Parish Council
The main purpose of the Parish Council is to represent our diverse parish, and to advise the Pastor. Using a consensus model of decision making, this group develops and refines the plans for our Parish. St. Anthony Parish Council originated in the early 1970's as an informal group under the pastorate of Father John Campbell. The Council was formalized in 1978 with the approval of a Constitution and Bylaws. In 1997 the Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines was ratified and again in November 2011 (click here to view this current document).
The Parish Council meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Parish Center except in December and July. Current Council members are: Tina Eison-Jefferson, Pat Fedders, Alice FitzGerald, Eric Frayer, Kate Kenny (Chair), Kathy Kremer, Jesse LePage (Vice-Chair), Cheryl McCarthy, Gloria Parker-Martin, Martha Taulbee, Mary Lynn Woebkenberg and Dave Wolfer. For more information, click here for e-mail addresses of Council leadership.
Focus Group Areas
In 2005 Parish Council decided that the organizational structure of the parish needed to change in response both to staffing realities and to the increased role of the laity. In the foreseeable future, a pastor will typically serve more than one parish and St. Anthony Church will continue to be involved in many ministries and activities.
In view of those realities, Parish Council consolidated existing activities into five key areas as prioritized by parishioners so the work of coordinating and communicating among ministries could be achieved more effectively, not only by staff members, but also by the parishioners who are volunteering their time. While ministry leaders and committee members continue their work as before, the focus areas of Worship, Faith Formation, Justice, Outreach and Ownership make it possible for parish leaders to have more input on issues that require coordination and communication.
Part of the effort to coordinate and communicate involves having the focus areas meet simultaneously three times a year: first to identify goals and needs for each focus areas in the winter; then to allocate resources for each in the spring; and then to evaluate each group’s accomplishments in the fall. Having the groups meet simultaneously provides the opportunity for each group to do their own work and then to share it on the spot with the other groups, with staff and with Parish Council, who participate as stewards in the process,
Click here for an update on the priorities pulled from the 2009 Parish Survey.