Author: Jayne

15 January 2025, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes), Father Kevin, Sian Price, David Bellamy, Richard McQuinn, Stephen Spooner, Sam Caldwell.

Apologies: Richard Bushell, Maria Levesley, Deacon Stephen Parker.

Mike led the opening prayer.

Matters Arising

Mike has not had a response from the Bishop about the process for choosing who will be on the Diocesan Pastoral Council. He may write again.

All payments have been made to the chosen charities as part of the Parish commitment to their Covenant with the Poor.

Mike has sent webpage updates to Paul Middlemas.

Liturgy and Spirituality

No report was received. Mike will contact Stephen Parker about recruiting new members for this group as well as plans for the Jubilee and any events for Lent or Easter.

Action: Mike to contact Stephen Parker.

LiveSimply Campaign

The monthly topics continue and seem to be going well. Another recycling Sunday will be held on 26 January. There will be a talk from someone from S2 Foodbank after Mass on 16 Feb so we can look at ways we might work together and find out more about their work.

Action: Stephen Spooner to put note in the Franciscan about the S2 Foodbank visit.

Youth Ministry

No report received.

Other Matters

The Bishop has requested that each parish funds a pilgrim to go to Lourdes. The focus should be on someone who would not be able to go otherwise. Mike will put a note in the Franciscan and discuss with Kevin Exell, who has a list of those who receive communion at home.

Action: Mike to put note in Franciscan and contact Kevin E.

Maintenance

The roof tiles have been repaired as well as the chapel skyline. The upper room windows still need finishing. Sam will contact Johnny at the Diocese to get this moving.

Action: Sam to contact Johnny.

Father Kevin needs a new washing machine.

Action: David will sort out getting a new washing machine.

The lines in the car park need to be repainted.

Action: Mike to find out how to go about the repainting.

Action: David to contact the secretary of the football club about financial assistance with this.

Wendy, the organist will be stepping down soon. It was agreed that she should receive a token of appreciation and card of thanks for her support to the parish over many years.

Action: Mike to discuss gift and card with Maria.

Social events were discussed and there was a suggestion of a Ceiledh.

Action: Mike to contact Petra and Mel about holding this on the Saturday after Easter.

Finance Committee

All financial commitments to the Diocese have been paid. As agreed, the Diocese have moved some of our money into investment accounts. The card reader is working well and about £25-30 is added to the offertory each week through the card reader, so costs are being covered.

Father Kevin read the closing prayer.

Date of next meeting 11 March 2025 at 7:30pm.

AGM will be held on 22 April 2025.

12 November 2024, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes) Stephen Spooner, Father Kevin, Sian Price, Richard Bushell, Deacon Stephen Parker, Richard McQuinn, David Bellamy.

Apologies: Maria Levesley

The opening prayer was led by Mike.

Matters Arising

The bell ringing five minutes before Mass begins to signal silence seems to be working well. Mike will discuss with the readers whether or not they are happy to announce what Sunday it is before the first reading at the meeting on the 24th.

The person who originally installed the Velux windows will come to sort out them out in December. An appointment has been booked for this.

Liturgy and Spirituality

Geraldine Houlton and Margaret Neal may be interested in helping with this and planning a course for the Parish.

For the Jubilee it was suggested that our main action should be a couple of pilgrimages, probably to be held next summer. One could be to Padley. Sian and Mike will plan this one. The other to the Cathedral. Stephen P will plan this one.

Action: Sian and Mike to plan pilgrimage to Padley for next summer.

Action: Stephen P to plan pilgrimage to the Cathedral for next summer.

Justice and Peace

Sian presented a brief summary of the work being done on LiveSimply. A full report was presented at the AGM. We discussed the charities being supported this year as part of our commitment to living in solidarity with the poor. It was agreed at the AGM that Care in Crosspool would be included as one of the charities for this year. However, going forward, any support for this charity should come directly from parish funds. There also does not appear to have been a collection for Palestinian Christians this year.

Action: David to pay agreed amount to the nine charities for 2024.

Youth Ministry

The youth group continues to meet every month. A first holy communion course will start after Christmas. A call for confirmands will go out around Pentecost and start next September.

Finance

The card reader machine is working and we expect to break even with this by Christmas. The stand is broken but David hopes he will be able to fix this. There have been a couple of meetings of the Finance Committee and all accounting systems seem to be in order thanks to help from Liz.

There was some discussion that Leo should be paid for all the painting he has done. Richard M will contact him to ensure he submits an invoice.

Social Events

The panto will be taking place again this year. It is hoped that Maria, Mel and Petra will organise a Celidh for next year.

We still need someone to help organise the children’s nativity service.

