Present at the July 26^th, 2001 meeting were Pat Cummings, Anna Sachko Gandolfi, Sister Mary Rose Golden, Vincent Greco, Tom Lindgren, Dorothy E. Mitchell, Bob Morris, Ann O’Sullivan, Father John Quinn, Ann Silvestri, Lynn Watson, Barrie Watson, and Bud Wenzel.

Father Quinn thanked everyone for coming to the Parish Council meeting. He then outlined the agenda for the meeting which included reports by committee chairpersons, an update on the Parish Center, and new business.

Ann Silvestri led the Parish Council in Vespers.

Pat Cummings reported that the Respect Life Society recites the Rosary before the 10:30 A.M. Mass on the first Sunday of each month. In October the Society will sponsor the Blessing of Expectant Parents.

Ann Silvestri told the Parish Council that the Social Concerns Committee, headed by Bob Ballengee, is very pleased with the donations that the people of St. Patrick’s have made to the Food Pantry over the past two months. Both Bob and the Committee are grateful to St. Patrick’s parishioners for their continuing generosity to those in need.

Ann O’Sullivan reported that over 500 children are registered for the fall semester of the Religious Education program. When registration is complete, Ann expects a total enrollment of 560 students. This represents a continuing increase in enrollment which St. Patrick’s has addressed with a number of interim plans. These plans will be in effect until the completion of the Parish Center, which will be designed to include permanent classrooms for Religious Education students. In the interim, the Children’s Chapel will be used to provide additional classroom space for weekday classes. In addition, temporary classrooms will be installed in Wallace Hall. Ann expressed her thanks to all those in the parish who have volunteered to teach the Religious Education students.

Father Quinn announced that St. Patrick’s has a full calendar of events scheduled through 2002. The always popular Fall Festival will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2001 immediately following the 5:30 P.M. Mass. The parish will rent a tent to provide ample space for this well-attended event. To make full use of the tent, coffee and bagel socials are planned after all the Masses on the Sunday following the Fall Festival.

On Wednesday evening, December 5, 2001 all are invited to the Church to attend the one man play, "The Last Canticle of St. Francis." This play is a dramatic portrayal of St. Francis by the evangelical actor, Charles D. Baker. As an inspirational depiction of the message of Jesus, the play is a timely Advent activity. Father Quinn urged everyone to keep in mind St. Patrick’s Annual Dinner Dance which is tentatively scheduled for the evening of Saturday, March 16, 2002. Those fortunate enough to purchase tickets before they sold out for the 2001 dance enjoyed a memorable evening of friendship, fine dining and dancing. On Wednesday evening, April 24, 2002 the Church will be the setting for the one man play, "The Sermon on the Mount." All are encouraged to attend this play which will be enacted by the nationally acclaimed translator and performer of Biblical events, Frank Runyeon.

Tom Lindgren informed the Parish Council that the Archdiocesan Building Committee has selected John Sullivan to be the architect for the Parish Center. This decision was made after interviewing 5 architectural firms. Criteria for selection included previous experience in designing structures of this kind for the Archdiocese and reasonable professional fees. John Sullivan’s design experience and professional fees were both within the Archdiocese’s parameters for the project. John will review St. Patrick’s preliminary plans for the Parish Center and will present a formal design at the next Parish Council meeting.

Tom reported that the Parish Center Fundraising Committee has met 3 times since the June meeting of the Parish Council. Before the project goes forward, the Fundraising Committee intends report in writing to the Parish Council on the amount of pledges and donations it has raised to pay for the Parish Center. A Building Committee of parishioners in the building trades has been formed to work with the architect.

At the April meeting of the Parish Council, Mary Ryan suggested that the parish erect a cross, covered with a purple shroud for the next season of Lent. All agreed with her suggestion and the decision was made to erect a cross this summer. Accordingly, the cross will be installed by September 1^st, with the Grand Opening scheduled for Sunday, September 9^th. The cross will be 12 feet high with a white corpus. The exact location of the cross has not yet been determined.

Bud Wenzel suggested replacing the wooden door from the Church to the Children’s Chapel with a glass door, which would allow more light to filter into the Children’s Chapel. The Parish Council will consider this suggestion in its future building design plans.

The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Monday, September 10^th at 7:30 P.M.