Over the course of this year, the St. Hilary parish community is going through a transition. Father Tarantino will be away on a sabbatical until the middle of December 2009. He will remain as Pastor of St. Hilary until July 1, 2010.
The Parish Council, along with the Finance Council and Parish Staff, your servants in Christ, are asking for your help, cooperation and prayers over the course of this year. With the discernment process and the arrival of a new Pastor next July 1, it is important to define the past, current and future direction of the parish. There are four focus areas that are being addressed. They are:
1. Parish Phone Survey: This past summer there was an outreach survey by phone to a large number of parishioners. This phone survey was led and conducted by the Parish Council. Final results of the survey will be posted in November. We are grateful to those who have responded to our calls and to the committee for their exceptional efforts. For further information please contact David O'Connor at daveo35@hotmail.com.
2. Parish Leadership Workshop: On Saturday, October 3 the parish hall was filled
with over 120 participants for our Leadership Workshop was held here at St. Hilary.
The workshop was led by Mr. Albert Winseman of Gallup Consulting and author of
Growing an Engaged Church. Al gave an outstanding presentation on the
critical role lay leadership plays in our parish community and how parishioners can
become more engaged. Those attending were treated to information and strategies
for looking at our community's strengths and thinking about our community's future.
In acknowledging that each person brings their own unique knowledge and talents,
we each have an opportunity to be more engaged in our parish family. By inviting
others to experience the benefits of being more closely engaged in the parish life,
we make our spiritual life more fulfilling and the parish community vibrant and
welcoming. (See Photos – Leadership Workshop) For
further information please contact Shawn Sylvia at
ssylvia@sbcglobal.net
or Dan Veto at danveto@gmail.com.
3. Parish Survey: On the weekend of November 7 and 8 and the week that follows, the
Parish Council and Staff will be inviting everyone to take a 25 question survey
called the ME25. This survey will be conducted during all of the masses that
weekend. During the week before and after, you will also be able to take the
survey on-line, for those who so choose. The survey will measure the various
levels of engagement our parishioners experience. For more information please
contact Tim Geraghty at tg53@ntrs.com.
4. Parish Town Hall Meeting: On Saturday, January 9, 2010, there will be Parish
Town Hall meeting taking place here at St. Hilary. Father Tarantino, with the
help of parish leaders, will lead our community in a day of reporting, discernment
and planning. The parish will hear the results of the summer phone survey, the
leadership summit and the ME25 question survey. All those present will have an
opportunity to comment and make suggestions as to the current direction of the
parish. Young and older young will gather in the power of the Spirit and ask God
for the grace to know how to move our community forward. The day will end with
a celebration of the mass. For more information please contact Diane Cummings
at cummings6@comcast.net.
In addition to the four focus areas, 130 parishioners are participating in the Parish program called, Longing for the Holy – Spirituality for Everyday Life. This is a six-week program that appeals to everyone who desires to grow spiritually in his or her everyday life. The program is in two parts, the first six weeks take place in the fall and the second six weeks during the season of Lent.
| Parish Council | Finance Council | Parish Staff |
| Chip Cohan, Chair | Lidiette Ratiana, Chair | Fr. James T. Tarantino, Pastor |
| Serge Dumont | Mike Bentivoglio | Fr. Lawrence, Parochial Vicar |
| Laurie Anne Kenney | Terry Cahill | Vicki Bornstein, Pastoral Associate |
| Maurine Trimbach | Bill Osenton | Bryan Clement, Principal |
| Diane Cummings | Mike Pautler | Sr. Dolores, Pastoral Associate |
| Sr. Pat Erickson | Sharon Lewis | Theresa Miller, Bus. Assistant |
| David O'Connor | Patrick Walravens | Lisa Veto, DRE |
| Gail Gaffney | Vincent Stadlin, Music & Liturgy | |
| Kirsty Ellis | Bill Tiedje, Business Manager | |
| Tim Geraghty | Diana Rittenhouse, Secretary | |
| Shawn Sylvia | ||
| Dan Veto |
