NEWMAN-HOLY SPIRIT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
January 11, 2011
Attending were Bernie Campbell, CSP, Richard Elliott, David Hahn, Rosemary
Loughman, Maureen Hartmann, Michael Dalton, Michael King, Joseph Burns.
The meeting was officially opened by David Hahn, and begun with a New Year’s prayer
composed by the spiritual writer Joyce Rupp and selected by Maureen.
Richard asked if there was anything anyone wanted to add to the agenda, and Maureen
said she wanted a few minutes to share her ideas on decorating the Newman building.
Richard invited Maureen to speak first. Maureen said that she found the cement walls,
particularly in the University Room, somewhat cold in appearance, and wished they
could be covered with more pictures with the theme of the Holy Spirit and Pentecost in
connection with the name, Holy Spirit Parish, for the families and non-students who
come. She said she would be willing to donate a couple of paintings, with the symbolism
of the Dove and Trinity, for Holy Spirit Parish. She also suggested more plants,
particularly philodendrons, which are inexpensive and easy to care for.
Bernie Campbell responded to Maureen’s ideas with the facts that Newman had recently
had an art committee, which reviewed the interior of the building and bought about 16 or
17 paintings, and hung them throughout the building. He said that he wanted any redecorating again to be done by a committee. He suggested that Maureen might possibly
find more people interested in being on the art committee. Maureen promised to do it in
the summer or fall. Bernie expressed the feeling that aesthetically we can’t cover up the
walls, that we should work to balance and accentuate them. He agreed that we need more
religious art expressing the symbolism of Christ.
PASTOR’S REPORT AND INPUT.
Bernie noted that we have funding and spiritual directors for the Busy Persons’ Retreat,
this month. We have between 32 and 33 people so far signed up as retreatants, including
a few students among those he has e-mailed. The students have called him.
The Petrus fund-raising development group is meeting with Newman February 25 and
26. The main purpose of the meeting is to maintain and increase the alumni base of 1500
names, some of which may be deceased. He is having a small group of people, including
Richard, meeting next week to review the Petrus material and Newman’s correspondence
with Petrus. There is the possibility of generating funds for some kind of mission
experience, maybe to Latin America for college student parishioners. People invited to
this meeting next week include Jim Donahue, president of the GTU, the couple, David
and Mary O’Neill, Pat Bourgeois, Mary Doyle. The Bells were invited, but were unable
to come.
The speaking engagement with Peter Steinfels on March 7 at 7:30 PM, Newman Chapel,
was arranged through the Commonweal speakers’ bureau. Peter was a member of this
community, on the faculty in history. He will speak on “What Kind of Catholic Church
Will You Choose for the Twenty-First Century?” Peter and his wife Martha have written
extensively on the Post-Vatican II Church. Bernie will ask the staff’s opinion on a
reception afterwards. The two coffee urns wouldn’t begin to take care of the 700 people
the chapel could hold. He will try to have a couple of microphones for the question
period after the address. Rosemary suggested that we have a reading list for those who
want to prepare for hearing Peter Steinfels.
The following Friday and Saturday is the Reconciliation Workshop, the reconciliation
movement being initiated by Thomas ?Cane? among others of the Park St. Community of
the Paulist Order. There will be about 50 parishioners involved. Friday evening will be
spent looking at moments of joy, disappointment, and pain in our church experience, both
at Newman and in the wider Church. We want to move from there to a practical
application of what kind of Church we want to be. It’s the reconciliation both of our
hurts and of our healing. How are we going to help others heal from what we have
learned in this event at Newman? Times will be Friday from 6-9 PM, and on Saturday
from 9-2 PM.
MAUREEN’S ECOLOGY REPORT
Maureen, with the help of Bob Branstrom, master gardener and composter, who gave a
training session at Newman on worm composting, got a reliable article with guidelines on
what the worms could eat and other tips including frequency of feeding. She is reconvening the Newman Ecology Group with a meeting on January 24 at 7:30 PM, if at
least a majority of the five already interested people can make it at that time. Otherwise,
the meeting will be planned for a later evening that week.
DAVID AND RICHARD ON RECRUITMENT OF MEMBERS FOR THE 2011-12
COUNCIL.
Richard said there should be a sign next to the poster board with the pictures of council
members explaining what the council is, and its purpose. David noted that he and
Michael King have attended a lot of Newman activities and explained the council there.
LENTEN ACTIVITIES THIS YEAR
Members of the council leaned closer to a speaker series, rather than prayer services this
year. Bernie noted that we’re sitting on a gold mine of scriptural luminaries, not only in
the locality, but also among the congregation. Thursday nights are logistically best for
the Lenten addresses.
(Because of time-conflicts of several members of the council, the regular monthly
meetings were changed from Tuesday nights to Monday nights. We’ll meet the next
times on February 7 and March 14, April 11, May 9, and June 13.Rosemary volunteered
to lead the opening prayer in February. Meeting adjourned at 8:45 PM).
Submitted by Maureen Hartmann