Minutes of the November 28, 2007 Parish Council Meeting

Church of The Resurrection

In Attendance: Father Mark Hobson, Lisa Frey, Terry Battaglia, Kathy Rinehart, Jane Hogan, Mark Hura, Mary Ann Theby, John Shovary, Mike Behnke, Sandy Patrick, Louise Cox.

Absent:  Murray Mayo, Suzanne Horvath.

1. Father Mark began the meeting with a discussion based on a handout he prepared based on the book, "The American Book of Dying". Father Mark began the discussion by expressing his belief that the 4 universal life qualities related to the experience of spiritual pain can be seen as "helping people to live a quality existence."

The quality of Meaning, as it relates to experiences at Church of The Resurrection, was discussed by various members. One idea was that weekly Mass, (and the accompanying rituals), helps individuals reconnect with their spiritual beliefs on a regular basis which, in turn, provides a source of spiritual grounding and meaning.

Another idea was the many opportunities available at Resurrection that permit an individual to "get outside oneself", by giving of oneself. An example of this was the Bereavement Support Group. A person gains meaning by giving, (time, talent or financially), to another person in need.

Another idea was how the community draws out gifts from other members. Interaction among people, before, during and after mass allows people to draw meaning for themselves through their contact, and dialogue with others.

Yet another idea was that meaning can be derived from a sharing of common experiences, both good and bad. This mutual sharing can reinforce the notion of a common humanity.

The quality of Forgiveness was similarly discussed as it relates to experiences at Resurrection. Father Mark was pleased that our Church is host to many 12 step programs. These programs enable an individual to forgive oneself and to see oneself not as who one is supposed to be, but as who one truly is.

The concept of sharing of common experiences was again raised. It was felt that this type of sharing among people reinforces our common humanity.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation was discussed as having been both positive and negative in people's lives. The approaches of communal reconciliation versus the traditional one on one, (priest/penitent), reconciliation were discussed at length. There were pros and cons to both approaches and it was felt that both could be expanded.

Jane Hogan raised the idea of having a regular entry in the bulletin in the form of a "journal entry" or "sound bite" wherein a member describes a "good work" performed through a parish activity and the benefits derived by both the recipient and the member. This would serve to both educate and inform the parish community as to opportunities available which might lead to an experience of meaning, forgiveness, relatedness and/or hope.

The discussion was cut short, and the remaining qualities of Relatedness and Hope will be discussed at the January 16, 2008 meeting.

2. Mary Ann Theby provided a report on Vibrant Parish Life. Mary Ann indicated that there were 2 areas of agreement among the parishes regarding cooperation: youth ministry and outreach. A concert involving the 3 cluster parishes will take place on January 6, 2008 at Sts. Cosmos and Damien in Twinsburg. A social will follow afterwards.

Father Mark indicated that despite the clustering of the 3 parishes, the Mission Statement should indicated that the 3 parishes will retain their own distinctiveness; will collaborate with each other, but in so doing should ask the question of: should this task be done together or alone?; and maintain a strong connection with the inner city and the poor. It was pointed out that the 2 Solon parishes feel more connected to Cleveland while the Twinsburg parish felt more connected to Akron. This could pose a potential ideological problem when asking for cooperation and support, (man hours and monetarily) for such outreach projects as Epiphany Hunger Center located in Cleveland.

The annual City Links Retreat will take place on January 26, 2008 at Our Lady of Peace. Our continued involvement in addressing the needs of the inner city will be, at this early stage of the consolidation process, to stay informed as a council and parish. It might be premature to make commitments without knowing the long term viability of different ventures.

3. Mark Hura provided a report on his attendance at the Diocesan Gathering For Parish Pastoral Council Leaders with Bishop Richard Lennon. Bishop Lennon's major theme was that the Church must put more people in the pews for Sunday mass. He expressed great concern that only 29% of registered Catholics attend mass regularly. He did not offer any concrete suggestions as to how to increase attendance, but did promise that the diocese would be sending out some kind of "action plan" to help the individual parishes work toward an increase in attendance.

Bishop Lennon's second theme was a return/re-emphasis of the "true" Catholic faith. He stated that "we have received the faith" from the Apostles years ago and that is what must be emphasized, rather than "making religion our own mission".

Bishop Lennon stated that over 45% of the parishes in the Cleveland Diocese are regularly losing money with no reason to believe that that trend would reverse itself anytime in the near future. His belief is that more people at mass means more financial contributions and possibly more vocations.

4. A discussion was held on Resurrection's ongoing commitment to the poor and how it can be reinforced and introduced to more members of the parish. One method would be to educate people on ways to oppose ongoing injustice both locally and globally. It was felt that action, in addition to compassion, is necessary. This could be accomplished through person to person relationships and through different parish groups and parish presentations, (i.e. The Big Picture on El Salvador).

In an attempt to involve the maximum number of people and address each unique concern, it was discussed that both local initiatives, (i.e. local hunger centers, food pantry, Christmas gift giving exchange, etc...) and national and global initiatives, (i.e. the plight of the poor in El Salvador, our project with Appalachian parishes, etc...) be stressed.

5. Lisa Frey handed out the Formation & Education Events 2007-2008 pamphlet for review and comment.

6. Kathy Rinehart ended the meeting with a closing prayer.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, January 16, 2008. The meeting will begin with a dinner at 6:00 p.m.