January 2013 Core Meeting Minutes

January 7, 2013 at Mary Immaculate Auditorium #1

Attendance

Present
Carmen Pernudi, Ricky Jones, Rosemary Moreno, Andrew Guerrero, Danny Lopez, Laurie Serrano, Rosie Cárdenas, Larry Ruiz, Sal Barrios, Deysi Martinez, Deacon Ken Elsey, Susan Castillo, Fr. Porfirio Garcia, OMI

Absent
Sandy Klevinskas

Opening

Opening Prayer
Brief moment of silence followed by a prayer led by Ricky Jones.

Announcement
Andrew let everyone know that there was a change of plans and the selection of the new Core members will be taking place at a later date. He apologized for the late notice.

Prayer Exercise
Deacon Ken shared that the gifts that the wise men brought to the newborn king, specifically frankincense and myrrh, both come from a tree. Frankincense was used in the worship of God, then and now. Myrrh was used in the anointing of the dead to prepare them for burial. He then asked the Core to share what gifts they would offer to Jesus today.

Review of Last Month’s Minutes
Andrew motioned that we accept last month’s minutes as-is and Rosie seconded that motion.

Citizen to Be Heard

The following issues were brought to the attention of the Core:

Raj Rajput: He wanted to give a report on the men’s retreat. He felt he could’ve been a better co-director, but he thought that the team formation in trying to keep everything so organized took away from the bonding of the team. He felt that in trying to get everything perfect for the retreat he felt that they lost perspective along the way. There was a lot of anger and frustration when he saw a different part of ACTS. He is glad that there are a lot of programs available for follow-up after the retreat. He was very disappointed in this retreat and thought about leaving early. The emotional aspect of the retreat he felt was pushed aside and his opinion is that we need to keep that incorporated into the retreat experience. That we need to be giving our service out of love and not treat it so much like a business. Carmen explained that the Core wants to hear this kind of feedback while it is happening and not after it’s too late to do anything about it. She said that the Core wants to be able to help out and make sure everything is moving smoothly, but that we need to know about the problem so that we can fix it. Raj also added that the shooting that took place the week of the retreat also had an impact on the retreat.
Lydia Carrizosa: She shared that St. Ferdinand is having a ministry fair on the 27th and she thought it would be a good idea to have an ACTS table with information and applications. Andrew stated that ACTS will be participating and Rosie added that there is a need for volunteers to man the table throughout the day.

Old Business

The Core addressed issues brought up at the previous meeting.

Core Members Attendance: Carmen explained that there was going to be a vote to ask Sandy to step down due to lack of presence at Core meetings, but she has sent an email stating that she is stepping down from the Core so a vote will not be needed. She also explained that Lillian is next in line to take Sandy’s place. Susan was concerned that having a husband and a wife on the Core (Deacon Ken and Lillian Elsey) might be a conflict of interest. Andrew explained that he didn’t think it would be a problem. Carmen mentioned that she did speak to ACTS Missions regarding an immediate family relation
between a Parish Liason and a possible nominee. They didn’t see it as an issue since the Pastoral
Liason is not a voting member. Susan also explained that Deacon has a strong impact on other people because of his role as a Deacon and his being a primary figure in bringing ACTS to our community, even without a vote. Rosie motioned that this discussion be tabled for now.
Directors Not to Pay for Retreat: Carmen mentioned that since Spiritual Director’s don’t pay to be on retreat, it has been suggested that the director’s shouldn’t have to pay either. Deacon explained that the reason the Spiritual Director doesn’t pay is because they don’t work for free and if we went out to hire one for the retreat we would have to pay. Carmen explained that this wasn’t the reasoning behind the initial decision. Rosemary didn’t think it would be fair to the director’s have gone before if we changed this now. Ricky added that there wouldn’t be an end to who would get a free ride if we made this decision. Sal explained that since director’s are chosen we could possibly provide scholarships if they are in financial hardship. It was unanimously voted that director’s will continue to pay. Susan asked if it would be possible to help out the previous women’s director since she was in financial distress in this type. Sal stated that the scholarship fund is there for that purpose and it was voted unanimously to provide a reimbursement to the previous women’s director.
Core Team Training: Jay Vela will be coming out from San Antonio to provide Core Team training for our St. Ferdinand community as well as those in Rancho Cucamonga and Azusa on June 1st, 2013. Anyone is welcome to attend, but there might be a cost for materials.
Easter Series: Fr. Frank handed out a copy of a letter that he was taking to the three pastors introducing to them the Easter Series. It included the schedule of speakers and a list of members for the committee that will be tasked with handling the promotion of the event. This committee will be led by Ricky Jones who will be joined with ACTS members from each parish and also parishioners from each parish who are not involved with ACTS to help us better reach the whole of our english speaking St. Ferdinand community.
Selection of Directors and Core Members: Fr. Porfirio suggested we have a questionnaire for these people to make sure they meet all of the qualifications. This is the reason we aren’t selecting the new Core members for another two weeks. Carmen asked that if anyone had any questions or comments to please let her know so that she can make any necessary changes. Deacon suggested that we ask if they are living together (co-habitating). Fr. Porfirio also added that on retreat Mass is available in the mornings and many of the retreatants are not in a state of grace to be able to receive communion. Fr. Porfirio suggested that since the retreat follows the Triduum format and that the return Mass could be the only Mass. He also added that we need to make sure the return Mass varies so that we can celebrate it at each of the St. Ferdinandes.
Evangelization Resources: Ricky shared two opportunities for evangelization that he suggested we take advantage of. The first was from Lighthouse Catholic Media which provides a kiosk loaded with books, DVDs, CDs, booklets, and pamphlets. Parishioners can then gain access to these materials for free and can leave donations which help to replenish the resources. The second was the Dynamic Catholic book program which offers books and CDs for $2-3 each. Deacon suggested that perhaps we sell them at a table on retreat and other ACTS events and use the proceeds to replenish the materials. Ricky will bring more information to the Core about both of these opportunities.

