Spirit Walk, Finance Council, and Church Renovation!
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26th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Spirit Walk, Finance Council, and Church Renovation!
On Friday, 18 September, St. Francis School celebrated a major fundraising event entitled “Spirit Walk”. Our goal was to raise $100,000 in an effort to bridge the gap and work towards building a vibrant, vital and sustainable future. I am elated to report that we have raised $120,000, exceeding our goal. I especially want to thank Peter Starykowicz and “All Community Events” for an incredible job well done in coordinating this campaign. I would also like to thank our school assistant principal, Sarah Jeske, the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and all those who supported the Spirit Walk. I want to particularly acknowledge our school principal, Mary Keller, for her vision, leadership and advancement of the Mission. We are blessed to have such a dedicated and gifted school faculty and staff.
At this time, I would like to share an update pertaining to our parish Finance Council. I first want to acknowledge the incredible work that Doug Samz has done over the last 20 years. His financial expertise and acumen, his witness to faith, and his leadership has been an incredible blessing to our parish community. My sincere gratitude goes to Doug for his dedicated service as Chairman of the Finance Council. I also want to thank Doug for the warm welcome he gave me and the time he spent to help me understand where we are at and where we need to be. At our last finance council meeting, Doug shared that he is retiring from his role. We assure Doug of our prayers and wish him God’s choicest blessings.
I would now like to announce the appointment of Mike Iwanski as the new Chairman of the Finance Council, effective immediately. Mike has more than 20 years of experience in public accounting, accounting advisory and corporate accounting and reporting. In addition, Mike's professional experience includes leading the financial reporting team for Baxter Healthcare and operational controller for Baxalta Pharmaceuticals / Shire. Mike currently serves as Assistant Corporate Controller for Takeda Pharmaceuticals where he is responsible for global accounting policies and accounting advisory. Mike has been a parishioner of St. Francis de Sales since 2019 and has served our school community as the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) vice-president and president. A St. Francis School parent, Mike Iwanski has a deep understanding of both the parish and school and given his background, he is well-positioned to lead the Finance Council as Chairman, helping me to ensure the fiscal viability and sustainability of St. Francis de Sales. Congratulations to Mike Iwanski!
In addition, I am pleased to announce the appointment of two new members of the Finance Council: Marty Bush and Agnes McGrail. Both of these talented individuals possess unique skill sets and financial expertise that will serve this council and our parish community well. I am deeply grateful to Mike, Marty and Agnes for accepting these appointments. Dcn. John Sfire, Dcn. Tom Purtell, Steve Welborn, and my Operations Director, Laura Angelini, are currently incumbent members of the Finance Council. I look forward to working with this team as we place our focus on Mission, stewardship and financial management.
Lastly, I am pleased to report that I have convened an ad hoc committee to advise me on our move forward with renovating the Church using funds already raised by the parish through the past “Fix-It Campaign”. More details will be forthcoming as it pertains to the plan and process. Meanwhile, I would like to identify the members of this specialized team: Jocelyn Purtell, Barbie Chmieleski, Kathy Butler, Fr. Gerald Walsh, and Dcn. John Sfire. In addition, I have appointed Jocelyn Purtell to serve as the Chairperson of this committee. I look forward to working with this group as we focus our attention and efforts on remedying the flooring and other items.
I would also like to highlight our chairperson's impressive background and experiences. Jocelyn Purtell brings more than 40 years of experience in the human resources outsourcing industry, with extensive expertise in global operations leadership and client relationship management. She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Allied Benefit Systems, a national third-party administrator providing health plan solutions to employers.
Prior to joining Allied, Jocelyn held several senior leadership positions, including Chief Operating Officer at Benefit Express, President of North America for NGA HR, Head of U.S. Operations for Mercer Outsourcing, and Senior Vice President of North America Outsourcing Operations at Hewitt.
A member of St. Francis de Sales for nearly 30 years, Jocelyn is actively involved in parish life. Given her commitment to mission, witness of faith, and professional skill set, Jocelyn is well-positioned to facilitate and guide group discussion that will assist me in realizing our goals and objectives. Please join me in congratulating Jocelyn!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Christian Shiu
Administrator