A meeting of the Archdiocesan Council took place at the Cranberry Twp. Diocesan Center on August 12, 2009. His Grace, Bishop MELCHISEDEK called the meeting to order with prayer at 6:38 PM.

In addition to His Grace, the following members of the Archdiocesan Council were present: Archpriest Paul Ziatyk (Chancellor); Archpriests/Priests Igumen Patrick (Carpenter), W. Evansky, D. Hendershot, J. Kopcha, A. Matychak, P. Suda, J. Wargo M. Zahirsky; Fr. Deacon Joseph Mell; Messrs. G. Avdakov, S. Daniels, E. Markoff, G. Nescott, (Subd.) J. Schultz; G. Sidorick, R. Skvir. Excused: Frs. Govrusik, Johnson, and Reeves; Subd. E. O’Brien.

1.         A motion (D. Markoff/ S. Daniels) was made to waive the reading of the July 6, 2009, meeting minutes previously e-mailed and accept them as submitted.   Motion passed unanimously.

2.         A written Treasurer’s Report was submitted by Fr. Hendershot and reviewed with questions/comments exchanged. Highlights include:

           A.         Discussion concerning the e-mail vote approving the Consecration video project.

           B.         A motion (Fr. Suda/ Igumen Patrick (Carpenter) was made to move the NexTier Bank money market CD #1567 (Item #8: Summary of Accounts page) to another banking institution. Motion passed unanimously.

           C.        A motion (R. Skvir/ D. Markoff) was made to empower the Finance Committee with the authority to decide which institution the NexTier CD #1567 should receive the funds being transferred. Motion passed unanimously.

           D.        The Treasurer noted that the July transportation/lodging expenses exceeded         $1,700.00 and needs attention since it far exceeded the approved amount. His Grace noted that this was a one time problem due to miscommunication with the parish involved.

            E.         A motion (Igumen Patrick (Carpenter)/ Fr. Kopcha) to accept the written report was made. Motion passed unanimously.

3.         The upcoming Family Day was reviewed; everything was proceeding nicely.

4.         A discussion concerning the possible purchase or lease of a vehicle for the Archdiocese was then discussed at great length. Igumen Patrick (Carpenter) orally presented written information concerning a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix from Castriota Chevrolet in Pittsburgh; Fr. Matychak briefly mentioned the possibility of a vehicle from Blue Knob Motors.

            A.         Fr. Matychak made a motion to purchase the Grand Prix, but without the                         smart car warranty; discussion ensued; motion failed due to a lack of a second on the motion.

            B.         After much discussion again, a motion (J. Schultz/ G. Avdakov) was made for Igumen Patrick (Carpenter) and J. Schultz to obtain bids (two bids for a new vehicle; two bids for a used vehicle) and that they make a recommendation of one used and one new vehicle to the Archdiocesan Council via e-mail to select one of those vehicles, and, furthermore, that the specified voting period shall be 48 hours from the time the e-mail was sent with the Council members present for this meeting’s discussion voting. Motion passed unanimously.

 5.         The next item of discussion was the Archdiocesan Council’s recommendation to the Budget Committee concerning the bishop’s compensation package to be proposed for approval at the 2009 Archdiocesan Assembly. His Grace excused himself from the meeting at this point. The special committee charged with exploring this subject presented its research, having analyzed several packages offered throughout the O.C.A. for the  various hierarchs. After a discussion, a motion (G. Nescott/ E. Markoff) was made that the recommendation listed below be forwarded to the Budget Committee, noting that the “Health” item needs to be reviewed pending review of some missing information:

                        *           Stipend:                                   $ 32,500.00

                         *           F.I.C.A.:                                   $    4,972.00

                        *           Pension:                                  $    3,900.00

                        *           ($100,000) Life Insurance:      $    1,145.00

                        *           Health Coverage:                    $    9,624.00

                                                        TOTAL:               $  54,141.00

            Motion passed with one negative vote.

6.         A motion (G. Nescott/ E. Markoff) was made instructing the Budget Committee to insert      $1,000.00 per month into the budget for travel expenses for His Grace.  Motion passed unanimously.

            A suggestion was made to give consideration of opening a separate bank account with a debit card for the travel expenses. This card would be given to the bishop, with the treasurer depositing $1,000.00 a month into the account. The consensus of the Council seemed to favor exploring this option, with final approval to be given by the Council once specifics are known.

            His Grace returned to the meeting at this point and was informed of the results of the Council deliberations. Having been asked for his comments, the meeting continued hearing none from His Grace at this point in time.

7.         The diocesan financial books will soon be given to the Auditing Committee for review. It was also noted that the tardy auditing report was mailed to each parish recently.

8.         The Budget Committee will meet soon now that the Council has made decisions concerning some budgetary items.

9.         It was reported that the 2009 Archdiocesan Assembly will be held at the Holy Trinity Parish (Charleroi) on November 7, 2009.

10.       The Chancellor noted that the Stewardship Appeal will be mailed during September.

11.       The status of the Late Vocations Program was reviewed --- His Grace is reviewing the program’s materials; a letter about the program will be mailed; Igumen Patrick (Carpenter) will again chair the program.

12.       A 7-point written report concerning the Diocesan Center buildings and grounds was distributed by His Grace. Four items were added to the list:

                        *           Inspect the chimney in the living room so it can be used safely

                        *           Evaluate the furnaces for age to plan for replacement timing

                        *           Evaluate the roof for similar reasons

                        *           Sealing of the parking lot.

            His Grace reported that Mr. Wayne Truckley has offered to replace the concrete block wall that is disintegrating for $3,500.00 (with no charge for labor), asking that one other person assist. A motion (G. Avdakov/ Igumen Patrick (Carpenter) to accept this offer with gratitude was made. Motion passed unanimously.

            By consensus the Council deemed that several other buildings and grounds issues raised were to be considered routine maintenance and should be done as needed without formal Council approval for each item.

13.       His Grace noted the following items in an oral report:

            A.         Parishes will be asked to forward their By-Laws to the bishop to make sure all is in order legally. Parishes without current By-Laws will be offered assistance to accomplish this task quickly to avoid legal entanglements later.

            B.         He wants proper written reports submitted annually by all parish officers and clergy throughout the Archdiocese.

            C.        He will be attending two Holy Synod meetings during September.

            D.        He will be participating in the consecration of an auxiliary bishop for Canada on October 1.

            E.         He will also be attending Education Day at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in October.

            F.         The Homestead parish is still delinquent in remitting tardy assessment payments; a letter will be sent along with a contact to the parish priest.

            G.        He hopes that all the parishes will do an informal “self-audit” to assess the current situation and plan for the future.

            H.         He recently hosted the Anglican bishop of this region for lunch and discussion.

                        This dialogue will continue on various levels.

14.       The Chancellor noted that the letter concerning submission of the census numbers will be sent to each parish shortly; September 15^th is the deadline to submit the new census number.

15.       Having nothing further to consider, the meeting was adjourned with prayer at 9:37 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Archpriest William Evansky

Secretary