Ropes and Council

One of the blessings about being in the United States of America is the incredible access to medical care. It is remarkable how accessible top notch medical care is for most citizens. This can be seen in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. At this point, almost every American has access to the vaccine which means that restrictions can be eased. This is happening throughout our country and is happening in our parishes as well.

We received communication from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati that social distancing restrictions can be eased in our parishes. At the pastor’s discretion, parishioners can begin to sit in every pew. We are asked, however, to keep part of the church for those who would like to social distance. Effective immediately the ropes will be removed from most of the pews. There will remain a social distancing section around the handicap seating areas. Please keep these ropes on the pews for our most at-risk parishioners. We continue to ask people to wear masks to Church.

With this change, it is important to thank the ushers for their hard work over the past few months. Our ushers have done a phenomenal job seating parishioners and finding room for those who want to attend Mass. They have willingly accepted these responsibilities for their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Also our Pastoral Council has done a wonderful job offering feedback about policies and practices. I am grateful for their support and honesty. In a special way, I would like to thank the four representatives whose term ends on June 30th: Dan Haehn (IC), Ryan Osysko (SL), Dan Butcher (SJF), and Ryan Kremer (SJ). Ryan Kremer has offered to remain on Pastoral Council for another term.

Over the past two months, we have worked to fill their spots. They compiled a list of possible candidates, I sent a letter, and the council members followed up to gauge interest. After asking four or five people from each parish we had one person accept the nomination from each parish. This means that we won’t have an election, which normally occurs this third Sunday of May. The four who accepted the nomination will serve a three year term on our Petersburg Pastoral Council. Here are the twelve members of Pastoral Council beginning July 1, 2021 (new members are listed in bold). Bios of new members will be included in next week’s bulletin.

IC: Travis Russell, Linda Christman, & Kathy Behr
SJF: Mike Ruppert, Ashley Headapohl, & Anita Foor
SJ: Ryan Kremer, Erika Eley, & Barb Harrod
SL: Alan Borchers, Holly Ellinger, & Marge Hoying

The Pastoral Council helps me to hear the voice of the parishioners. If you have ideas, concerns, or feedback (positive or negative), feel free to share it with a member of pastoral council. Also they serve as a testing ground for various ideas. Oftentimes I say, “Here is what I’m thinking… What do you think?” I appreciate the feedback. In the coming year, the pastoral council will be vitally important as we plunge into the Beacons of Light Pastoral Planning Process. Please pray for the members of the council and utilize them to hear your thoughts or ideas.

We are looking for new members for each parishes’ Finance Committee and Buildings and Grounds Committee. If you are interested in serving your parish in this capacity for a three year term, please contact Cindy Quellhorst at (419)-738-2115 or cquellhorst@petersburgparishes.org.

Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Sean Wilson