Safeguarding

Stephen P said that this should be a topic for discussion at parish council meetings from now on. There is guidance for going into people’s houses and this will be shared with Eucharistic ministers.

New Lectionary

All the new Mass books have arrived. David will arrange a meeting of readers to discuss the changes on 24 November at 10am. Mike to put a note in the Franciscan about this and send an e-mail to the readers.

Action: Mike to put a note in Franciscan and David to arrange meeting for readers.

Other Matters

Father Kevin said that we have not had a volunteer to put forward for the Diocesan Pastoral Council. David said he would be happy to put his name forward. Mike to write to the Bishop to ask how the person will be chosen to represent Sheffield

Action: Mike to write to the Bishop.

Some parts of the webpage are out of date. Mike will contact Paul M with some suggested updates.

Action: Mike to send webpage updates to Paul M.

David said the wifi is now working reasonably well throughout the church building.

Father Kevin said the closing prayer.

Date of next meeting 14 January 2025 at 7:30pm.

10 September 2024, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes), Father Kevin, Sian Price, David Bellamy, Stephen Spooner, Richard Bushell, Edmund King.

Apologies: Lindsay Reynolds, Maria Levesley, Deacon Stephen Parker, Richard McQuinn, Sam Caldwell.

Mike led the group in a 2 minute silent meditation.

Matters Arising

Lindsay would like to resign from the Parish Council due to her other commitments. The Parish Council thanked Lindsay for all her hard work and support over the past years. Mike will put a note in the Franciscan for new Parish Council members

Action: Mike to put a note in the Franciscan about new members.

St John’s Ambulance. Mike has found someone who will do a 1½ hour session for us on resuscitation. Mike will ask this person for a few options for dates and then do a doodle poll with Parish Council to find the best date. The session will be offered to the whole Parish.

Silence before Mass. It was suggested that a bell could be rung 5 minutes before Mass starts so that the congregation knows it is time for silence.

Action: Mike to discuss bell ringing with Jonathan.

It was determined that about 150 Mass books will be ordered.

Card Reader

David went through information on card readers (4 firms) and suggested that DONA would be a good option for us. Costs are expected to be £495 for hardware, £80 for the stand, £480 for a digital collection plate, £15/monthly fee and 1.69% interest per transaction. The card reader is able to do gift aid. It was decided that we will start with one card reader and reassess after 3 months.

Liturgy and Spirituality

The year of the Jubilee is next year (2025). Father Kevin said that everyone in the diocese will receive a Pilgrim Passport at the end of September. Stephen Parker is making plans for preparation for the Jubilee and will discuss these at the next meeting. Fr Kevin also suggested we revert to the pre COVID practice of the altar servers receiving Communion at the step of the sanctuary with everyone else.

LiveSimply Campaign

Progress on the campaign was discussed. This included:

Monthly topics to provide information and ask people to make pledges. August’s topic was Nature and September’s is recycling.

The wildlife garden is doing well.

The purchasing policy is operational. Fairtrade tea and coffee is being purchased from the Good Taste Fairtrade Shop. David asked who is responsible for purchasing cleaning products and toilet rolls and asked how they would like to be reimbursed.

Action: Eva to discuss with Susanne the purchasing of cleaning products and toilet roll and ask her to liaise directly with David for reimbursement.

The Covenant with the Poor will be discussed at the AGM.

Our first Recycling Sunday will be held on 22 September.

Plans for twinning with another Parish are underway but there hasn’t been too much progress over the summer on this. It is ongoing.

The Toilet Twinning project will probably start during Lent.

Youth Ministry

The Youth Group will start up again soon. Some youths from our Parish are engaged with Diocesan youth events. Richard is discussing with the Diocesan Youth Lead, Sue MacDonald as to how they can best work together.

Finance Committee

Sam, David and Father Kevin are due to meet to discuss finances. They will set out a budget as requested by the Diocese. Edmund will join them due to his involvement with Gift Aid.

Other Matters

All downstairs windows have been painted and the Lychgate Velux windows are working. The two windows in the upper room are not yet connected. It was not clear what is happening with this.

Action: Mike to contact Ed to chase this with the Diocese.

The Parish Day will be held on 6 October 2024 with a shared lunch and CAFOD talk by Thom Flynn.

The AGM will be held on 22 October 2024. Reports will be needed from the groups and cheese and wine will be served. The finance report has already been prepared.

Action: Mike to put a note in the Franciscan about the Parish Day and the AGM.

Social Events

A Ceilidh was proposed and it was thought that this could be held in November.

Action: Mike to contact Mel about the Ceilidh.

Mike and Sian are organising a Parish Walk. They will advertise this in the Franciscan.

