The Parish Pastoral Council will hold their next meeting on Wednesday, APRIL 29, 2020 at 7:00 PM via ZOOM.com  Meetings are open to all parishioners, however, parishioners who wish to address the Council must submit, in writing, the topic of discussion along with their name and contact information.  This information should be submitted to the Council Chairperson, c/o the Rectory via email smmchurch@arch-no.org, at least 15 days prior to the meeting.  Minutes of all meetings are available for review after they have been accepted at the rectory and on the parish website. Written committee reports shall only be available for review at the rectory office during regular business hours.

Minutes from all Pastoral Council Meetings shall be posted on the website after acceptance at the following general meeting. All written reports, as well as Meeting minutes, shall be available for review at the rectory office during regular business hours.

Archives-
January 2018 Council Minutes

April 2018 Council Minutes

July 2018 Council Minutes

 

Mission Statement:
     St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church is called to foster a welcoming community, to
            form disciples for Jesus Christ and to joyfully evangelize.

Unifying Vision:
    Walking together with Christ, igniting the Spirit within, living God’s Call
 
Goals:
    *Create a welcoming environment in all aspects of parish life
    *Provide opportunities to grow in knowledge, love & appreciation of the rich
           tradition of our Catholic faith and sharing the Good News of Christ through
           word & deed
    *Cultivate viable & relevant ministries to form disciples of Jesus Christ
    *Implement & support the plans of the Ninth General Synod of the  Archdiocese of 
          New Orleans
 

What has happened at SMM the last three months?
January 2020

Parish Unity Committee
-Had a Christmas social for members and the spouses-what a wonderful way to have fun and help build a cohesive team!
-Planning a Wedding Anniversary Celebration for SMM parishioners in February
-Contacts all new SMM parishioners and welcomes them to our church family.  They are sent monthly emails inviting them to current parish events and activities.
 
Adult Faith Formation
-Arranged for a showing a DVD by Dr. Brant Pitre on the meaning of Advent and how we can prepare ourselves and our families for the coming of Christmas.  It was well attended by a total of 99 people.
-A Bible Study on “Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible” had been planned but has to be postponed until the Discipleship Center has been repaired.
 
Social Apostolate  continues its wonderful work for our parish and community. Each week, food baskets are provided for up to 20 people. For Thanksgiving and Christmas, 50 special food baskets with turkeys were handed out. For Christmas, over $2,000 was given in the form of gift cards to families with small children, all donated by SMM parishioners. A team of 10 to 14 volunteers work each Wednesday evening in this vital service.
 
Men's Club is gearing up for a very active Spring. There will be the Lenten fish fries, cruise nights and the annual crawfish cookoff on April 18. Each of these events are fundraisers which assist the club in providing service to our church and school. Each event also provides our parishioners with the opportunity for fellowship and the opportunity to work together for a common purpose. Along with all the men's clubs in the archdiocese, SMMMC will encourage its members to attend the first annual Men's conference to be held at St Catherine of Sienna on March 7. On January 18, members joined other men's clubs to cook and serve a meal at the Ozanam Inn.
 
Altar Society with about 6 to 8 active members continue their essential work in maintaining the ceremonial objects used in mass; making floral arrangements for the sanctuary, caring for linens, vestments and altar vessels. For Christmas this year, we all enjoyed the Christmas trees, poinsettias, and other decorations they put in place. The Men's Club, CYO and other parishioners assisted in this effort.
 
SMM Respect Life Ministry some of our students and parishioners will be entering a team, the St. Mary Magdalen Cougars, to participate in the Woman's New Life Clinic's Born to Run walk/run.
 
CYO has more registered members this year than in the past 3 years and they always welcome new members. Efforts are underway to plan events with other parishes.  Seven members attended the Archdiocese sponsored World Life Day in New Orleans in November. Five members will attend the Archdiocese sponsored March for Life trip in Washington, DC. The group is looking forward to participating in the Living Way of the Cross for our parish this Lent.
 
Arms Wide Open Bereavement Ministry began in earnest on February 5, 2019. It addresses the needs of the parishioners and their families by assisting in liturgy planning and attending the services when possible. And keeping in touch with those persons in our community that have suffered a loss.  Since last February we have been following up with 36 families.
 
Committee on Persons with Disabilities met last fall with Deacon Chuck and the following
areas were addressed: pew signs, entrance button, parking spaces and ramps. The entrance button now works. The pew signs are on order and will be installed soon. Bob, Deacon Chuck and others met with the Archdiocesan building representative regarding handicap parking spaces and ramps into the church on the Cardinal St. side and the Discipleship center. Mike Condon is looking into having the parking spaces painted and is working on the ramp project.
 
Knights of Columbus continues its work in several areas of parish life. Cooked for fair workers. In November they hosted a pancake breakfast on Veteran’s day. The annual fundraising Calendar sale is underway. The Knights held a poster contest for the school and hosted a Christmas party for the altar servers in December. Coming soon is the 40 cans for Lent drive. They will be participating in the Holy Thursday services and will furnish palms for Palm Sunday.
 
Social Media/Communications team reports that the SMM webpage had over 450 visits.