The Pastoral Council is meeting regularly again, generally on the first Thursday of the month. Important information will be included in the bulletin (usually as in insert) and on the website. Detailed meeting minutes are available on request.
Organization The Pastoral Council has a membership of twelve parishioners. Additionally, the two parish trustees (Al Tinger, Ray McGoldrick), the faith formation coordinator (Chrissy Blanck) and the pastor (Fr. Michael) serve as ex-officio members. Here are the current members:
Martha Harris (mmarhar10@hotmail.com) Alice Perkins, Chair (perkinsam62@gmail.com)
Austin Partridge (austinleepartridge@gmail.com) Mary Farmer (mj.farmer@yahoon.com)
Diane Butz, Secretary (dmbutz@twc.com) Susan Snelson (susangengenbach@yahoo.com)
Diane Grigoli (dcgrigoli@yahoo.com) Marty Rosenthal (rcknrgby@aol.com)
Roger Davidson (davidsonrh@aol.com) Sharon Kroker (skrokervt@gmail.com)
Owen Kennedy (thekennedyfamily8@gmail.com) Martha Wilhelm (mwilhelm414@gmail.com)
Please communicate with them or the ex-officio members regarding any concerns, questions or suggestions.
The pastor presides over and guides final decisions and their implementation. Formal guidelines for how the council functions are available upon request.
October 2, 2025 Meeting Minutes
Attendees: Father Michael, Alice Perkins, Diane Butz, Roger Davidson, Mary Farmer, Diane Grigoli, Martha Harris, Owen Kennedy, Sharon Kroker, Austin Partridge, Raymond McGoldrick, Susan Snelson, Al Tinger, Martha Wilhelm
Absent: Chrissy Blanck, Marty Rosenthal
1. Alice opened the Meeting at 7:00 pm
Opening Prayer was led by Mary Farmer. Prayer included a reading from the prophet Habakkuk. Discussion touched on keeping the faith, even in difficult times. The plan of the Lord will be fulfilled. We must rely on each other to keep us strong in faith.
2. September minutes were approved. Motion to approve by Fr Michael, seconded by Martha Wilhelm; all approved.
3. Faith Formation Update. Fr Michael provided the update on Chrissy’s behalf. For this school year we have 55 students and 7 teachers with 35 families participating, including 4 new families and 7 new students. 10 students are preparing for First Communion and 8 are studying for Confirmation. 7 families have left the program, some due to completion of Confirmation, some due to relocation, and some have found the 2.5 hours of Sunday time commitment for faith formation and Mass unworkable for their families.
– Two new catechists, John Muehl and Ned Culling, will teach the Confirmation preparation class. Ned will also act as a substitute teacher when needed.
– Several teachers are pursuing Catechist Certification.
– The St Nicholas Festival will fall on the feast day, Saturday December 6.
4. Walk with One Pilot Discussion. Alice led the discussion on behalf of Marty. Alice recapped the program for new Parish Council members. We recalled that establishing a connection of trust and friendship is a first step to sharing our faith. Diane B. noted that inviting someone for coffee can be an easy start. We agreed that bringing someone to one of our social events can be a way to build up to sharing faith and worship.
5. Updates on 2025-2026 Brainstorm Ideas
– Ministry Displays at Social Events: The Social Committee will welcome a table at our events. Alice will engage with various ministry heads to invite participation. She will touch base with Carol LaChance and Jeff Woeppel to see if they would be able to participate Saturday Oct 4th.
– A poster will be created with photographs of Parish Council members. The poster will be placed at appropriate places in the church and the hall. After the meeting Austin took pictures of members.
– Diane B. is compiling a list of online resources for parents and students to deepen their knowledge and understanding of our Catholic faith.
6. Mass Times Sign Replacement
Fr Michael located the old sign. It will be updated with current Mass times and reinstalled. Martha W. suggested asking Marjorie Landers to repaint the sign.
7. Diaper Drive
Diane G. has arranged to provide the diapers collected during October to the Cooperstown Food Pantry. Receptacles will be placed at the back of church. Announcement will be made by Fr Michael at Masses and will also appear in the bulletin. Diane also noted that several cloth and board books have been purchased for use by children during Mass. Purchase of the books was funded by Respect for Life Ministry tote bag sales. These will be available at the back of church and will be cleaned after each use. Chrissy provided a small portable shelf unit for the books.
Diane also reported that donations of over $700 have been made to the New Life Maternity Home in Hudson, NY with funds from the tote bag sales.
8. Round Robin
Fr Michael – reminders: 24 Hour Adoration beginning at 2pm Friday Oct 3rd with closing Benediction just before 2pm on Saturday and “Appy Hour” Appetizer Reception after the 4:30 Mass on Saturday; Father attended recent Diocesan meeting regarding the “Remade for Mission” program underway in the diocese. St Mary’s and St Thomas are a parish network and will hold facilitated meetings for parishioners over the next months to provide grassroots input to the Diocese as we move forward. Alice and Roger volunteered to be trained as facilitators for our parish network meetings. Fr Michael, our parish trustees, and the pastoral council chairperson will be expected to attend the meetings. The diocese has collected 5 years of data regarding finances and sacraments in the parishes for use in the Remade for Mission initiative. Regarding the bankruptcy action – mediation is underway now, may go on for 1-2 years or may resolve quickly. The Diocese has indicated that they will fight to mitigate the impacts to the parishes, and that they recognize that the contributions asked of the parishes will likely be uncomfortable.
Al – A bioethics discussion regarding “Stealth Euthanasia” will be held on October 8 at Mater Christi and a Mass for healthcare workers will be coming up in November.
Austin – pass
Mary – pass
Martha H – pass
Martha W – pass
Owen- pass
Alice – waiting for update from Eagan regarding rendering proposals for painting the church
Sharon- pass
Susan – pass
Roger – Thanks to Vince for his contributions, and best wishes as he moves forward. We shared a “Hail Mary” in celebration of Vince.
Fr Michael (take 2!) reminders: All Saints Day Saturday 11/1; All Souls remembrance 11/2 during the noon Mass with a lunch reception to follow; 10/10 Bingo; Living Rosary 10/16 6pm – October is the Month of the Rosary; Blessing of the Animals 10/4 1pm
9. November Prayer Leader – Roger
10. Closing prayer by Fr. Michael
11. Meeting adjourned at 8pm
Future PC meetings: Nov 6, Dec 4, Jan 8