Pastoral Council Minutes
March 17, 2015
Members in attendance:
Fr. Terry Keehan, Alan Bosslet, Tracey Cantarutti, Al Clementi,
Brooke Held, Andy McGovern, Judy Petrie, Bernie Schaeffer,
Heidi Trocha, Aly Worthem
Members absent:
Ken Dirnberger, Heidi Rooney, Tony Matthias,
Andy McGovern, Daniel Tokarz
Guest(s):
Kate O’Brien, HF Academy
Frank Sevilla, Synod of Family Topics
Recorder:
Pat McGettrick

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Al Clementi, who then asked Heidi Trocha to give
the mission statement reflection.

Faith First: Heidi spoke of the “prayer for compassion” and the need to have a compassionate
community. In the HF community, we have many ministries for compassion and many
compassionate individuals but we still need to reach out to those that have different opinions,
lifestyles, etc. and discover what their needs are.
Fr. Terry also made mention of his recent experiences at communities where there was no effort to
greet people or make them feel welcome and how this may have contributed to these communities
having poor overall participation in the service. At HF, we have a vibrant worship area…good
energy and we need to keep it that way and work to do better. One thought was to have a
“Welcome Ministry”. Everyone needs to feel the responsibility to welcome.
The Vision and Mission Statement was then read.
Minutes from 2.24.15 were distributed, corrections/changes note. Minutes approved and motion
seconded.

Pastor’s Report: Fr. Terry’s report was distributed to the Council Members.
Academy – Kate O’Brien report follows. Adult Faith: 6 Candidates and Catechumens and 3 children
to be received into the Church at the upcoming Easter Vigil. Family Faith/Teen Faith: interviewing
for additional positions. Prep for First Communion and Confirmation is ongoing. Passion Play
practice is in full swing – 48 teens participating. Eucharistic Ministers, feet washers and ushers
needed for Easter Week Services. Outreach and Justice: Fr. Jerry Rogers will join the parish live to
preach at all masses. Operations: Narthex and security assessments continue. Worship: Fr. Terry
wants to breathe new life into the Eucharistic Celebration for the parish. He welcomes suggestions.
One suggestion he offered was having the different Ministries go to mass/communion together, as
one body, to give emphasis to the Eucharist. Family Survey: Parish feedback was received and
Bernie Schaeffer condensed all the information into a one page summary. This summary will be
forwarded to the Archdiocese/Archbishop Cupich, as requested. More information will be
forthcoming.

Directory Update: Working on the timeline parish photos. Photo taking should start in June. The
contract was asked to be submitted at the next Council Meeting for final approval.

Parish Statistics: Fr. Terry distributed a copy of the 2014 Parish Profile to give the Board Members
an overall view of the event numbers regarding funerals, weddings, registered families, school
enrollment, religious education, etc. The profile was reflective of each category from 2014 thru
2011, with 2005 as a previous reference point. Fr. Terry thought the number of funerals for 2014
was not accurate, since many non-traditional funerals were most likely not counted and felt this
number should be higher. Fr. Terry mentioned that going forward the non-traditional ways of burial
will be added to the count.

Academy Report – Kate O’Brien: Enrollment for next year will be at 517 students; current 425…92
new students with the trending at the 3rd grade level and K. Next year out of 49 in K, only 33 will
be returning….some reasons cited were tuition costs, relocation and public schools. Middle grade
total is 99 with 111 expected next year. 138 preschoolers enrolled Mon-Thu. Many of the
preschoolers are the grandchildren of parishioners who have been with HF for some time.
Enrollment Process: For parents looking into sending their children to HF, a birth certificate,
interview and tour of the school is part of the enrollment process. Technology: 75 notebooks
acquired. Students have access to Google, Gmail accounts. IPads in use as well. Technology Action
Committee has been formed- made up of parents and technology specialist- to ensure a high level of
technology growth, student assistance and plans to maintain future technology is achieved. Award:
Going to Orlando April 8 to receive the award along with 4 of our middle school teachers. Outdoor
Space: Being put to good use as a learning center, music area, and outdoor classroom with
parent/scout volunteers working to create and improve the area. Testing: HF school has done very
well in testing scores with an above average overall ranking. Looking into the Aspire Testing, a
college rightness testing program, for grades 3-8 focusing on reading, English, math, science and
writing abilities. It has comprehensive reporting which allows parents to see their child’s progress
for every grade on one form. Question: How do our students compare to Archdiocese students
overall…HF is in the 90% percentile. Archdiocese: Last year enrollment grew for the
archdiocese…which is encouraging. Some catholic schools are merging to remain open,
consolidating costs and working to increase enrollment.

Archdiocese Pastoral Council Update- Frank Sevilla: Meeting held March 10th with 19 parishes
represented. The questionnaire from the Archdiocese was discussed. About 1/3 of the parishes
represented had not heard about it or was it ever mentioned in any discussions. A survey handout
was what the majority of the parishes did. Among some of the other topics dealing with family
issues and concerns were: communion for the divorce, contraception, singles (how do you pastor to
them?), issues with sexuality and how they affect, impact all family members. Also mentioned were
concerns about the disconnect between the archdiocese and the parishes/pastors. What is the
responsibility of the pastor? Specifically mentioned was payment for master degrees, etc. There
will be a World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in 2015. Frank asked if there were any concerns
that he should bring back to the Pastoral Council for discussion….none was mentioned.

Old Business: Volunteer Subcommittee – Andy McGovern: Report to the Committee next
month. LGBTQ Ministry: Since this ministry is so new and we are still learning and developing it,
HF’s sole purpose is to reach out, make the members feel comfortable and to let them know that
they have an ally with the Church and that this “Evangelization Ministry” is a very important one. An
important start to help the community at large to be more comfortable with individuals who are
different, to be more connected and welcomed.
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Meet adjourned:
8:27 p.m.
Next Meeting:
April 21st
Proposed Agenda Items for April:
 Tracey Cantarutti – To give Mission and Faith First for April
 Heidi’s Development Report
 Vote for Volunteer Ministry
 Proposal for Parish Directory Submitted for Final Approval
 Easter Wrap-Up