St. Pascal Baylon Catholic Church

April 2022

February 2022

March 5, 2019

• Father John will present the lease agreement to the School Board the week of March 11th for the Archdiocese Regional School opening the 2019-20 school year at St. Pascal.
• The Charter School Committee has sent an approved application to the State of MN and will commence working in hopes of opening a charter school for the 2020-21 school year at another site.
• Five new handicap spaces will be added by the playground when weather permits to accommodate the closing of the Conway doors during Masses starting the weekend of March 9-10.
• A ten-year Maintenance Plan has been established which will cost approximately $100,000 per year to attend to needed repairs of our building and outdoor spaces in a timely fashion.

January 8, 2019

• The lease agreement for our independent school is being written, will be reviewed by a lawyer, and presented to the School Board for approval this spring.
• Many capital fund maintenance projects are being completed or will be done in the near future.  These include the exterior wall, water fountain and sink plumbing pipes beneath the floor, windows by the art room, and motion sensing lighting by the gym, art room, and in the hallways.
• The Parish Council will be reviewing/revising its Strategic Plan for the parish and its own By Laws in the coming months.

October 13, 2018

• Another town meeting about our school's future will be presented in the near future when our parish/school audit is completed, which should be by the end of November.
• We are Nathan Pacer's visiting parish.  Nathan is a first year seminarian and will be visiting our parish monthly starting the weekend of October 13-14 for the next four years.  Please welcome him warmly.
• Preschool enrollment below 40 will require staff adjustments.
• Fr. John will be installed by Archbishop Hebda as our new parish pastor November 4th at the 8:45 Mass.  All are welcome to attend.

September 4, 2018

• Fr. John thanked all for their warm welcome to him. He wants us to know that his approach to pastoring is more marathon-like, so expect no quick changes.
• Our parish/school audit is currently in process.  Theresa Ruttger noted that expenses will have to be added for facilities maintenance projects, including tuck-pointing and flashing repair.
• Three events are scheduled for the remainder of 2018 in Adult Faith Formation. Oct. 23 evening presentation by Matt Reichert from St. John's University on accompaniment.  2) the annual Women's Retreat on Nov. 8, featuring Susan Stabile.  3) the annual Advent Reflection with Archbishop Hebda on Dec. 17.

June 12, 2018

• With the Finance Council budget passed for next year, we are on track to hire a new Pastoral Minister of help with organizing, coordinating, and training volunteers in our many ministries at St. Pascal.
• Steve Carroll, School Board Chair, will hire an interim Advancement Director and a School Principal for the 2018-19 school year by July.  Laurie Jennrich, our current school principal, had taken a new role in our pre-school program.
• Fr.Luke Hansen, SJ and Connie Walsh will present "Mary Magdalene" July 22nd in Brioschi Hall.
• Our Social Justice committee has requested prayers and support for Listening House (a day time drop-in safe place for the homeless located in First Lutheran Church at Marie and East 7th Street).

APRIL 04.10.2018

• The School Board raised the necessary funds to keep St.Pascal Baylon School open in its current configuration for the 2018-19 school year.  Special thanks to all contributors!
• Options are being discussed for the 2019-20 school year which include continuing raising developmental funds to keep the school's current configuration or investigating a possible public Values Based Charter school in our school space.  Much work needs to be accomplished to reach either goal, so expect updates and parish meetings as time progresses.
• The parish council has recommended an outside audit of our parish/school finances.

MARCH 03.03.2018

• The School Board met March 10th for a retreat to discuss how they could raise $400,000 by March 24th to keep St. Pascal Baylon School open in its current configuration for the 2018-19 school year.  (They did raise the needed money and the school will be open in its current grade configuration for next year).  They also discussed whether it was time to explore creating a public Values Based Charter School for our school space for the 2019-20 school year.
• The plowing contract has been amended to include snow removal from the White Bear Ave. sidewalk.
• Mary Worley, Director of Development for St Pascal School, left her position April 1, 2018 because her three year GHR grant for her salary had expired.  Thank you for your service, Mary.
• Sharon Balcom, Music and Liturgy Director, will cut her position to Music Director only sometime this summer.  Interviews to fill a part time position for the Liturgy part of her job have begun.
• Discernment Evening for open positions on the Parish and Finance Councils is scheduled for May 7th.

