Parish Pastoral Council Meeting Monday 16th February
Present: Kevin Henry, Fr. Stephen, Margaret Monaghan, Eileen Donnellan, Siobhan Conlon, Gilmar Neves, Miriam Judge, Ruth Murphy, Eileen Jordan, Julia Kelly, Kristina Vuckovic.
Apologies: Irene Nunes, Gabriel Smith, Mary Henry, Anne Lyons, Ann Phillips.
Opening Prayer: Prayer of Saint Leopold Mandic was selected by Kristina Vuckovic and recited by Kristina in her native language of Croatian.
Minutes of previous meeting:
Minutes of previous meeting held on January 12th, 2026, were read by Kevin Henry. Julia amended the minutes on safeguarding. She noted that she received her certificate. Miriam Judge, Carol Freeley & Ruth Murphy still awaiting certificates.
Proposed by Siobhan Conlon and seconded by Julia Kelly
Matters arising:
Safe-guarding: Fr Stephen noted that Maureen Walsh recently conducted safe-guarding training in the Community Hall for parents of Mass servers. It went well with 20+ in attendance. A rota will issue once Garda vetting is completed.
Gates: Fr Stephen reported that the electronic gates are working well and a recent issue of sensors being hit has not arisen in the previous week. The gates remain open from 8am –11pm daily.
Shed: The new shed is in situ. Fr Stephen thanked Pete Feeney for laying the screed floor. Temporary shelving will be erected for Christmas decorations.
Webcam: The recent issue has been resolved. Fr Stephen noted that perhaps the age of the device of those viewing Masses online was the root cause. It appears to be in working order now with very few complaints being received.
Funeral Ministry: Fr Stephen reported that all but two members of the new team have had experience of Funeral Ministry. All is going well. Review of funeral ministry for all participating parishes to take place in late March.
JPII: Sr. Anna Byrne has forwarded an information brochure on the Eco congregation.
Leak: The leak that was reported at the rear of the church seems to have dried up. Julia and Fr Stephen are keeping a close eye on it.
Easter booklet: 100 Easter booklets have been ordered for the children this Easter.
Automatic doors: Fr Stephen noted that occasionally a strong breeze is evident when the automatic doors are kept open, particularly if people stand too close to the doors. It was suggested that one porch door, perhaps the left one, be deactivated and remain only in a manual capacity. It appears to be only an issue when the wind is blowing from a northerly direction. It was agreed that the working of the doors will be on a trial and error basis.
Exterior door: Down to a choice of two colours.
Correspondence:
Correspondence from John McDonagh re lent: Fr Stephen will conduct school visits on Ash Wednesday. He will speak to Charlene regarding a Lenten display in Scoil Íosa, which would include a large Trocaire box..
Welcome packs: It was remarked that Oranmore Parish provided welcome packs at Christmas in an effort to encourage parishioners back to Mass. It was suggested we might keep this in mind for next year.
Tree Talks: A series of conferences will take place in The Friary, hosted by Margie Phillips. This year’s conference focuses on the history of trees featuring guest speakers Thomas Pakenham and Neil Porteous.
Life in the Spirit Seminars: Correspondence was received on an upcoming series of seminars called Life in the Spirit Seminars. The seminars will run for 7 weeks, potentially in Ballyhaunis (to be confirmed). The seminars aim to spread The Good News of the Gospel through a series of talks, workshops, prayer and Scripture.
Lent “Baptised and Sent” and “Trocaire”: The Synod took place last October. Arising out of the gathering it was agreed to try and maintain momentum during Lent. Trocaire have a Lenten pack. It was suggested to try to include both ideas. Kevin suggested “baptised and sent” would form a small part of the homily. It was noted that the Annual Day of Prayer for victims and survivors of abuse is Friday 20th February.
Walk with me Calendar:
Kevin Henry distributed the “Walk With Me” calendar to each class teacher encouraging them to spend at least ten minutes on it in class. It could be used cross-curricular, with numeracy in mind.
Fr Stephen noted the positive benefits of having Kevin and Miriam as strong links between the school and the PPC and thanked them both.
A Day to Explore Priesthood: “Come and See” Vocations Workshop:
Fr Stephen noted that the “Come and See” vocations Workshop” will take place in Knock House on Saturday 28th March 11am-4.30pm. David Corless and Wiktor may be open to visit.
Faith and Light:
Julia presented a beautiful Love Heart display for their Valentines Fiesta called “God is Love”. A wonderful day was had where each member had a red heart to decorate and describe what it represented for them.
Faith & Light attended the regional meeting in Athlone. Annual plans for Lourdes were discussed. Re-elections are upcoming.
Bowling and the Knock Pilgrimage in May is arranged.
Faith and Light church gate collection will take place in March.
News from the Pews:
Julia mentioned the three loose slabs in the pavement at the front door of the church. Fr Stephen will consult Pete Feeney.
Gilmar has agreed to touch up the chipped paint around the CCTV camera.
PPC will contact the Community Hall committee regarding tea/coffee after St Patrick’s Day mass at 10am.
Next PPC meeting will take place Monday 23rd March. Siobhan Conlon will prepare the prayer.
Meeting concluded at 10pm.