St. Peter Parish Council Minutes
October 28, 2015 – 6:30 PM
Sisters of Notre Dame Room
Jim Hickman called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM and Fr. Greg opened with a prayer.
Members of the Parish Council present were as follows: Pastor Greg Meystrik, Fr. John Schmitz, Mary Jo Hitz, Richard
Nagel, Garrett Forck, Laverne Brondel, Aaron Grothoff, Mary Esther Prenger, Darin Rinehart, Melissa Wilding
Members of the Parish Council excused were as follows: Fr. Cesar Anicama, Aurora Avalos, Corey Backues, Ed
Cordero, Liz Hansen & Gayle Trachsel
September’s meeting minutes were read and approved. Mary Jo will post to parish website.
Pastor’s Report
Fr. Greg reported that the Catholic Stewardship Appeal will kick off this weekend. They are going to make the information
about the Appeal available on-line through video links and other information on the website.
The staff attended a one-day workshop on the new rules coming out on annulments. There will be more information
forthcoming on these new rules and how they will affect the U.S. as well as our diocese, etc.
Fr. Greg announced a new confirmation date of March 15, 2016.
St. Peter Parish will continue to help promote Helias’ Capital Campaign through the church bulletin and other information
venues.
Fr. Greg shared a Decree Designating Five Pilgrimage Sites for the Julibee of Mercy and shared a document from Bishop
Gaydos indicating these sites. They are: Cathedral of St. Joseph – Jefferson City; Church of St. Peter - Brush Creek;
Church of St. Joseph – Edina; National Shrine of Mary, Mother of the Church – Laurie; and the Shrine of Our Lady of
Sorrows - Starkenburg.
Social Media best practices and guidelines was provided to the Parish Council. This information was shared with the
parish staff as guidelines when using social media to help disseminate information.
Fr. Greg shared the Mass schedules for All Saints Day, All Soul’s Day, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Feast of Our
Lady of Guadalupe, Christmas and Feast of Mary, Mother of God (New Year’s Day).
Fr. Greg shared that the memorial cards created in memorandum of Mrs. Cathy Bertolotti are available in the back of the
church and were distributed to each student at the school.
Principal’s Report
Fr. Greg reported that there was a Parent Meeting for the upcoming 1 st Communion and an Open House for Preschool
and Kindergarten was held.
Financial Report
Richard provided a thorough financial report to parish council members.
Commission Reports
Social Concerns Commission – Mary Jo reported that the Social Concerns Commission met on October 14. El
Puente gave a presentation. They are looking at ways to bridge the Hispanic Community and parish community
as a whole. There was also discussion about a Day of Service.
Spiritual Life Commission – Mary Jo reported that the Spiritual Life Commission will be meeting Monday,
November 2, 2015. December 8th will mark the beginning of the Jubilee of Mercy. And they continue to look for
ways for the parishioners to get involved.
Youth and Young Adult Ministry Advisory Commission – Garrett reported that the Commission had their first
meeting and the Commission is acting as a “think-tank” to form ideas and inspiration to drive the Youth and
Young Adult Ministry. They want to work on engaging the 18-39 year old community. On January 29th there will
be a Dinner with the Priests for this age group. Middle School Youth Group met for the first time on October 13
and it went very well. Many students expressed they enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next meeting. The
Frasati Fraternity continues to go well and the High School Group is continuing to grow.
Committee Reports
Liturgy Committee – Mary Jo reported the committee had discussion about Advent and some new ideas they
might consider to prepare for the upcoming season.
Hispanic Report – El Puente is taking orders for fresh hot tamales the past weekend and the upcoming weekend.
The hot tamale sales went very well last year and it is a good opportunity to bridge the communities.
Property Committee – Richard reported that the Capital Campaign work is progressing with electrical, plumbing
and HVAC updates necessary to bring the Selinger Center up to code.
Finance Committee – Richard provided extensive financial report.
Home & School Committee – Melissa reported that the Home & School Chili Supper went very well and was well
attended. They also held an All Parent meeting in September that was well attended and provided information on
children and social media.
Parish Visioning
It was discussed that the parish council will use two study tools when discerning the parish visioning portion of the council.
At the next meeting in November, the council will determine the concept and agenda for this portion of the meetings and
who will lead the first book review/study session from the books provided at the January meeting.
New Business
No new business at this time.
2015 Next Meeting Date(s)
6:30 PM in Sisters of Notre Dame Room – 4th Wednesday of the month except where indicated
November 23 (Monday to avoid Thanksgiving)
December 16 (third Wednesday to avoid Christmas week)
Fr. Schmitz closed the meeting with a prayer. Meeting was adjourned.