FEBRUARY 02.08.2018

• Anne Weyandt updated us on School Board activities.  This 2017-18 school year at St. Pascal will end with a balanced budget.  Since the parish will not contribute funds in the absence of a reasonable school budget that does not account for a six-figure gap in revenue projections, the Board needs to raise up to three quarters of a million dollars to keep the current school configuration of K-8 in place for the 2018-19 school year.
• The Parish Council is exploring the addition of a paid full time Pastoral Care staff person who will organize, schedule, and train volunteers to meet the needs of our parish members.
• Discernment for both the Parish Council and Finance Council members will take place this spring.

JANUARY 01.04.2018

• Kim Roering updated us on her progress with the faith formation part of the parish's Strategic Plan.

• A parish/school financial audit is being requested by Father Mike to be completed within sixty days.

• Adult Faith formation will sponsor a Seder Meal March 26th, the Monday of Holy Weed, with Rabbi Barry Cytron here to guide us.

DECEMBER 12.07.2017

• Ann Weyandt, Vice Chair of the School Board, reported confidence, concerns, and suggestions for the Parish School.

• A new Nativity set was sent from St. Pascal's to the Red Lake Mission to replace theirs that was destroyed when their Church burned to the ground in late November.  There was a special collection in December to pay for this gift.

• John McKenzie and Theresa Ruttger, Parish Administrator, led a discussion on parish and school finances.  Pledge cards from parishioners for support are coming in daily.

• Theresa Ruttger also updated the Parish Council on the Facilities Usage and Maintenance section of our Strategic Plan.

NOVEMBER 11.07.2017

• A financial update letter was sent to each home in the parish describing our current financial parish and school status.

• The roof on Mike's Auto Shop will cost between $35-40,000 to replace.  Foundation issues also need to be addressed.

• A new snow removal vendor has been hired.  Thanks to a generous donor, a key fob system has been installed on all our doors.

OCTOBER 10.03.2017

• Thea Munoz, our parish Communication Specialist, gave us an update on her and her committee's effort to achieve our Strategic Plan goals.  See the new parish website, Facebook page, School News Notes, new parish branding on all communications and look for more changes to come.  Thea encourages any parishioner to join her committee as they venture forward.

• Our internal financial accounting is moving forward quite well.  Father Mike met with bankers at Premier Bank to extend our parish mortgage another five years.  

• We have Ryan Field back.  Mike's Auto Shop roof needs replacement.

• November Parish Events:  Jackie Witter's Women's Retreat:  Food for the Soul--Wine, November 9th and the Parish Spaghetti Dinner, November 19th from noon to 4:00 p.m.  The East Side Community Dinner has been moved to next year instead of this month at St. Pascal's.

SEPTEMBER 09.05.2017

• The Catholic Finance Corporation will continue quarterly audits of our finances, but all accounting will go forward in house only with separate accounts for restricted and non-restricted funds.

• Jaci Bush, John McKenzie, and Ray Muetzel reworked the Parish Council ByLaws over the summer and after input at our September meeting, these will be signed in October.

• A Ministry Volunteer Fair will be held in October for the next few months of commitment from parish volunteers.  The parish will hold a volunteer fair every few months so parishioners can know opportunities offered.

• Parish Council photos will be hung on the bulletin board near Brioschi Hall by the church's main entrance and also inserted on the parish web page to allow parishioners face recognition so they can approach members with concerns or questions.

• Look for several adult faith formation opportunities this fall listed in the Sunday Bulletin.  Our parish has another great line up for adult spiritual growth.

JUNE 06.06.2017

• Five new members have joined the Parish Council: Judy Whitacre, Elizabeth Van Elsen, Peter Hommes, Morgan Kimanga, and John Krawczyk.

• Mike Lentz has resigned his Parish Administrative position as of July 1, 2017, but will work on an hourly basis during the transition to a new administrator  ( Theresa Ruttger).  He hopes to shorten his 50 mile commute to work and have more time with his new family.

• Thanks to the great generosity of parishioners, the fund-raising campaign covered the north parking lot tarring and the repair on the third of our three air conditioner compressors!

• Photos of parish council members will be taken this summer and hung on the bulletin board near the church main entrance.  It is hoped that parishioners will easily know whom to contact for any parish concerns.

APRIL 04.04.2017

• Chris Malec joined us to share how the Social Justice and Caring Committee is dovetailing their work to mesh with our parish strategic plan. Parishioners can expect more information from the committee and action plans for individual short term commitments to enhance their work.

