Present
Fr Tom Egan, Gerard Barden, Kevin Keenan, Edoardo Albert, John Donnelly, Patrick Bolger, Mary Bolger, Bob Westbury, Eileen Nagle, Chris Nagle, Ramon Landi.
Apologies
Fr Vincent Malone, Libby Biberian, Felicity Brown, Joe Sutton, Greg Howard, Clare O’Brien, Martin O’Brien, Pat Madigan, Janet Butterworth.
Minutes of the last AGM on 3rd July 2011
Minutes were agreed and signed as being correct by the Chair with no matters arising.
Annual Report
Gerard presented a report of activity within the parish over the last 12 month highlighting the many events, activities and services. Some of the key points were:
· Father Kevin left the parish in September 2011 to take up the post of Parish Priest in Radlett.
· Jane Landi stepped down as Parish Council Secretary and Brian Hunt stood down from his role as Chair of the Finance Committee. Gerard expressed thanks and gratitude to both Jane and Brian on behalf of the council for their dedicated service over many years.
· The new translation of the Mass came into effect in September 2011 and adaptation by parishioners is now well underway.
· The Parish Team ran a series of and well received and successful Advent and Lenten programs.
· An appeal for new Altar Servers resulted in several volunteers being inducted and trained.
· Improvements have been made to the car park with the lines being repainted and repairs made to the wall facing Bowes Road. The space on the school side of the church has been turned into a parking/loading area for the scouts’ minibus.
· Security is a big concern following a number of break-ins and attempted break-ins around the New Southgate area generally and particular around the Church, the Scout Hut and the Scout Minibus. The current CCTV set up does not provide sufficient cover and quotes are being obtained for the installation of additional wireless / wired security cameras.
· The website is updated weekly with Parish Information and photographs/reports of parish events are posted regularly throughout the year. The parish council is considering use of social media including Twitter and Flickr to communicate with Parishioners.
· There have been a large number of appeals and fundraising events throughout the year which were generously supported by the Parish.
· Clare and Martin O’Brien from Ten Ten Theatre were unable to attend the meeting due to work commitments. Gerard read a statement on their behalf which outlined achievement’s over the past year and thanked the Parish community for its continued support over the last year.
· Our Parish school celebrated its 40th anniversary with a mass attended by present and former staff, pupils and priests. It continues to thrive and this year received an Outstanding commendation from the diocese.
Matters arising from the Annual Report
· Parish Groups
The 22nd Scout Troop: Chris said that he is keen to establish Scouting for 15 to 18 year olds within the Parish; at present scouts from 22 Southgate have to join other packs if they want to become Explorer scouts at 15.
Father Tom acknowledged the contribution of the scout group to the parish community and suggested that they could use the newsletter to promote their achievements across the parish. Father Tom added that the scout group might be able to make use one of the notice boards outside the church. Father Vincent oversees the notice boards so Chris will approach him about Father Tom’s suggestion.
· Future AGMs
The timing of the AGM was discussed. The current slot (the first Sunday in July) invariably clashes with other events such as the School Fair and various sporting finals. The possibility of pushing the meeting either forward or back in the calendar to allow as many people as possible to attend will be discussed at a future parish council meeting.
Address by Father Tom
Father Tom thanked Parishioners for the support that they give to the Parish Team and for their commitment to vibrant and rewarding Parish life.
He advised that the coming year will be dominated by The Year of Faith which runs from October 2012 to November 2013. This is a global initiative and parishes have been asked to look at ways of supporting it at local level by organizing programs/events etc. Father Tom said that he is particularly keen to re-engage Parishioners who may have lapsed and to encourage them back to the church.
Father Tom reported that last year, Bereavement Counseling and Marriage Preparation groups have been set up within the Parish. Parishioners previously needing these important services could only access them outside of the Parish.
Financial Report
Assessable income for the year ending 31 December 2011 was £185,766 which is down slightly on the previous year but is nonetheless holding up well despite the current economic climate. The balance at the bank at 31 December 2011 was £261,968.
The diocese is looking to tighten procedures in respect of parish finances and accounts. Current processes will be reviewed at the next finance committee meeting to ensure that the parish is following the correct processes.
Elections
There current parish council was re-elected unopposed.
Evangelisation and Prayer
The main focus over the coming year will be on the Year of Faith as described by Father Tom in his address. The principal aims of the initiative are to encourage us all to reflect on our faith and to consider how it affects our daily lives and our contribution to society.
Father Vincent will be heading a group of 25 parishioners during this year’s Parish Pilgrimage to Lourdes; this takes place throughout the first week of September
The next parish council meeting will take place on Monday 24th September at 8:15pm in the small hall.