Minutes of St Peter’s Parish Pastoral Council Meeting (9) Community Centre Tuesday 9th April 2024
AGENDA
Opening Prayer – The Jubilee Prayer
Apologies for Absence:
Resignation of Chairman and Election of new Chairperson
Agree minutes of Last Meeting
Matters Arising not covered in this Agenda Parish Directory – Status First Aid (EL) Training for new Ministers of the Word and Ministers of the Eucharist (JN)
Synodality - the Synthesis Report of October 2023: (YR)
Cultural Mass for different ethnicities (Fr T)
Pilgrimage info – Walsingham JL (from Our Lady & All Saints, Stourbridge)
Hymn Books or Wi-Fi screen. JL (from Susan Salam)
Fire sign in Sacristy (JK)
Mass and Exposition times during the week (JK)
Need for a cleaner for the Presbytery
AOB Jubilee Year 2025 and Year of Prayer 2024 – Dare to Hope
Minutes of the Meeting
1. Resignation of Chairman and Election of new Chairperson: John Smart’s resignation letter from the Council was received with regret and the secretary was charged with the task of writing to him thanking him for his leadership of the Council through its first two years. In the absence of any other nominations Julian Kuzminski agreed to act as chair for the next year. Helen Marsh was re-appointed to her role as vice-chair of the Council.
2. Minutes of Last Meeting: The minutes of the last meeting were approved.
3. Matters Arising: As Mike Hart’s resignation was received after the last meeting, it was agreed that the secretary should write to him thanking him for his service on the Council and wishing him well in supporting his wife in her illness. Also the secretary should write on behalf of the Council to the retiring chair, John Smart, thanking him for his leadership and contributions to the Council and Parish.
a. Parish Directory: as Teresa Kehoe was not present at the meeting no further information about progress was available.
b. First Aid: EL reported that new First Aid kits are now sited in the Sacristy and behind the entrance desk of the Community Centre for Parish use. Accident books are also in each place and should be used for all accidents, even minor, which occur on the Church and Community Centre premises including the car park and church grounds. St John Ambulance will be approached to see if they might provide some basic training in First Aid for parishioners in the summer. c. Training for new Ministers of the Word and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist: JN said that he was liaising with Andrew Maund who organises the rotas, but no date has as yet been set for training to take place.
4. Synodality - the Synthesis Report of October 2023: YR introduced the topic once more and stressed the need for the parish to engage with the report as an important movement in the Church and to take advantage of the opportunity to respond to the report to inform the final synod meeting in October 2024. She noted that the full Synthesis Report was available on the parish website. Prior to the meeting JL had circulated a brief summary of the report from the Catholic Standard (USA) but warned that the summary reflected a narrow interpretation of what the report actually said. He added that he was preparing a summary for the parish. Fr Thomas set the context for any parish discussions on the report and recommended a short summary which could be given out at Masses with someone to speak about it at each Mass. ACTION: JL said that he was prepared to lead one or more meetings on the report if a member of the Council could organise such meetings. HM indicated that she could do that in consultation with JL. YR indicated that she would attend any meetings.
5. Cultural Mass for different ethnicities: Fr Thomas explained his idea for holding a multi-cultural Mass on a Sunday in the summer between July and September, outside if the weather is good. Members of the different ethnic communities in the area would be invited and encouraged to bring aspects of the way their cultures celebrate Mass perhaps including music, dance, prayers in their own languages, and culminating in a shared meal for which those attending would bring the food. Members considered that it was a good idea but would involve a lot of work to make it successful. Doubts were raised about whether relying on attendees to bring food was feasible. ACTION: Fr Thomas suggested that two co-ordinators were needed. Natasha Esparon and Rosina Rutter agreed to act.
6. Pilgrimage information – Walsingham: John Smart passed a letter to JL from the member of Stourbridge Parish of Our Lady and All Saints informing us once again that they were taking a coach to Walsingham for a pilgrimage and would welcome any of St Peter’s Parish who would like to join them. The coach would pick them up as last year in Bromsgrove. Those who went last year highly recommended the pilgrimage. ACTION: JK said he would liaise with Steve Mills from Stourbridge and JN would place a list at the back of the Church for anyone wishing to go to sign up. In the light of last year’s experience, when some who said initially that they would go pulled out late on, it was agreed that a deposit of £15 should be provided by anyone signing to attend (the whole price is £25). Please note: this item has been overtaken by events. The Stourbridge parish has filled all places on the coach and would not be stopping to pick up people in Bromsgrove anyway.
7. New Hymn Books or Wi-fi Screen for the Church: The issue was raised with as a matter needing attention by parishioner Susan Salam (Susan Porter) after difficulties at a 10.30 Mass when there weren’t enough hymn books to go around those attending. The condition of many of the books is also poor. The issue of a wi-fi screen was dismissed as we cannot put broadband into the Church except at considerable extra expense as the existing parish broadband cannot penetrate the stone walls of the Church. ACTION: It was agreed that a small group of musicians, JK and MD, with one or more other parishioners should look at this and report back at the next meeting.
8. Fire Sign at the internal entrance to the Sacristy: Some parishioners had approached JK about having a lighted fire sign above the Sacristy door as there is over the exit at the back of Church. ACTION: JN to enquire about this with the fire service when they next come to inspect the fire arrangements in the Church.
9. Weekday Mass and Exposition Times: A suggestion has been made that weekday Masses might be changed to 9.00 a.m. in order to encourage parents who are taking their children to school at St Peter’s to stay and come to Mass. Exposition could then be held after the Mass. In the light of experience in earlier years when it proved necessary to move the start time of Mass to 9.15 a.m. because of the number of cars of parents using the car park up to and beyond 9 o’clock, a start time of 9.15 was agreed. Fr Thomas was quite happy with the suggestion and would raise the question with the parish at Sunday Mass. It was also suggested that the parish was unused to the idea of a Saturday morning Mass from earlier years extending back beyond Fr Graham, that the Mass might not continue to be offered. Fr Thomas said that it made no difference to him as he would simply continue to say Mass in the Presbytery. 10. Need for a cleaner for the Presbytery: The need was raised prior to the meeting by the retiring cleaner, Olive Brown. JK said that the matter had been resolved and his wife, Gemma, was taking over the role.
Any Other Business: a. JL notified the Council of the proposed Jubilee Year for 2025 and that the current year is a Year of Prayer for the Jubilee. There had been a proposal for some parish meetings, perhaps of 5 people to be held in parishioners’ houses for those interested and willing to host others. This has happened before with a prayer group. b. A Rosary Group will be saying the Rosary before the 10.30 Mass on Sundays. c. YR reminded the meeting that Christian Aid Week will be 12th-15th May this year. The meeting close with a prayer.