Mike will ask Mel about preparations for the creche area.

Father Kevin read the closing prayer.

Date of next meeting 12 November 2024 at 7:30pm.

22 October 2024, 7:30pm

Attendees

Mike Campbell (chair)	Stephen Spooner
Llindsay Reynolds	Anne Shepherd
Jacinta Campbell	Bernie Shepherd
Father Kevin	Ben Ryan
Sam Caldwell	Maria Levesley
Jenny King	Richard McQuinn
Edmund King	Liz Dingle
Alex Krzyz	Richard Bushell
Sian Price	David Bellamy
Clare Byrne	Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes)

Apologies: Michelle Nuttall, Deacon Stephen Parker

Father Kevin led the Opening Prayer.

Reports

1. Chair’s Report

The chair’s report is presented in full in the Annual Report. A brief summary is presented here:

• The church has a new notice board outside
• Work has been done outside the church, including removal of tree branches and installation of a bike rack.
• Work has been done on the velux windows and the roof. The velux windows are still not functioning and Sam Caldwell will chase this. Chairs in the Hall have been cleaned. A new defibrillator has been installed.
• Six editions of the Chronicle have been produced so far.
• David Bellamy is now helping with the Parish IT tasks.
• Richard McQuinn has sorted out the new gas contract for the Parish.
• Lots of money has been raised by the Dance Club and Panto, including for CAFOD.
• Synod responses were coordinated by Stephen Parker.
• Social events and events for the Jubilee are being planned for next year.
• A debit card reader has been installed.

The chair thanked everyone who has contributed to the parish work in so many ways over the past year.

• Finance Committee

The chair thanked Derick Hemmingfield who has done the finances for many years. Sam Caldwell presented this year’s financial report. He said that the finances for the parish were healthy. Two new computers have been purchased and the new Mass books with more to be purchased over the next year. There have been a number of repairs to the building over the past year.

Parishioners were encouraged to use standing orders for financial contributions. Those who have had a standing order for a number of years might consider increasing the amount. Gift aid contributions are a very useful source of income so anyone who hasn’t already completed the gift aid declaration form was encouraged to do so.

The financial record was approved by the Parish.

• Liturgy and Spirituality Group

Deacon Stephen was unable to attend and present the report. This group still needs someone to help with planning Liturgy and Spirituality events. The possibility of a pilgrimage next year for the Jubilee was discussed.

• Youth Ministry

Richard Bushell presented the Youth Ministry report. He mentioned that the youth in the parish are very active as altar servers and as part of the music group. They also contribute to the Youth Mass. Younger members of our Parish contribute to the annual panto and dance shows and pursue individual initiatives such as attending World Youth Day and Pilgrim Cross.

Children’s liturgy is thriving and thanks were made to Clare Byrne for running this. The Youth Group has about six members and new members (years 10-13) are always welcome.  

We have an annual First Communion programme and thanks were made to Debora Ruvinski for running this. The Confirmation programme runs every two years. Two older youth who are not members of the Parish have come forward to be received in the Catholic faith and they are receiving instruction. A relationship is being developed with the Diocesan Youth Team.

A query was raised as to whether or not members of our youth community could read at Mass. It was acknowledged that some training in reading in Public would be helpful.

• Justice and Peace Group

Sian has submitted the group’s report highlighting activities that have taken place throughout the year.  At the Parish Day Thom Flint from CAFOD gave a presentation on the work they do in the Democratic Republic of Conga (DRC).

Maria described the LiveSimply Campaign which the group is involved in and said the launch event in April was well attended. The LiveSimply Campaign has three themes.

To live simply

Parishioners have been invited to make pledges for things they can do to help the environment. Each month a new theme is presented with the opportunity to present pledges.

To live sustainably

A parish purchasing policy has been developed. We now use eco friendly cleaning products and faire trade tea and coffee. We now have a wildlife garden and a had a recent recycling Sunday.

To live in solidarity with the poor

Eva presented some of the work for this theme including the continued support of the parish for CAFOD and S2 Foodbank. She discussed plans for next year including a showing of the film “The Letter” about climate change and plans to raise funds for toilet twinning in Lent next year.

The new parish Covenant with the Poor was presented. The Parish Council had previously agreed to 5% of the annual offertory contributions to be distributed among a number of chosen charities working to alleviate poverty. It was agreed that at least in the first year the emphasis will be on local charities. The chosen charities are:

• ASSIST
• S2 Foodbank
• Sheffield SVP
• Sheffield City of Sanctuary
• St Wilfrid’s Centre
• Buzz contact centre
• Baby Basics
• Roundabout
• Care in Crosspool

Father Kevin led the closing prayer.

