Mission Statement

The purpose of the Parish Pastoral Council is to promote the spiritual growth of the parish community and to plan ways for the parish to carry out the mission of the church.
We, the People of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, have the loving, reconciling presence of Jesus Christ as the center of our life, especially in the Eucharist.
Through the ministry of the La Salette Missionaries, Christ calls us to:

         grow in our experience and understanding of God’s grace;
         build strong bonds of mutual support within our community; and
         serve the cause of mercy, justice and evangelization in our world.

Member Responsibiliies:
       a) Attend all meetings, prepare, notify in advance of absences (3 absences
           in 1 year: automatic removal)
       b) Participate in atleast one committe of the Council
       c) Attend annual Spring and Fall retreats for Council members
       d) Support representation of the Council at Parish sponsored events.

Rules of Order
       1. Chairman to run the meeting
       2. Discuss only Agenda items
       3. Vote on issues raised on previous meeting only
       4. Speak only when recognized by Chairman
       5. Follow speaking order given by Chairman and time allotted (Pastor always
           has precedence)
       6. Yield to next person in speaking order
       7. Call to order by Chairman
       8. When discussions are over, one member will move to conclude the issue,
           another will second the motion and the Chairman will ask for a
           vote on how to proceed, or whether to follow up on it later.

Communication guidelines
       1. Ask the Spirit to guide your words
       2. Discern between personal opinion and consensus building
       3. Foster open communication instead of criticism
       4. Constructive feedback to be done privately
       5. Enhance or maintain each other's self-esteem
       6. Listen to one another and respond with empathy
       7. Encourage everyone's involvement  

 Nursery Update - January 18th, 2008.

A Playground surface has been chosen based on extensive research by Alanna. The proposal for funds will be presented to the Knights of C. and the Ladies Auxiliary on the first and second weeks of February to solicit funds to off-set the cost for this installation. It will not be in place for the Feb 3rd opening but it is expected to be in place for the ‘tOfficial Blessing” date to be determined near to Easter. The preparation of the playground surface is expected to be completed by volunteers. I have contacted R. Martinez who had committed to helping with this project and I am waiting on a call-back.

Pagers - Additional information to be provided to you and Fr. Jim so that we can move forward with a decision and purchase.

CPR Training and First Aid is booked or Jan 31st at a cost of $25 per person. The Health Ministry may be able to obtain this training in the future at no cost but not for this January date.

All interested volunteers have been contacted and the first training session for the Nursery was completed last night. There is a very slow response and it is expected that it will be low until the Nursery is fully running.

The floors are scheduled to be cleaned and waxed next week in time for the opening weekend.

All Training materials and signs are complete in soft copies. Laminating of Health and Safety signs etc will be completed next week.

Murals in Nursery room B are complete. They are expected to be complete in Nursery room A by this coming weekend. Murals on the walls leading to the Nursery will be complete at a date in the future, but not before the opening on Feb 3rd.

Toys and books: All over-used, broken and unsafe toys have been removed from the Nursery. All books have been sorted and all torn or books that are written on and no longer legible have been removed.

Cleaning supplies have been identified and purchased for the Nursery. PR- There is/was an announcment from the pulpit or a notice in the bulletin every week in December and January. There was an insert in the bulletin last weekend. Alanna Blake-Lawlor Nursery Coordinator, St. Thomas the Apostle.

Meet your current Pastoral Council members

Voting Members

Alejandra Dent (Chair)	Omar Welch (Vice-Chair)
Cindy Hagan (Secretary)	Mike Carlin
Maria Esperanza Galvan	Mayra Recinos
Peggy Reed	Fito Rodriguez
Joaquin Sanchez	Victoria Turney

Non Voting Members

Rev. James H. Kuczynksi	Rev. Eugene Barrette M.S.
Rev. Joy Chukkananickal M.S.	Rev. Jaime Molina
Rev. Francisco (Pancho)	J., MNM Rev. Leo Cummings M.S. (in residence)
Rev. Mike Garrett	Rev. Earl Jackson
Rev. Mr. Al Weber	Sid Hayden

Download Pastoral Council Meeting Minutes