cantors – Thank you! Are there more just waiting to be asked? 13 Kaukauna Catholic School Review of 2013 – 2014 KCSS school year: BOT & Marketing/Advancement continue to work diligently together toward our goals as a school system – Excellence in Education and Catholic Faith – in areas of retention, recruitment and future of KCSS; in growing Endowments, Tuition Assistance and Fundraising to lighten parish financial support; Grand Event was successful, again; (Feb. 6, 2015 is the next Grand Event, so mark your calendars now) Building Site Committee studied & recommended that KCSS programs & classrooms be consolidated into one building for 2014-2015; it was approved by KCSS BOT and BOD that 220 Doty St. site be used. May 2014 announced decision to transition to a Catholic Classical Curriculum Building security/safety for students & staff was improved with a secure entry door installed on the main entrance to school Students continued to grow in their Faith Integration/Catholic Identity, examples being: praying the rosary together as a class or classes; featuring a “Bible Person of the Week” as part of daily morning prayer/announcements to give the students an example of how to model their own lives; we continued emphasizing character traits for students to incorporate into their daily lives; teachers advanced their faith and knowledge through Religion certification sessions on “The Creed;” community service projects included collections of: School Supplies for Harbor House, Food Drives for Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, items for Christmas Adopt-a-Family, raffle basket donations to HC Oktoberfest & SKD ParishFest, and monetary donations to Fox Valley Warming & Emergency Shelters, American Heart Association, and Ronald McDonald House Expanded “Explore” course offerings for grade 6 – 8 students STRIDE (Students Taking Responsibility In Demonstrating Excellence) program restructured to emphasize a reward system for positive behaviors (grades 3 – 8) Do student goal setting to increase MAP “test” scores and increase student learning Goals/Projects for 2014 – 2015 School year: Complete KCSS site relocation & building upgrades to 220 Doty Street over summer Pre-3 to grade 8 regular student enrollment at 209 (increase of 15 students from 2013-14); 20 new families in K to 8 grades Begin 1st year of transition to Catholic Classical Curriculum: Religion & Virtues curriculum area; Quarterly emphasize a Cardinal Virtue (Prudence, Fortitude, Justice, Temperance, & related virtues), provide weekly Adoration time in church for students/staff, increase priest/deacon classroom visits, increase prayer knowledge in students (forms, types & practices), begin to incorporate Catholic Classical Curriculum Methods & Virtues into all curriculum/subject areas Provide staff in-service opportunities to learn & develop knowledge/methods of CCC Begin & complete Self-Study for Accreditation team visit in 2015-2016 school year Thank you, everyone, for your continued support of KCSS through prayers, finances and hard work to make the Kaukauna Catholic School System the best it can be. 14 KCSS Athletic Association The Athletic Association coordinates the interscholastic athletic programs for KCSS for Grades 5-8. These sports include boys’ and girls’ volleyball, boys’ and girls’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ track, and girls’ softball. The association also sponsors CYO basketball teams for high school students, the mother/daughter volleyball game and father/son basketball day for 8th graders, an 8th grade girls’ volleyball tournament, and the 8th Grade Athletic Banquet. This banquet recognizes students who have participated in athletics. Plaques are presented to each student athlete listing the sports they participated in while at KCSS. The Association funds virtually all maintenance and capital improvements in the gymnasiums at St. Mary’s and Holy Cross and gives financial assistance to the physical