• Work on White Bear Ave. has commenced with construction equipment stored on the parish field again this year, for which the parish is being compensated. The field will be restored when the project is complete.

• The parish website is being updated with the help of LPI, who print our Sunday bulletins. It will be an ongoing process.

• The "Fund a Need" campaign, announced at the Friends and Family Event, will be to resurface our north parking lot.

• Archbishop Hebda will be joining us for St. Pascal Day and the Grandparents' Mass on Wednesday, May 17, 2017. Please attend.

MARCH 03.07.2017

• Sharon Balcom shared her progress with the Worship and Spirituality section of our strategic plan. She outlined her very encompassing position as liturgical director. We are blessed to have Sharon in our parish.

• Archbishop Hebda joined our parish March 3rd for the Men's Club fish fry dinner and Stations of the Cross.

• Art Zannoni and Rabbi Barry Cytron both presented here for Adult Faith Formation and were very well received. Both will make return visits next year.

FEBRUARY 02.07.2017

• St. Pascal's has numerous maintenance needs: our website and phone system, the north parking lot, windows in Brioschi Hall need repair/replacement, rusted sprinkler head replacement, and sidewalk repairs. All come with a price tag that needs to be met with some kind of "Fund Me" account.

• Updates will be made to our New Member packets and welcoming events. Mike Lentz, Shane Lefler, and Kathy Meyer have volunteered to work this effort.

• Archbishop Hebda has signed off on our school board mandate as long as we continue working with the Healey Foundation.

• Discernment is coming up for open seats on our Parish Council and Finance Committees. Parishioners, please consider/pray about filling these important positions within our parish.

JANUARY 01.03.2017

• Kim Roering addressed our Parish Council with the progress Faith Formation has made in reaching goals set in our Strategic Plan.
• Our parish is running a deficit financially and this needs to be addressed now.
• The Adult Faith Formation Committee has Father Mike, Art Zannoni, and Rabbi Barry Cytron scheduled for presentations in January, February, and March, respectively.

DECEMBER 12.08.2016

• Laurie Jennrich, representing the School Board, and Deacon Rich Moore and Thea Munoz, representing the Communications team, gave presentations at our Parish Council meeting on how their groups are moving ahead with our Strategic Plan for the parish.
• Shane Lefler, Volunteer Coordinator, is writing a grant to help finance the dismantling of the playground and re-imagining the grounds as a community/school garden.
• Capital repairs loom: replacing twenty rusted sprinkler heads, repairing the parking lot north of Brioschi Hall, and replacement of our telephone system.

NOVEMBER 11.01.2016

• St. Pascal's is facing major monetary assessments from the Archdiocese, the 3rd Avenue and White Bear Avenue road constructions.
• Shane Lefler will address the parish in the near future about stewardship: time, talent, and treasure. He will also head up the creation of the parish/community/school garden once the playground equipment is removed. ( *Shane did the address in November.)
• The Parish Council will be hearing from three areas in our Strategic Plan in the next three meetings--School Board, Communications, Finance.

OCTOBER 10.04.2016

• The recarpeting project in Brioschi Hall commenced Oct. 17 with asbestos abatement of the tiles and took about ten days to complete.
• We voted unanimously to approve A Road Map for 2020: Strategic Plan for The Church of St Pascal Baylon, St. Paul, MN, and plans were made to begin this journey.
• Shane Lefler is our volunteer Volunteer Coordinator; Jerry Klass, our new Director of Maintenance.

SEPTEMBER 09.06.2016

• Listening sessions on the Parish Council's Strategic Plan are taking place this month and we hope to discuss input and put our stamp of approval on the document at our October meeting.
• The White Bear Ave./Third Ave. construction projects will close in time to get the construction vehicles out of Ryan Field for the Men's Club Christmas tree sale, starting the weekend of November 19, 2016, and return in the spring.
• The carpet will be installed in Brioschi Hall the third week of October, thanks to generous St. Pascal donors. Two small pieces of our former Tabernacle, found and returned by the police, will be buried in a ceremony within a few weeks.

JUNE 06.07.2016

• We need to erase a significant budget deficit for the school and plans are in the making to do that.
• The "Fund a Need" effort for the carpet in Brioschi Hall will be extended to include two new air conditioner compressors for our church and offices--an additional $10,000.
• Our Strategic Planning sessions have concluded thanks to the leadership of Jaci Bush.