Sacred Heart Parish Council
November 10, 2015
6:30 p.m.
MEETING AGENDA
Opening Prayer: Julie
Mission Statement
We, the people of Sacred Heart, believing in God, and guided by the Holy Spirit, dedicate ourselves to
forming a vibrant Christian community by: celebrating the presence of Jesus, serving the needs of the
people, affirming the gifts of each person, and sharing lives and prayer, in love.
Approval of Minutes (October 6, 2015 Meeting)
Jan moved to approve the minutes and Janet seconded. The October 6, 2015 minutes were approved.
Parish Updates
Fr. Tom
While he had an amazing time in the Holy Land, he is glad to be back. Fr. Tom shared some highlights from
the trip and assured us he felt safe the whole time. He told everyone to make sure that visiting the Holy Land is
on our “Bucket Lists.”
As a result of the Ignite the Faith campaign, 10% of the money raised is designated for a new Parish Center.
The grounds have been surveyed and the city has completed all the initial approvals.
Sunday June 26, 2016 will be Fr. Tom’s last Mass as pastor at Sacred Heart. No—he has absolutely no idea
where he is being transferred.
Joyce
RCIA: There are 12-14 inquirers including one from Fremont. They are half way through the inquiring stage
already, the group is bonding and they are having the RCIA After Dark dinner party on Nov. 11 th . Rite of
Acceptance will be at Cathedral on February 14th and Easter is on March 27th.
Parish Directory: 207 families had their photos taken for the directory which is 1/3 of the parish. In the past,
Joyce would cut and paste the pictures for the pages. Fortunately, Jan Coughlin has taken over and will use the
computer software to put it together digitally. People are encouraged to call Joyce if they want their own
picture in the directory. Hopefully it will be submitted by Thanksgiving.
SueReligious Education: The First Eucharist class is very large this year!! First Reconciliation is on Saturday
November 14 and First Eucharist will be on April 11. There are several new families this year with a noticeable
increase in Latino/a families.
Angel Tree: Sue is working on cutting out paper angels and is seeking volunteers to help string ribbons
through them to hang on the tree by Thanksgiving weekend.
TimVala’s: It was a great night again! Paid for 376 people and an additional 16 had season passes so just paid for
food. Roughly 392-395 people joined us at Nebraska’s version of Disneyland.
Youth Group: Going to Film Streams on Thursday for “To Kill a Mockingbird.” They are participating in the
Empty Bowl Project at Creighton and have regular weekly meetings.
Young Adults: They will be going to Kansas City to volunteer for Harvester (which is a food bank). They are
also making it a fun weekend with additional social activities.
On November 21, Tim is coordinating another Sweat Lodge experience. If interested, people need to contact
him.
Tim shared the story of young adult members and their romantic marriage proposal that happened inside the
church. Tim and Alicia made sure the bride-to-be arrived and was almost surprised.
Website
Tim is going to look at the layout of the webpage and see how it can be updated. Anyone with ideas is
encouraged to email Tim. Suggestions included uploading the current parish council minutes and keeping
three months of minutes on the site. We had previously discussed adding a list of previous winners for the
Denny Holland award and the Pillar award as well as nomination forms for people to download. (Copies of the
nomination forms for the awards are also in the kiosk in the church).
CUES Updates
Amazing “Knicely done” segment about the success of Sacred Heart school on WOWT channel 6.
http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Knicely-Done--Unparalleled-Success-At-Sacred-Heart-School340415482.html
There was a National Bald Eagle Federation presentation in front of the whole Sacred Heart School. The Bald
Eagle named “Challenger” was fascinating for the students. It was a 26 year old bird that only weighed eight
pounds but was huge!
New activities director has been hired.
“The Gathering” had 772 people last year. Fr. Tom has identified four chair couples for the April 9, 2016 event
that will be at the Embassy Suites. It will be two weeks after Easter.
CUES Corporate Drive was held in October. There were around 120 volunteers
CUES Young Professionals Group had their first gathering Thursday November 12. This group is looking for
young professionals ages 20-35 to get involved with the CUES schools.
Heart Ministry Center
Very busy!! Noticeable increase in Karen refugees who most likely lived in refugee camps along the ThaiBurma border. Lutheran Family Services have been instrumental in providing basic needs.
Lack of space-- Donors are being asked to call the Center to check for what is needed. Some things are wanted
all the time—primarily clothes and shoes. There is no more room to store beds and some of the bigger items.
Closed the posting for Assistant Executive Director.
Old Business
1. Parish Party Friday January 22, 2016
Anna DiRuocco is taking care of the details.
2. Thank You Party
We want to host a “Thank You” party for Fr. Tom. He is adamant that it is in no way connected to
fundraising. Last month we discussed having a casual barbecue in the grotto area on a Sunday afternoon
and Julie emailed Fr. Tom about choosing a date. It was decided that his last Sunday, June 26, 2016 will be
the best date to celebrate his 18 years at Sacred Heart. The Parish Council will take care of all the details—
just needed a date from Fr. Tom.
New Business
At some point we will need to discuss how to welcome Fr. Dave in August.
Next meeting- Asking council members to take turns with opening and closing prayer.
Opening prayer- Jim Dickerson
Closing prayer- Sandy Agne
Other
Adjournment
Sheila moved to adjourn at 8:13 p.m. and seconded by Lori.
Closing Prayer- Joyce
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Meeting Dates:
January 5, 2016
February 9, 2016
March 1, 2016
April 12, 2016
May 10, 2016
Tuesdays at 6:30
Important Dates
All Souls Mass- November 14 at 5:00 p.m.
Thanksgiving Day Mass at 9:00 a.m.
Christmas party: Monday November 30 at 6:00
Parish Reconciliation Service: December 2 at 6:30
Immaculate Conception December 8th- 8:00 a.m. school Mass, no evening Mass.
Christmas Mass schedule?
RCIA Rite of Acceptance at Cathedral: February 14, 2016
Easter- March 27, 2016
The Gathering- April 9, 2016
Thank You Party (farewell)- Sunday June 25, 2016