The following report attempts to address a few of the circumstances which have a powerful influence on our parish life. These circumstances will need to be taken into consideration as we try to plan for our future. This information is presented to you to assist you in preparing for the Open Parish Meeting which will be held on Wednesday, April 13th, at 7:30 p.m. in Syrianey Hall. The purpose of this meeting is to give any parishioner an opportunity to speak to the pastor and the pastoral council about any concerns you have as well as your ideas about our future.

Twenty-seven years ago, when our parish was founded, there was a dedicated core of parishioners who worked with the first pastor. Many of the people in this early community got to know each other very well, became friends, celebrated births and baptisms, first communions, and other life moments. In order for the parish buildings to be erected, these people had to work very hard on committees to raise the funds and organize the ministries that are the heart and soul of every parish. When people came to celebrate mass here at St. Michael’s, they celebrated with people that they knew.

But times have changed. We are now not one community – but a community of communities. We are a parish of over 3300 registered families. Over 10,000 individuals have some kind of connection to our parish community.

How do we keep our parish personal?

What must we do to help people feel like they matter and that they as a member of this community are important. If people do not feel like they matter, they don’t take their membership seriously.
I would like to propose an action for you to comment on at the open parish meeting. I would like each parishioner to be responsible for 10 other parish members for a period of one year. This would mean making phone calls and home visits throughout the year. Would you be willing to take on this responsibility?

Not only has St. Michael’s Parish grown, it is constantly changing. Look at these numbers.

Number of Additions	Year	Number of Deletions
318 408 379 372 259 338	1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004	301 384 376 357 388 290
2074	6 years	2096

Over the period of six years since I have been pastor of St. Michael’s, our total enrollment has remained almost the same. But the people who are here are not all the same people. Over four-thousand family units have come and gone during this period of six years!

What kind of impact does this type of change have on a parish?

• The addition of new parishioners brings new ideas and new ways of doing things.
• Some people know that they are going to be here for only a short time and are reluctant to become involved.
• Some people seem to carry the burden of parish ministry without being able to find replacements.
• Communication to parishioners is always a challenge with this kind of high turnover.

Given the high turnover of membership in our parish, hospitality must become a priority of our Sunday celebration and a priority for all ministries and organizations.

I would like to propose another action for you to comment on. I would like each member of the parish to consider being actively involved in one of the ministries of the parish on Sunday. That would mean that each parishioner would have to be willing to be trained to serve in one of the ministries of the liturgy for a period of one year at a time. Would you be willing to do this?

Not only has St. Michael’s Parish grown in number. Not only are we a rapidly changing parish community. We are also a community of many cultures and language groups.
In September of 2004 we invited people at one of the Sunday masses to indicate the country of their origin. On just one weekend in September we learned that people from 30 different countries were present at mass. They came from all continents, North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

In the 1800s new immigrants to America often lived in ghettos. Irish, German, Italian, Slavic neighborhoods and churches existed in all the major cities. It was a great and powerful taboo for an Irish man and an Italian woman to even think of dating or getting married. People didn’t even frequent one another’s churches, even though all were Catholic. The Catholic Church in the United States does not wish to repeat this experience of ghettos. The Church invites us to come together – to learn about each other – to celebrate with each other – and to celebrate our diversity even as we seek to create a new unity.

Can we find a way to welcome peoples from different countries and language groups without awakening fear and prejudice?

I would like to propose that we set up a series of community meetings each year to talk about the issues of welcoming people from different countries. I would also like to propose that we develop an annual international food festival as a way of celebrating our common membership in the family of God. Would you be willing to participate in a discussion? Would you be willing to try and taste a few new foods as an occasion of getting acquainted?

With the Finance Council, approves the Jubilee Debt Reduction collection to retire the debt on the Church. Debt is retired in December 2002.

Approves the introduction of Renew 2000 and Beyond. Purpose is to begin the development of small Christian communities at St. Michael's. Program introduced September 2000. Final Season concluded December 2002. January 2003 new core community formed to continue development of small Christian communities.

With the Finance Council, approves the purchase of the house at 3310 S. Cathay Street. Purpose is to convert the bulding into a rectory. Approved construction to renovate rectory October 2002.

Council esablishes an Annual Meeting of the leaders of all parish minisries. Purpose is to become more familiar with the m inistries that are staffed by volunteers. With these ministries, the Council begins planning the Annual Ministry Fair.

With the Finance Council, approves salary increases for the pre-school teachers, coinciding with the effort introduced by Archibishop Chaput to bring salaries in Catholic schools into greater equity with salaries of public school teachers.

Holds public forum to allow parishioners to ask questions about how the parish implements the Sexual Misconduct Policy of the Archdiocese. Reviews practices implemented at parish level to make sure that the parish is in conformity with Archdiocesan Policy. In October 2002 approves a resolution supporting the action of the bishops at their July meeting in Dallas.

Council holds its second meeting with leaders of the parish ministries. Three priorities are introduced for the coming year: 1) developing a plan for stewardship, 2) celebrating St. Michael's 25th Anniversary and 3) beginning a process to look at future building needs.