education program. Over the past ten years, over $500,000 has been spent on maintenance and capital improvements. Because of the Association’s work, gym maintenance and capital improvements are “off budget” for St. Katherine Drexel and Holy Cross Parishes, and the sports programs are “off budget” for KCSS. Unlike many Catholic schools in the area, KCSS does not have a paid athletic director; all of these responsibilities are handled by volunteers. We are also one of the few Catholic schools in our area which does not charge a fee to participate in athletics. The major project this past school year was replacing the roof over the gym and stage which was completed in June. The roof was leaking in several places, and patching would have only been temporary so replacement was the best solution. Donations were made to KCSS for physical education and playground equipment, an upgrade to a coach bus for the 8th grade class trip as well as numerous smaller donations throughout the school year. The Association also once again sponsored CYO basketball teams for boys and girls and ran the gym on Saturdays for games and covered and uncovered the Holy Cross gym floor for school and church events in the gym. Major fundraisers for the Association were once again the Men’s Open Basketball Tournament, Appleton Oktoberfest, and the Christmas Tree Sale. Pastoral Council – No report Social Concerns Committee – No report Ladies of Holy Cross – No report Cemetery Committee – No report Welcoming Committee – No report 15 BALANCE SHEET JULY 1, 2013 – JUNE 30, 2014 ASSETS Current Assets Checking account Advancing the Mission Building Improvement checking Money Market Other Total Current Assets 6/30/2014 6/30/2013 $ $ 75,619.00 - $ $ 10,443.00 4,394.00 $ $ $ $ 1,737.00 4,855.00 12,000.00 94,211.00 $ $ $ $ 1,437.00 4,252.00 12,000.00 32,526.00 Fixed Assets Parish School Faith Formation Total Fixed Assets $ 2,022,350.00 $ 688,786.00 $ 51,195.00 $ 2,762,331.00 $ 2,022,350.00 $ 688,786.00 $ 51,195.00 $ 2,762,331.00 TOTAL ASSETS $ 2,856,542.00 $ 2,794,857.00 LIABILITIES Long Term Liabilities Bank of Kaukana-Note payable Bank of Kaukauna-LOC Note payable-Anonymous Misc. Collections and Liabilities Total Long Term Liabilities $ 181,319.00 $ $ 15,000.00 $ 191,320.00 $ 12,000.00 $ 45,000.00 $ 22,184.00 $ 218,503.00 $ 69,639.00 $ 317,959.00 Current Liabilities KCSS Subsidy Xavier Subsidy Total Current Liabilites $ $ $ (1,685.00) (3,144.00) (4,829.00) $ 100,372.00 $ 5,263.00 $ 105,635.00 TOTAL LIABILITIES $ 213,674.00 $ 423,594.00 EQUITY Fund Balance Current Year increase(decrease) Total Equity $ 2,371,263.00 $ 271,605.00 $ 2,642,868.00 $ 2,487,700.00 $ (116,437.00) $ 2,371,263.00 Total Liabilities and Equity $ 2,856,542.00 $ 2,794,857.00 16 SUMMARY OF HOLY CROSS OPERATION JULY 1, 2013- JUNE 30, 2014 PARISH REVENUE SAC. GIVING OFFERING FUND RAISING OTHER 2014 705,560.00 39,501.00 74,222.00 202,924.00 $ $ $ $ TOTAL PARISH REVENUE $ 1,022,207.00 $ 861,344.00 PARISH EXPENSES PERSONNEL / BENEFITS SERVICE & SUPPLY BUILDING/GROUND OFFICE EXPENSE OTHER $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ TOTAL PARISH EXPENSE $ 566,410.00 $ 485,888.00 TOTAL SCHOOL EXPENSE $ 106,897.00 $ 424,782.00 FAITH FORMATION REVENUE TUITION OTHER $ $ 23,461.00 3,901.00 $ 22,470.00 $ 3,222.00 TOTAL FAITH FORM. REVENUE $ 27,362.00 $ 25,692.00 FAITH FORMATION EXPENSES PERSONNEL / BENEFITS SERVICE & SUPPLY OFFICE SUPPLIES OTHER $ $ $ $ 77,455.00 10,950.00 5,412.00 3,236.00 $ 73,702.00 $ 9,370.00 $ 6,782.00 $ 1,901.00 TOTAL FAITH FORMATION EXPENSES $ 97,053.00 $ 91,755.00 TOTAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT $ 7,606.00 GRAND TOTAL REVENUE OVER EXPENSES $ 271,603.00 341,458.00 53,270.00 56,217.00 23,098.00 92,367.00 $ $ $ $ $ 2013 581,308.00 40,002.00 48,040.00 191,994.00 296,637.00 47,601.00 72,235.00 25,762.00 43,653.00 1,500.00 $(116,889.00) This booklet has been put together to the best of our ability. We apologize for any omissions or errors. 17