Fr Justin Sefembiy
Cindy Qualey
Anna Robinson
Pat Qualey
Brittany Arbo
Brenda Watson

St. Benedict’s Parish Council 

Monday, May 5, 2025

Notes taken by Brittany Arbo

Present: Fr. Justin, Brenda Watson, Danny Watson, Rob Meinders, Pat Qualey, Anna R. Robinson, Anna Q. Robinson, Cindy Qualey, Lisa Ammerman, Brittany Arbo

Capital Campaign Items to discuss:

Update on bids/quotes on the roof and chimney, 

We are moving forward with sheathing and replacing of the main roof and steeple of the church with the funds we have raised thus far through the Capital Campaign. We will move forward with the sheathing and re-shingling of the sacristy and sanctuary once we have raised additional funds.

The bid to replace part of the roof is $34,698.76. We have raised $41,057.33. 

Prioritized List of Repairs/Replacement from our earlier meetings:

• At this juncture, we will disperse Capital Campaign funds to replace the church roof followed by repairing the church chimney. 
• At upcoming meetings we will review the other items on the prioritized repairs/replacement list that was generated by Fr. Dominic, Gert and others from our parish in June 2024.  We will evaluate what is both important and urgent.
• Deacon Dan updated Parish Council members on the fire escape. He and a local engineer looked at the fire escape to determine if it needs to be replaced or repaired. Their assessment concluded that the fire escape needs to be repaired. The recommendation is to reattach the fire escape to the building with lag screws/bolts. At this time, the fire escape is not effectively connected to the parish hall building. The Finance Council will explore quotes to repair the fire escape.
• We have until 2027 to raise funds allocated to the Capital Campaign. There was a question about when the funds from the Capital Campaign needed to be spent. Fr. Justin offered to research the timeline/deadline to disperse the funds.

Other Items Discussed:

• Upcoming Summer Mass Schedule Time: 

Father Justin updated the parish council on the switch in the Mass times. He is working toward a more consistent schedule for the three worship sites in the future. He is exploring permanent options to Mass times. He will update us when he has worked out the details.  

• Church Organ 

Deacon Dan updated the Parish Council on the condition of the church organ. The organ is over thirty years old, hasn’t been used in the church for many years, and is in disrepair. The piano still works and can be utilized for Mass and other events held in the church. Deacon Dan has talked with the Worship and Spirituality Committee about removing the organ from the church. W&S recommended taking this discussion to the Parish Council. Lisa added to the conversation that she had reached out to the music shop in Houlton some time ago to inquire about someone to repair the organ. The person that is experienced in repairing organs of that age has passed away. The Parish Council agreed to let parish members know the condition of the organ, and it has been decided to have it removed from the church. We will let parishioners know via the bulletin that if they would like the organ, they may have it. It will be removed from the church the week of May 25.  

Action Items before our Next Meeting:

• Finance Council will explore quotes to repair fire escape
• Someone from Finance Council will update parishioners with an announcement in the bulletin regarding next steps with the Capital Campaign/Roof Repair
• Fr. Justin will research the timeline on spending the money we raised through the Capital Campaign (We have until 2027 to raise funds. 

      What is the timeline/deadline to disperse the funds?)

Next Meeting Date:

• The next Parish Council Meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 2 from 6-7:30pm.

Items to be discussed at our next meeting:

• Updates from each of the commissions
• Discuss overlap of people on commissions/councils
• Revisit priority list of Repairs/Replacements for Capital Campaign 
• Update on Capital Campaign & Roof Project
• Update on Action Items from May 5 meeting

Respectfully Submitted,

Brittany Arbo