Walking together with Christ, igniting the Spirit within, living God's Call.

Parish Pastoral Council

- Enhancing our Parish
Meeting Notice

The Parish Pastoral Council will hold their next meeting on Wednesday, August 28, 2019 at 7:00 PM in the Discipleship Center. 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, 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 of Parish Pastoral Council Meetings

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

                 Parish Unifying Statements

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
2019 Parish Pastoral Council

Ex-Officio Member: Fr. Chris DeLerno
Voting Members: Lorraine Mylie, Charlotte Bourgeois, Jack Biven, Deborah Bradbury, Jennifer Edwards, Shirley Bertucci, Kelan Madore, Mark Fleming, Mike Condon, Judy Scholzen & David Gaumond
Non-Voting Members: Fr. Lee Poche, Deacon Chuck LeBlanc, Deacon Jim Heneghan, Theresa Hebert (School Principal), Linda Earle (PCL) & Susie Sullivan (PCL/PC)
How God has worked through the parishioners
of St. Mary Magdalen in 2018

Adoration Chapel-SMM parishioners continue to commit to weekly Adoration at OLDP
Altar Society-continues to beautifully decorate our sanctuary weekly and for each liturgical season
Altar servers-we have 45 servers that faithfully assist at Sunday Masses
The Atrium-Fr. Chris says Mass one Saturday per month and our Deacons and 3 parishioners provide a Communion service the other Saturdays
Baptism Seminar Staff-there are 6 parishioners that help prepare families to recognize the importance of this Sacrament of Initiation.
Come, Lord Jesus-we now have 3 different groups that meet to pray and to reflect on the readings of the upcoming Sunday.
Communications/Website-SMM website continues to have 300 regular users and has been used by new parishioners to register with SMM. Online giving is available on website. We currently have 40 active pages that comprise the SMM website.
CYO-meets monthly, performs Living Way of the Cross during Lent, sponsors Easter egg hunt, attends World Youth Day, helps the Men’s Club at Lenten fish fry’s, has a Christmas party, summer swim party, and ice cream socials. Plays in volleyball and cabbage ball leagues.
Discipleship Ministry- organized the Ministry Fair in January and the parish picnic in April. Oversees several other parish ministries and acts as liaison to the Parish Pastoral Council.
Marriage Prep- Marriage Preparation program continues and 5 engaged couples went through this program in 2018
Extraordinary Ministers of Communion (EMC)/Ministers of the Word (Lectors)-we now have 75 parishioners who serve in one of these ministries. Redelegation workshops were held for all EMCs in the Fall.
Adult Faith Formation-presented an eight week Lenten program based on praying with Scripture
Finance and Stewardship- SMM annual report distributed to all parishioners in August. Massett Hall equipped with new AV equipment for ALPHA Program and other events. Two projects completed: Upgrade of church air conditioning and parking lot lights. In 2019, security cameras are to be installed on church property.
Parish School of Religion-has 10 volunteer teachers who share their faith with 40 students
Parish Unity Ministry- New parishioners contacted and packets given telling them what SMM has to offer.
RCIA/Adult Confirmation- 1 person went through RCIA and 8 adults were confirmed.
Sacrament Preparation- 30 students celebrated the sacrament of First Reconciliation and First Communion, and 30 young adults were confirmed.
Social Apostolate- continues to serve approximately 40 families/mo.
St. Anthony’s Nursing Home- Fr. Chris celebrates Mass one Friday per month; 7 parishioners offer prayer and communion service on other Fridays
Usher Society-these men and women faithfully assist at weekend Masses; new volunteer Coordinator is parishioner David Gaumond
Vocations Ministry- Vocations Ministry was very active in November for Vocations Awareness Week with multiple activities involving the SMM School and the Parish School of Religion. A Holy Hour dedicated to Vocations was also took place on a Sunday.
Archdiocesan Synod Team- sponsored “Mission is Me” Evangelization Session with Father Caron in April; SMM supported the Free Indeed Home for victims of Human Trafficking with a drive to provide needed supplies and a presentation was given at all Masses in June
Evangelization-ALPHA pilot program completed; next ALPHA courseto begin in January 2019
SMM School-purchased Automatic External Defibrillators for school and church and provided training on them.

OTHER:
Order of St Louis Award to SMM Parishioners: Mike Earle, David and Melanie Gaumond
KC Baby Shower for Access
Bereavement ministry was initiated
St Jude Society continues to sponsor the St Jude Novena twice/yr. and support the Social
Apostolate
SMM Feast Day Mass & Service Awards was held July 22, 2018
SMM Feast Day Jazz Brunch was held in September
Stations of the Cross twice every Friday in Lent
Fish fry twice during Lent sponsored by the Men’s Club
KCs sponsored several parish community breakfasts thruout the year
Parish fair in October
New Stations of the Cross with spotlights installed
(There may be many other activities that did not make this list but God knows what they are.)

If you are interested in finding out more about any of these groups, please contact the Parish Office of Religious Education at 504-733-8980.
NEXT GENERAL MEETING

The Parish Pastoral Council will hold their next meeting on Wednesday, October 30 at 7:00 PM in the Convent Bldg. 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 telephone number. This information should be submitted to the Council Chairperson, c/o the Rectory, at least 15 days prior to the meeting. Minutes of all meetings are available for review at the rectory.