9 July 2024, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes), Father Kevin, Maria Levesley, Sian Price, David Bellamy, Deacon Stephen Parker, Richard McQuinn, Stephen Spooner, Sam Caldwell, Mel de Maio (for part of the meeting).

Apologies: Richard Bushell, Lindsay Reynolds

Matters Arising

• Thom Flynn, who is the CAFOD photographer will be speaking at our Parish Day about CAFOD.
• It was suggested that the LiveSimply Campaign should be a standing agenda item going forward and all matters pertaining to the campaign could be discussed together.
• David B will report back on progress with training from St John’s Ambulance at the next meeting.
• Work is beginning soon on the repainting of ground floor window frames and the Lychgate. Mike will check on progress. Richard McQuinn said he had some equipment that Leo (the painter) could use and would contact Leo about this. If equipment needs to be purchased, the parish would reimburse.

Parish Mass Books

New books are needed for this Advent. The new Lexionary and Gospels have been paid for already from Parish funds (£825). There was some discussion of the purchase of new Mass books. There are a total of six books needed (two per year cycle). We currently have 200 books for each but this was felt to be too many as numbers of Mass attendees have decreased and many people don’t use them. It was decided that we should determine how many are needed before these are purchased.

Action: Mike to put a note in the Franciscan to about this. The reader after Mass could ask for a show of hands to see how many people used the books during the readings.

Parish Social Events

Mel discussed some options for social events to consider.

• Film night (Mike is interested in helping with this). Ideas for films include Into the Great Silence, Of Gods and Men and The :Letter.
• Nature walk in August (Sian is interested in helping with this).
• Shared vegetarian meal in January (Stephen Spooner is interested in helping with this).
• Summer BBQ
• Fish and Chips or Pizza night
• Harvest Supper
• Ceilidh or barn dance
• Burns night

Other ideas included

• Revamping the notice boards in the Narthex to make them more welcoming and inclusive.
• Creche area for small children. The screen at the back of the Church would be partially opened up and a small area set aside for children. This would be trialled in the autumn.

LiveSimply Campaign

The Covenant with the Poor was presented and approved by the Parish Council with the annual financial commitment to be 5% of the offertory collection. It was agreed that this would be presented at the AGM in October and charities chosen by the Parish at the meeting.

Action: Eva to update the Covenant with the Poor and share final version with the Parish.

There will be a Recycling Sunday every three months to recycle named items, such as old pens or ink cartridges. These will be advertised well in advance. These will be taken to the appropriate recycling point by a member of the Parish.

The Wildlife Garden has been planted and seeds are now sprouting.

Liturgy and Spirituality

2025 is the Year of the Jubilee. Stephen Parker said we need to start considering how we will approach this and what events should be planned. He will work with Lyndsay and the musicians on this and present some suggestions at the next meeting.

Youth Ministry

There was nothing to report currently.

Other matters

There have been some concerns about the noise level in church before Mass. It was suggested that after the musicians finish practice, one of the readers will make an announcement welcoming everyone, stating what Sunday it is and asking for silence before the start of Mass. There will be a note in the Franciscan about this.

Action: Mike to put a note in the Franciscan about silence before Mass.

There was discussion about the need for a card reader. There are various options available and these will be discussed at the next meeting.

Action: David to present card reader options at the next meeting.

Father Kevin had some concerns as the new velux windows are leaking. This was thought to be because they had not been closed properly. The roofing company will be called back to sort this out. The windows in the church will need to have a new system to open them remotely. This will cost £895.

There have been concerns raised in the Crosspool Forum about caress car parking and St Francis has been named as being partly responsible.

Action: Mike to put a note in the Franciscan asking that people take care when parking.

Top priority agenda item for the next meeting will be reformation of the Parish Finance Committee.

Mike read the closing prayer.

Date of next meeting 10 September 2024 at 7:30pm.

12 March 2024, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (Chair), Father Kevin, Richard Bushell, Maria Levesley, David Bellamy, Sam Coldwell and Richard McQuinn (minutes).

Apologies: Deacon Stephen Parker, Stephen Spooner, Eva Kaltenthaler, Lindsay Reynolds, Sian Price

The meeting opened with a short prayer.

