St Mary S Pastoral Council

St Mary’s Pastoral Council

Minutes of Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday 4 September 2013

Present Roger Townley (chair), Fr Eamonn Flynn, Ann McQueeney, Mary Rose Whiteman, Jane Monaghan, Francis Breslin, Gordon Sutherland, Frances O’Brien

Apologies Mary McQueen, Sharon Murdoch, Pat Nicol

Roger welcomed the two new members of the Parish Council, Francis Breslin and Gordon Sutherland. Roger will update the list of PPC members and telephone numbers.

Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.

Matters arising, PPC Box There was no correspondence in the PPC box.

Youth Group - Scotland’s Rio. Guest speakers Christopher Kelly and Michael Sutherland.

To mark World Youth day 2013, many young Scottish Catholics met at Stirling University for a four day celebration of their faith. Christopher and Michael gave interesting and detailed talks about their experiences at the event, which included prayer services, celebrations of the Mass, workshops, the Stations of the Cross and a ceilidh. They both said that it was a very powerful and moving few days and that it was encouraging to see so many young Catholics together.

It was suggested that Christopher and Michael could share their experiences with the Parish, perhaps speaking at a future Mass. The end of the Year of Faith, 24 November, may be a possible date. Jane wondered if they could also come to St Mary’s school and speak to the older children.

Youth Group update There has been no youth group meetings since the hall closure.

Year of Faith To celebrate the end of the Year of Faith, there will be a special Mass at 11.00am, Sunday 3 November. This will replace the usual 10.00am Mass.

The Mass will be followed by a light lunch at the Brisbane Hotel, which will include soup, sandwiches, tea, coffee and cake. Tickets will be priced at £8 and will be sold at the weekends 12/13 Oct, 19/20 Oct and 26/27 Oct. Sharon has offered to design the tickets, perhaps using the Year of Faith logo. Jane suggested that a letter could be sent to the parents at school, informing them of the Celebration Mass.

Following discussion with Rana Keane about her ideas for 3 or 4 sessions of activities to mark the Year of Faith, Father Eamonn said that the dates will now be scheduled after the build of the new hall, perhaps during Lent. Monica Brown, the internationally renowned Scripture speaker, is fully booked during her visit to Scotland.

Forward Planning There will be a Mass for the Deceased in November.

Parish Golf Outing Father Eamonn reported that the annual golf outing had been a great day. About 25 people had taken part and others joined them for a meal in the clubhouse afterwards.

Hall Update Father Eamonn said that the build started during the last week of June and that things are progressing well. The foundations are being prepared. Another update will be given to the Parish, when all grants are in place.

Date of next meeting Wednesday 2 October 2013

Roger thanked everyone for their attendance, with special thanks to Christopher and Michael. The meeting closed with a prayer.