April 15, 2010 SAINT MARY PARISH
SOCIAL CONCERNS COMMITTEE – MINUTES – 15 APRIL 2010
The meeting opened with a series of quotations from Thomas Merton, the American spiritual writer. Present were Joe Willis, Tom Johnson, Ed Klos and Father Cook. Charlotte Getter and Ed Martinez were excused. Minutes of the February meeting were reviewed and corrected, especially the portion dealing with Pro Bono Health Services. A copy of the corrected set of minutes is attached to the email distributing this set of minutes.
1. Fortney Hotel Meal Program: Ed Klos reported on the service he and Pat provided the hotel on Easter Sunday. The foods prepared by parishioners were absolutely wonderful, delicious. On Easter Monday Borgen’s Café in Westby offered the surplus from its Easter Brunch. Ed picked it up and Beverly Morgan delivered it to the Fortney. Some discussion followed on the importance of residents showing up on time on Sundays (around 5:30) so they receive fair portions of the foods.
2. Pax Christi: In the absence of Ed Martinez, Father Cook reported that the Stations of the Cross were prayed on Wednesday in Lent, a version that is very justice oriented. This is the second year Pax Christi has sponsored the stations. About 40 people were present; delicious foods were enjoyed by participants afterwards in the Atrium.
3. Community Garden: Father Cook distributed the new flyer describing the St. Isidore Parish Garden, the flyer which will be distributed to parishioners during weekend Masses. They reviewed highlights of the flyer.
4. Pro Bono Health Services: Joe Willis continued since the last meeting to explore the possibility of establishing such services in Viroqua. Yesterday he had a visit with Garith Steiner, CEO of VMH. The best example of a Pro Bono Health Service agency is Saint Clare Health Mission in La Crosse. However, it serves mostly the Hmong population. Here, a likely population might be the Amish. Garith and several physicians (Dr. Macasaet and Dr. Menn) have excellent relationships with the Amish. As it turns out they nearly always pay their expenses in cash. Dr. Macasaet has explored the possibility of establishing a clinic near Main Street Station in Viroqua. However, there are legal issues and VMA attorneys discourage the hospital’s participation. Further, because BadgerCare and Medicaid are good services, such a clinic may not have much demand. The hospital often charges minimum fees for health care screening. Garith promises to keep Joe in the loop on this matter. On our next agenda we will explore several items of interest to the committee such as BadgerCare, Medicaid (Joe W.) and Food Stamps (Tom Johnson).
5. Giving Tree (Christmas in July): This is a project that the PCCW is planning to sponsor, so there is no need for our Social Concerns Committee to do so.
6. Weekly Meals served in our parish: There has been no movement on this suggestion. We will be open to the idea with certain restrictions if the idea comes to us again.
7. Next Meeting: Thursday, 10 June 2010, 5:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Father Robert J. Cook