New Business

The Core brought new ideas and issues to the table.

Chapter Training: ACTS Missions is offering chapter training in San Antonio. A chapter is necessary when various parishes in the same diocese are putting on ACTS retreats. They are responsible for training Core teams and retreat directors. Carmen will be letting the Core know when more information is available about this training.
Prison ACTS: Danny explained that he has been involved in prison ministry for the past few months. He feels a call to pursue this effort in possibly putting on ACTS retreats in the prisons. He shared a letter from a prisoner who was requesting ACTS and asked us to pray about the possibility. Deacon added that he had heard that there was a concern that you are not allowed to bring anything into the prison. Fr. Porfirio suggested building a relationship with the chaplains. Carmen added that her experience with the Christmas Caroling at Camp Joseph Scott was a positive one, although it was sad to see the young girls. She mentioned that it is something that we should continue to pursue.

Coordinator Reports

Each member of the Core gave an update:

Supplies: Danny said that he wants to do inventory on the 26th at 7:30am at St. Ferdinand, but that he is waiting to get his keys back.
Financial: Sal provided a financial report for the month consisting of $19,794 in assets, $1,914 in scholarships, $13,094 in liabilities (money owed to parishes), leaving $6,700 in total equity. The men’s retreat has been paid and there have been reimbursement checks written that are not included in this report.
Communication: Ricky recommended Matthew Kelly’s new book “The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic” and suggested that all members of the Core read it to help refocus on the four pillars of ACTS and our purpose. He added that Kelly’s four signs – prayer, study, generosity, and evangelization – are strikingly similar to the four pillars of ACTS – adoration, community, theology, and service. He shared that the book is available for free online at dynamiccatholic.com with a $5 shipping and handling fee.
Spiritual: Susan explained that the Crocheters for Christ was a very successful effort. The women who gathered made 79 crocheted caps and delivered them to the cancer patients at Kaiser Permanente in Panorama City. She also added that it’s important that we reach out to our brothers and sisters who are in need and suffering in our community. We can provide the love that people are in need of as Christians. Family Rosary Night will take place Friday, January 18th at 6:00pm.
Social: Rosie recommended that we let the community know about the LA Religious Education Conference which will take place in Anaheim February 22nd – 24th.
Women’s Retreat: Deysi stated that 53 women showed up to the mini-retreat and that it was a blessing from God. Armida Torres will be the Spiritual Companion. Sara Aguilera will lead the music ministry. The first meeting will be Thursday, January 10th at 7:00pm at Mary Immaculate.
Music: Rosemary thanked the ACTS community for the support of her family after her father’s passing.
Men’s Retreat: Carlos Martinez provided a financial report to Sal. He also explained that he had spoken to 80% of the retreatants by phone personally and that they all were fed by God through the retreat. There were seven people who dropped out for a total of 27 retreatants. He stated that he can use the bus in the future. The ministry and service leaders were happy to have been able to take full control of their ministries/services. He reported that the reunion was very successful and that there are some men that will be joining the small faith communities.
Facilitators: Carmen added that there will be a special meeting for the Core member selection which will take place on a Tuesday. She will let us know the date and location.

Closing

Next Meeting
The meeting will be held Monday, February 4th. Deysi will do the opening prayer and Danny will do the closing prayer. Rosie will bring snacks and Carmen will be bringing drinks.

Closing Prayer
Susan Castillo led the closing prayer.