• 1. Matters Arising

• Gas Supply: Richard McQuin reported that IFM had processed the application to move into the collective Diocesan scheme for gas supply, St Francis already being in that scheme for electricity. This would lead to cheaper energy costs than could be found elsewhere.  Some alternative suppliers were requiring a circa 150% increase, however, the parish would see increased gas costs of about 25% with IFM, having been protected by the low rates under the old British Gas contract for the last 3 years.  Father Kevin confirmed he had received correspondence from British Gas that the Parish had been put on to the default standard variable rate, so he questioned if the transfer had been fully processed.  Action – RM confirmed he would take this up with IFM.
• Parish Volunteer List: Mike Campbell confirmed he now held an electronic list (register) of all Parish Volunteers as requested by the Diocese on a password protected file on his laptop. Action – see below.
• IT Support:  Mike Campbell confirmed the notice requesting support with the parish desktop and laptop computers and the tasks currently undertaken by John Green had not yet gone into the Franciscan. Action – MC would do this as a matter of urgency.  Note – DB agreed to do this.
• Photo of Confirmation Group for Chronicle: Richard Bushell confirmed this had been sent to the Chronicle.

• 2. Ongoing Synod Process and Diocesan Consultation on Parishes

The Council discussed the above 2 consultation processes that were currently underway, each currently requesting input from individual Parishes.  It was noted that the groups for Synodal discussions were often started with short Lectio Divina sessions.  The Diocesan consultation on Parishes required answers from the Parish by 5 June. 

Mike Campbell tabled a short analysis he had prepared on the Hallam Statistical Data on individual parish Mass Attendance, Baptisms and Expenditure/Income Ratio provided by the Diocese. He went on to explain that probably insufficient context had been provided with the raw data. He would work on the analysis further and submit his analysis to the Diocese.

Later in the meeting Father Kevin raised concerns about the low level of Baptisms, First Communions and Confirmations at Saint Francis.The Parish Council reassured Father Kevin that the statistical analysis showed Saint Francis was broadly typical of parishes within the Hallam Diocese who were experiencing or likely experiencing similar trends.  Saint Francis could not be considered an outliner, or his efforts be considered the cause of the fall in numbers.

Action – A subcommittee of David Bellamy, Richard Bushell and Sam Coldwell would be tasked with preparing a meeting on 8^th May at 7.30 for parishioners to discuss these matters in an appropriate forum.

• 3. Justice and Peace

Maria Levesley reported the group were now ready to launch the CAFOD Live Simply action plan after Mass on 28 April, using 3 stalls to cover the main theme of Live Simply, Live Sustainably, Live in Solidarity with the Poor.

Action – OK to proceed on 28 April

Maria also wanted to speak to the church cleaner about cleaning products used at the Church.

• 4. Liturgy and Spirituality

In her absence, Mike Campbell reported that Lindsay was not yet ready to lead a Bible study course on St Mark’s Gospel.  Claire Byrne was keen to see some aspect of Catholic Social Teaching presented.  Sam Coldwell mentioned New Zealand’s Caritas Aotearoa had many resources on CST.

• 5. Youth Ministry

Richard Bushell reported the youth group continued to meet monthly and that the First Holy Communion preparation was up and running.

• 6. Maintenance

Mike Campbell and Father Kevin reported that:

• Church Door: Efforts were ongoing to repair one of the churches main (large and heavy) doors that had recently stuck. It was going to be a two-man job and John Clarke was not able to undertake it on his own.  If required, one of the Fire doors could be used for access/egress. Action – MC and Father Kevin to continue to pursue.
• Church Windows and Roof Leak:  A number of high windows in the Upper Room and Side Chapel were to be replaced with electronic windows and certain other maintenance work aimed at resolving the roof leak into the narthex were to be undertaken at a cost of £4,800 by Messrs A J Murphy staring on 26^th April.
• Ground floor Windows and Lychgate Repainting:  Mike Campbell would approach Leo Whittaker to see if he was capable and prepared to undertake this work and what cost may be involved. Action – MC to Progress.
• Roving Mic at Mass: It had been noticed that the roving mic was intermittently cutting out.   Sam Coldwell said he would check this with Father Kevin in the coming days.  Father Kevin new the original equipment suppliers if spares or a replacement had to be sourced. Action – SC and Father Kevin to progress.

• 7. Defibrillator

The Parish Council noted the 200 club had offered to purchase a new defibrillator.  David Bellamy ran through the various options in respect of this equipment.  Following discussion, it was agreed David should liaise with the 200 club and source a semi-automatic version and other associated equipment at a cost likely to be in the region of £1,400.  David agreed he was perhaps currently well placed to undertake a monthly inspection of the equipment and associated material.

Action – DB to proceed. Note added DB purchased the defib.

• 8. Social Committee: Social Events.

Following discussion, it was agreed Mike Campbell should put a notice in the Franciscan asking whether anybody would be happy to form a social committee to organise additional social events. Action – MC to proceed.

• 9. Bidding Prayers

Following discussion, it was agreed the parish should continue with the format of having a brief period of individual silent contemplation following each of the individual intentions rather than a collective response such as “Lord Graciously Here Us”.

