EVANGELIZATION TEAM MEETINGS
EVANGELIZATION TEAM MEETING

June 10, 2025, 6:00 p.m., OLS Church Conference Room

SUMMARY

Opening Prayer – The Synodal Prayer was prayed to start the meeting. Those in attendance were Deacon Craig Voldberg, Linda Applebee, Gary Hecimovich, Colleen Kopras, Lani Burki, Karen Riggs, Barb Kemper, Fr. Papi Yeruva, Peggy Novak, and Bob Lecheler.

Summary of Last Meeting – The summary of the meeting held on January 29 was reviewed. There were no corrections.

Cluster Changes
  • Roles and Responsibilities – With Fr. Papi leaving to serve in the Spooner cluster, there was a brief discussion of the transition between him and Fr. Joseph Kumar Mayakuntla who will be coming to this cluster. Fr. Joseph will serve as the Sacramental Minister for the cluster. Bob will be the Parish Director. Fr. Joseph will take care of the sacramental needs of the cluster. Bob will be in charge of the administration of the cluster. The overall operation of the cluster parishes will look relatively the same.
  • Other – Weekend Mass times beginning July 1st will be Saturday: 3:30 at St. Francis, 5:30 at St. Mary in Bruce; Sunday: 7:30 at Ss Peter and Paul, 9:00 at OLS, and 10:30 at St. Anthony. The weekday Mass times will be Wednesday: 8:45 at OLS, 11:00 at St. Anthony; Thursday: 8:15 at Ss Peter & Paul, 9:30 at St. Mary in Bruce; Friday: 8:15 at St. Francis.

Letter from Chris Newkirk – May23, 2025 – The letter was reviewed with special attention to the second and third paragraphs. The second paragraph points out the diocesan website for the Office of Transition which contains numerous resources. In particular, it mentions the revised by-laws for parish councils and the Pillar IV checklist for parish stability. The third paragraph mentions the four questions listed in the Pastoral Plan: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How do we get there? How do we know if we are succeeding? Details of each question were reviewed on page 6 of the Pastoral Plan. It was pointed out that the questions will be used to examine the vitality of the cluster and each parish in the cluster.

Pillar IV Stable Parish Checklist

  • Parish – The checklist was distributed and reviewed. It is divided into Pastoral Planning, Evangelization and Formation, Focus on Sacraments, Corporate Structure, and Finances. There was discussion of the various attributes listed in the checklist and how the list will help in determining goals for the cluster and each parish. The checklist will be shared with parish councils as well in order to get their feedback.
  • Cluster – There was discussion about completing the checklist at the parish level and bringing the results back to the evangelization team to work on a cluster checklist.

Establishing Team Structure
  • Parish – There was discussion to have an Evangelization Team just for the cluster and to rely on the parish councils to provide input to the team relative to each parish’s status. The trustees in each parish are members of the Evangelization Team
  • Cluster

Diocesan Assistance

  • Accountability – Peggy Schoenfuss will be the contact person for our cluster to the Diocesan Transition Office. She will be calling the cluster administration to find out how things are going and what services the Diocese can provide.

  • Four Questions

  1. Where are we now? Careful self assessment.
  2. Where do we need to go? Goals.
  3. How do we get there? Practical steps and strategies.
  4. How do we know if we are succeeding? Evaluation and Reflection.

Plan for Future Meetings

  • Frequency – There was discussion to determine how often the team would like to meet. Meeting monthly helps ensure momentum will not be lost. However, meeting too often can place a burden on the membership. It was decided to meet in August and determine at that meeting how often to meet.
  • The next meeting will be August 12, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., in the OLS School

Closing Prayer – Fr. Papi closed the meeting in prayer.
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Respectfully submitted,
Bob Lecheler
EVANGELIZATION TEAM MEETING

January 29, 2025, 6:00 p.m., OLS Church Conference Room

SUMMARY

Opening Prayer: Fr. Papi opened the meeting in prayer. Those in attendance were Fr. Papi Yeruva, Charlie Gruenke, Lani Burki, Peggy Novak, Shari Sheehy, Todd Sheehy, Colleen Kopras, and Bob Lecheler.

Review Summary of Last Meeting: The summary of the October 23, 2024, meeting was reviewed. There were no corrections or questions.

Begin Review of Document: Approaches for Realizing Positive Change and Transformation
  • Overview of Document: The overview indicated that change is inevitable and that we need to embrace the possibility of change, focusing on the positive aspects of the cluster and parishes.
  • Mission: The cluster mission statement goes back to before the establishment of the six-parish cluster in July 2011. There was discussion to determine if the mission for the cluster continues to identify the purpose of the cluster.
  • Vision: Vision asks what we hope to become. Discussion followed along those lines. Suggestions included stronger families, knowing our faith better, working together, more vibrant communities, focus on servant leadership, incorporating Catholic social teachings, and understanding the role of people’s perceptions of what makes us Catholic.
  • Values: Values of our Catholic faith in the cluster include the teaching magisterium of the Church, sacraments, a sense of the transcendent, Scripture, the value of life, and the importance of relationships.
  • Priorities: There was a brief discussion of what should be the priorities of the cluster. It was suggested that priorities depend upon the situation and challenges at hand.
It was determined that we would continue with the discussion at our next meeting.

  • SMART Goals
  • SWOT
  • Change
  • Communication

Set Plan and Date for Next Meeting: The next meeting is April 30, 2025, 6:00 p.m., in the OLS Church conference room.

Closing Prayer: Fr. Papi closed the meeting in prayer
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Respectfully submitted, Bob Lecheler

RCCC SYNOD SUMMARY

Feedback from the cluster Synod gathering  provided a variety of insights.  There were many positive comments about the impact parish activities have on the community.  Concerns were expressed about reduction in attendance a t Mass, particularly the lack of children and young families.  The desire to pass on the faith was evident.  As a result, Fr. Papi is asking for each parish to have a Bible study to ignite faith development.  People are encouraged to continue to live their faith on a daily basis and be witnesses for Christ. During the world-wide Eucharistic revival.  We have the opportunity to reflect on the importance of the Eucharist in our faith and to demonstrate it in our actions.