St. Malachi Parish Pastoral Council Meeting Minutes

March 5, 2024, 6:30-8:30 PM, Parish Meeting Room

Attendance: Fr. Gurnick, Judy Slivka, Cathy Graham, Jan Durkalski, Jackie Krejcik, Sharon Lowe-Chapman, Mike Pellegrino, Peter Toomey, Jeanette Shemo, Charlene McElwee

Opening Prayer: Peter Toomey
Jan Durkalski- Report from the work of the Collaborative Steering Committee

*February 7, 2024   Meeting to determine titles, purpose and composition of the Collaborative Work Groups.
Discussion of plans for Town Hall; Mass, hospitality, communication, presentation, current model will continue in the Learning Phase, after launching the Explore & Recommend Phase at Town Hall.
*February 13, 2024   CSC continued discussions from our Retreat to discern and determine the Mission, Core Values, Strategic Direction and Strategic Goals of the St. Malachi/St. Patrick Collaborative Strategic Parish Alignment.
*Town Hall, Wednesday, February 18, 2024
-CSC expressed gratitude for the Hospitality committee and cooperation for serving dinner to the 100 plus parishioners of St. Malachi and St. Patrick. CSC regrets that they could not live stream or record the Town Hall.
-Presentations were made by Fr. Gurnick, Pat Masterson, Stephanie Williams, Jan Durkalski, Henry Speier and Joe Boehm.

-Collaborative Work Groups were explained and parishioners were urged to respond in person to the CSC members, on the paper supplied on each table or to the Collaborative web address with their information if they are interested in volunteering to serve.
– The presentations were followed by a Q & A with the audience. Questions and concerns were discussed in person, while some parishioners opted to submit on the paper provided and via CSC web address.

-A number of parishioners from both parishes have volunteered for the different work groups and the CSC Exec committee has been contacting the individuals to confirm their participation.

Next steps: Work Groups Launch, Saturday, March 9, 2024 at an all day Retreat, 8:00 AM -4:00 PM

Father Gurnick- Malachi Center

The Diocese has verified that St. Malachi Parish owns the St. Malachi Center building and land parcel. The immediate repair of the roof from winter roof damage has been approved. The legal department at the Diocese has begun the process of creating a lease agreement.

Judy Slivka- Annual St. Malachi Parish Meeting
The Annual Meeting will be held in the Hall on Sunday April 14, 2024 following 10:00 AM Mass. Topics decided by Council members; What is An Oratory?, Finance Report, Mother Teresa Ministry and more. The Hospitality committee is providing a light meal. The committee is exploring procedures for recording and/or live streaming.

Judy Slivka- Ministerial Leadership Meeting
The Ministerial Leadership Meeting was a success! Leaders and volunteers of the Ministries of St. Malachi participated in a prayer service and provided input into the collaboration with St. Patrick Parish.

Cathy Graham- Nominating Committee for openings on Parish Pastoral Council
Cathy Graham, Bill Meany, Jeff Walter and Matt Hils are representatives of the Nominating Committee. They are reaching out to parishioners to consider running for positions on Parish Pastoral Council. The nominating process continues through the end of March. There are 4 open seats for three year terms and 1 open seat for a two year term on the Council this year.
Fr. Gurnick- As Fr. Tony Schuerger awaits his new assignment of a position in the Cleveland Diocese, the Parish Council will plan to host an event to honor Fr. Tony for his 25 years of service to St. Malachi Parish. Tentative plans will include Mass(es) followed by an event in the Hall.

Charlene McElwee– Holy Thursday Mass is at 7:00 PM. It will be followed by our church remaining open for Veneration of the Blessed Sacrament until 11:00 PM. There will be visitors that are participating in a Night Hike that may visit our church during that time. Additional staff and parish volunteers are needed to keep the church open and safe. Passion of the Lord is on Good Friday at 3:00 PM. Holy Saturday Vigil Mass at 8:30 PM at St. Malachi will be a collaborative Mass with St. Patrick Parish. There will be four parishioners receiving sacraments as part of the RCIA program at Holy Saturday Mass and a celebration will follow in the Hall.  Easter morning Mass is at 10:00 AM with coffee hour following in the Hall.

Sharon Lowe Chapman- Malachi Run Update

Registration is continuing to rise and more registrations are expected. A new feature is a CANNED GOODS DRIVE in association with the Race. There is 8:00 AM Mass before the race. VOLUNTEERS are still needed for many positions, before the race and day of the race. Details are in the bulletin.

Father Gurnick- Administrator’s Report

– Rectory sale has been reviewed at the Diocese and has additional steps before the process is completed.
–  An engineering study and assessment of St. Malachi Church and surrounding property has been approved and a company has been hired to examine our buildings and properties before construction begins on the planned building on the south side of the church on the County Engineers lot. This information will be useful as a benchmark for the condition of our facility and property in the event that any untoward damages occur.

– Fr. Gurnick shared information on the Diocesan wide initiative “Keeping the Faith” regarding creating a strategic plan is to support and strengthen the Catholic schools within our area. Fr. Gurnick will attend a meeting regarding this initiative, along with 7-8 other parishes, mostly on the near West Side. There is more information on this Diocesan initiative on the Diocese of Cleveland website.

Closing Prayer: Charlene McElwee

Next parish pastoral council meeting: Tuesday, April 2, 2024, 6:30 PM in St. Malachi Meeting Room

Respectfully submitted,

Jan Durkalski,  St. Malachi Parish Pastoral Council Secretary