• 10. CAFOD Visit

CAFOD (Angela Powell) had wanted to visit Saint Francis to thank parishioners for the financial support they had received in recent years. Following discussion, it was agreed that the launch of the Live Simply Campaign might be an appropriate time for such a visit. Action – MC to liaise with CAFOD and J&P group.

CLOSURE

Father Kevin read the Closing prayer.

Date of Next Meeting: Tuesday 21 May 2024 at 7:30pm.

23 January 2024, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes), Father Kevin, Richard Bushell, Maria Levesley, Lindsay Reynolds, Sian Price, David Bellamy, Deacon Stephen Parker, Richard McQuinn, John Green (for part of the meeting).

Apologies: Stephen Spooner, Sam Coldwell

The meeting opened with two minutes of contemplative silence.

Support needed

John Green explained that he will be leaving the parish shortly. He backs up the parish computer and keeps a record of all invoices and has done this for many years. A replacement will need to be found to undertake these duties. Mike thanked John Green on behalf of the Parish Council for all his services for the parish over a period of many years. 

Action: Mike to put a note in the Franciscan to find a replacement.

Matters Arising

• The bike rack has been installed and is already being used. The cost was £294.12 and has been paid for by the 200 Club.
• Coming out of the car park can be difficult as there is limited visibility at times due to badly parked cars. After Mike’s note in the Franciscan, parking has improved and there is no longer a problem.
• A Parish WhatsApp group has now been set up and phone numbers of those on the old vurch WhatsApp group added. Mike will send an invitation for others to join via the Franciscan.
• Richard McQuin reported that he has applied to the IFM on behalf of the parish to be our new gas provider. We will initially be put on a temporary rate until the new contract starts in October. It is not yet known what the rate will be as the quote has not yet been received. When Richard hears from the IFM, he will share this with the Parish Council. It is expected that the quote will be considerably higher than what we are paying now. All other quotes received are also higher than the current rate which was set a long while ago.

Liturgy and Spirituality

Lindsay reported that she is planning a Bible study course on St Mark’s Gospel. She expects this will start after February half term.

Deacon Stephen Parker is planning a one day event on the Holy Spirit and Healing to take place during the summer.

Maria reported that the music group is planning to invite more soloists to take part in the music during Mass.

Youth Ministry

There are plans for a celebration event this Friday for the confirmation/youth group, including a meal and bowling. The expected cost will be between £250-£350. The Parish Council agreed to contribute £250 towards this. Richard B agreed to take a photo of the group for the Chronicle and will ensure he has consent to do so.

Justice and Peace

The group presented the CAFOD Live Simply action plan, which is a near final version. Actions around the three categories were discussed:

• Live Simply
• Live Sustainably
• Live in Solidarity with the poor

This was approved by the Parish Council. Maria will submit the action plan shortly. The Justice and Peace Group will meet soon to develop a strategy to share this with the parish.

Any other business

Bob Levesley needs a register of all Parish Volunteers as requested by the Diocese. It was unclear as to what the definition of a volunteer is in this context.

Action: Mike to contact groups who lead volunteers to start a list.

Father Kevin mentioned some correspondence he has received. Pope Francis has designated 2024 as a year of prayer in preparation for the Jubilee year in 2025. A series of resources are available to support this.

David mentioned that he and Deacon Stephen had attended the recent Diocesan meeting on the Synod. At the meeting it was suggested that each parish consider how they might take the findings of the Synod forward in their own parish.  This will be discussed in more detail at the next Parish Council meeting.

Father Kevin read the Closing prayer.

Date of next meeting 12 March 2024 at 7:30pm.

21 November 2023, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Eva Kaltenthaler (minutes) Stephen Spooner, Father Kevin, Richard Bushell, Lindsay Reynolds, Sian Price, David Bellamy, Deacon Stephen Parker, Richard McQuinn, Tim Baron, Sam Caldwell (PFC)

Apologies: Maria Levesley

The meeting opened with two minutes of contemplative silence.

Welcomes

Sam Caldwell was welcomed as the new member of the Parish Finance Committee. He reported he had been in touch with Derek Hemmingfield and the accounts were in order. Tim Baron was welcomed as an addition to Maria to report on the J&P proposals.

Matters Arising

• The trees have been cut back and it was felt that the work was done well.
• Maria has cleaned all the chairs in the Hall. The Parish Council thanked Maria for doing this. It was felt that there are now in a good state and new covers are not required.
• The bike rack has been ordered by David Bellamy. Help will be needed when this is ready to fix. Sam offered to help with this.
• The Parish walk went well. It was agreed that the walks should continue perhaps twice a year.
• One person attending an event at the church reported difficulties with getting a wheelchair up the ramp. Most people pushing wheelchairs to the church have no problem with the ramp. The person reporting difficulties was told that help would be on offer if they came into the church to ask.

Other matters

1. Coming out of the car park can be difficult as there is limited visibility at times due to cars parked right on the corner of the entrance.

Action: Mike to put a note into the Franciscan to ask parishioners not to park in a manner that blocks the view to the right for people exiting.

2. The current Parish whatsapp group was developed during the time when we had vurch and is often used for social exchanges rather than parish business or information. It was felt that a new whatsapp group would be useful. All parishioners would be invited to join and it would be used to share Parish related information only.

Action: Mike to set up a new Parish whatsapp group with invitation to join in the Franciscan.

Justice and Peace

The group presented the CAFOD Live Simply campaign application. Actions around the three categories were discussed:

• Live Simply
• Live Sustainably
• Live in Solidarity with the poor

It was agreed that a near final draft would be shared with the Parish Council before the next meeting so that it could be approved. It was agreed that this was an excellent step for the Parish to take and follows some actions from neighbouring parishes. There were some queries about costs from some of the actions. The launch is expected to take place in late January/early February.

Action: Justice and Peace Group members to provide an estimation of costs for purchase of cleaning products and refreshments after Mass as well as costs associated with the proposed Covenant with the Poor. Near final draft to be submitted to Parish Council before the next meeting.

Spirituality

A Lectio group has formed as a result of the Big Picture. Lindsay is also planning a Bible study group. She will start with an in depth look at St Mark’s gospel.

Action: Lindsay to put a note in the Franciscan about the Bible study group.

Youth Ministry

Seven young people were confirmed after instruction consisting of nine two hours sessions. The Parish Council agreed to pay for a celebratory meal. Richard mentioned that there should be some consideration of equipment provision in the future as there is no wifi in the church and no projector or screen upstairs in the Upper Room. The Parish council thanked Richard Bushell for leading the confirmation class.

A Lenten retreat for young people is being planned. It is expected that there will be another cohort for confirmation in two years. Richard will write an article and send a photo for inclusion in the Chronicle.

Action: Richard to submit article and photo for the Chronicle.

Maintenance

The roof is leaking after heavy rain and wind. The Diocesan Property Manager will come on Friday to inspect and recommend what action is needed.

Any other business

Bob Levesley needs a register of all Parish Volunteers. It was felt that only Eucharistic ministers who visit people in their homes need DBS checks. The list of Eucharistic Ministers is maintained by Kevin Exell.

Action: Mike to refer Bob to Kevin for names and contact details of all Eucharistic Ministers.

Father Kevin presented a number of letters for consideration. Among these were some pertaining to Diocesan banking and fuel. These were passed to Tim Baron for the Justice and Peace Group to deal with.

(Note after meeting: Richard McQuinn has agreed to deal with this)

Richard Bushell agreed to find someone to write a review of the panto for the Chronicle.

Father Kevin read the Closing prayer.

Date of next meeting ** January 2024 at 7:30pm.

18 July 2023, 7:30pm

Present: Mike Campbell (chair), Father Kevin, Deacon Stephen Parker Sian Price, and Richard McQuinn.

Apologies: Eva Kaltenthaler, Stephen Spooner, Richard Bushell, Lindsay Reynolds and Maria Levesey

Parishioners Attending: David Bellamy, Jenny King and Miriam Mawimba

Opening Prayer: Two minute meditation

1.      MINUTES

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 May 2023 were approved.

Matters Arising

•        Parish Website: Mike had already done some work on updating the website.  Father Kevin still has a list of items that need removing. He will send these to Mike.

•        Financial Support: The parish had given Benedict Yewdall £100 to participate as a support worker in the Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes and £300 to Isabel Ruvinski to attend the World Youth Day in Portugal later in the year.  They would be asked to make a brief report on their attendance in due course.

•        Garden Benches: These had now been removed due to their poor state of repair and as younger members of the public were using them inappropriately.

•        Hall Chairs: These still needed some cleaning. The best method had yet to be explored.  One suggestion is that Tesco’s Rug Doctor might also be used to clean upholstery.

•        Finances:  A new member of the Parish Finance Committee is being sought.  A potential candidate had possibly been identified, who would be contacted by Mike.

2.      SPIRITUALITY

•        Lenten Retreat: Stephen reported that he believed this had been a success.

•        Big Picture: This course had now been run. Lindsay Reynolds had circulated a report on behalf of herself and the other three organisers Geraldine Houlton, Diane Rossiter and Clare Byrne.  The course ran from March 21st to July 11th with 13 evening session and had an average of 25 attendees.  The verbal feedback during the course was very positive and this was borne out by the high attendance rate and the enthusiasm of the participants. Final written feedback had yet to be analysed but would be reported on in due course.

3.      JUSTICE AND PEACE

Sian Price explained the ‘Live Simply’ campaign was gathering momentum with parishioners being canvased for ideas and suggestions.  Many ideas had been received and were being reviewed such as:

•        A virtual equipment list which parishioners would be prepared to allow other parishioners to borrow and use in order to avoid additional purchase of such items that were infrequently used.

•        Green projects for younger parishioners – bee hotels, bug hotels, bird baths, rewilding patch, in the appropriate locations of the parish grounds and garden

•        Holding the Childrens Liturgy and parish meeting such as committee meetings in the parish garden.

•        Acquiring a bicycle rack of up to 4-8 bike capacity.

•        Use of Fair-Trade tea and coffee.

4.      YOUTH MINISTRY

No report was made on this occasion. The Council noted the donations reported earlier in the meeting.

5.      NEW NOTICE BOARD

It had been agreed a new wooden notice board would be sited in the parish grounds close to and on the right-hand side of the main path entrance on Sandyagte Road, sized 4 feet by 3 feet.

Jenny King had already circulated the proposed wording for the new notice board. St Wilfred’s could supply the main notice board, but it was currently understood the parish would have to provide posts and site the board.

It was noted that St Francis was one of only a few churches that was regularly left open during the day and not just at service times. It was agreed a balance had to be struck between drawing attention to the church and possibility of prayer and the ongoing security of the premises. 

Following some further discussion, it was agreed the wording of the Notice Board should be be: 

WELCOME
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
A Place of Peace and Prayer
Sunday Mass 11 a.m.
www.stfrancisrc-sheffield.org.uk

Jenny king undertook to get a fee estimate from Saint Wilfred’s.

6.      FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF LOCAL CHARITIES AND GOOD CAUSES

It was suggested that it might be appropriate for the parish to set aside a small percentage or fixed sum of its annual income to be donated to local charities or good causes each year.

Following discussion, the Parish Council agreed to this suggestion in principle.  It was also agreed that the Justice and Peace Group should be the appropriate body to determine which group received the payment, paying attention to suggestions from parishioners.  Additionally, efforts should be made to ensure charities and groups who did not normally receive high level of funds should especially be considered.

7.      GROUNDS MAINTENANCE

The Council noted a neighbour had reported 2 trees situated at the rear of the car park were overhanging his garden and blocking his light and enjoyment of his house and garden.

The Council also noted a further neighbour had requested the ivy and excess bush growth be removed or cut back from or close to the retaining wall, so that the wall to his garden on the St Francis side could be gradually repaired over time.  Father Kevin reported that had already been achieved by the gardeners during their latest visit.  The neighbour had also asked if the parish could contribute financially in some way to the upkeep of the wall.

The Council considered the above 2 matters as both reasonable requests from neighbours and required a reasonable response, rather than one based on strict legal necessity.

Mike Campbell and David Bellamy undertook to explore the cost of removing, crown thinning or pollarding the trees at the back of the car park with a local tree surgeon.  This should probably be best undertaken in the autumn and would involve some expense; it being noted £3,000 had been spent on similar activities three years ago.

Mike Campbell undertook to explore with Ed Whitaker whether it was appropriate to make any financial contribution to the retaining wall renewal given the retaining was the neighbours property and responsibility.   

8.      ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Prayers For Peace: It was suggested that a more formal Prayer for Peace could be introduced at the end of Mass.  Father Kevin pointed out that this was perhaps best left in the biddings prayers, as was already done on a regular basis.

Tabletop Sales: It was suggested that the Parish could occasionally organise Tabletop Sales at which parishioners could pay to take a table and sell unwanted items, keeping the proceeds themselves or donate items to a parish table for which proceed would go to the parish.  It was decided this suggestion need some further thought as it would require some organisation.

Parish Newsletter:  It was suggested that a Parish Newsletter could be published in addition to the weekly Franciscan.  This new newsletter would be to include more details of parish activities.  Jenny King and David Bellamy undertook to explore this in more detail.

Parish WhatsApp:  Mike Campbell agreed to investigate the status of the parish WhatsApp group formed during the covid pandemic and whether new parishioners were being invited to join the same.  

Father Kevin read the closing prayer.

At the end of the meeting, the Parish Council and attendees inspected the wall, the trees that needed pruning as well as the potential sites for the new Notice Board and the bike racks

Date of next meeting 12 September 2023 (Thursday) at 7:30pm.