Open meeting was held at:
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
101 E 38th Street, Tacoma, WA 98404
6:30 – 8:00 PM
An agenda was provided. All board members and 40 other attendees present.
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm.
We started with a prayer for Bethlehem Church and all of the STLC volunteers.
Welcome and Introductory Remarks
- Someone from Bethlehem Church welcomed us and said that they support our efforts. They will try to accommodate our future meetings even if they have another function going on by letting us in another part of the facility. We are very grateful.
Financial Update
- We have approximately $500K in pledges and donations and sales.
- Our current net cash position is over $20K.
Social Media / Media Update
- We have 1000 new followers.
- 32,000 different people have seen our posts.
- A local station is interviewing members for two shows on Holy Rosary and STLC.
- NW Catholic featured an article about Holy Rosary. It was old news due to publishing cycle.
- This article focused only on the decree and quoted Deacon Fish.
- Like us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to increase public visibility of STLC.
- We do not cold call by telephone to ask for pledges, gift cards, etc.
- A member asked for our 501(c3) tax ID number. Which is available to anyone who asks.
- Some members thought that a one page informational bulletin or tri-fold to post at local business and churches would be a nice idea. We could also leave pamphlets to hand out.
- Please do not forget to send thank you notes for donations and pledges.
- All suggestions and ideas are still welcome. Please send a note to SaveTacomasLandmarkChurch@gmail.com and you will receive a reply.
Event Update – Movie Series (11/2, 11/9 and 11/30)
- Beautiful posters and card advertisements for the events were passed out at the meeting and more were available to pass out to the public, with all the information about the movies.
- All movies will start at 11:00 am on Saturdays.
- Tickets are $15.00 and of course there will be a donation box.
- November 2nd Going My Way starring Bing Crosby, November 9th Lilies of the Field starring Sidney Poitier and on November 30th the Bells of St. Mary’s starring Ingrid Bergman and Bing Crosby.
- We need a volunteer to drop off fliers in Seattle. Many businesses use the services of a company that makes sure their bulletin boards are up to date and they are the only ones allowed to post upcoming events.
- We also need a team of two volunteers to post the fliers at other churches in the region.
- Each movie can have up to 200 viewers, as there are 209 seats available in the theater.
- Blue Mouse is charging us $370.00 per movie. That fee also includes the staff.
- T-shirts will be available for sale.
- We would like to organize a place to meet for lunch after each movie. Both Round Table Pizza and Josseppi’s were mentioned as local restaurants that support local fundraising.
Event Update – Auction:
- When: January 18, 2020
- Where: Bellarmine
- We are still trying to finalize the food.
- Bellarmine students may be able to help us that night!
Event Update – Spaghetti Feed
- We are planning for three separate dinners at different venues, for now.
- If these three go well, this could turn into an ongoing “Roving” Spaghetti Feed
- Christ Episcopal Church may be available on October 26 and they have a kitchen. Other venue ideas with kitchens are the VFW.
- We would like to serve Spaghetti, salad and a desert.
- Possible pricing options: Donations only or variations for special tables (large donors), average donors and takeout orders.
AD Deadline to Answer the Appeal (10/09/2019):
What happens next?
Hiring an International Canon Attorney
- The AD will either approve, deny or ignore our appeal.
- We will have 15 working days to appeal to the Vatican. In Rome, working days are Monday through Saturday.
- Our lawyer suggested that we hire a canon lawyer in Rome because the time frame and time difference is so short. If the Vatican does not have someone to communicate with they could pass up our appeal.
- To hire a Rome canon lawyer the cost will likely be around $10,000.00.
- In order to try not to take the canon lawyer fee out of our donations, our lawyer has offered to talk with our larger donors.
- Appealing to the Vatican will give us a chance to focus on raising funds needed (2.2 million to reoccupy the church) and to see if we can get the 18 million total rehabilitation assessment lowered to a reasonable level.
- We can try to get a new assessment of the physical condition and repair estimate of the church.
- Message to Archbishop Etienne: Please give us a chance to raise funds and restore the building.
- We do not want to argue about the assessment right now or focus on anything else.
- We are beginning to search for a Roman Canon Lawyer: Brody will provide recommendation.
- Check Facebook and organizations in social media forums before our next meeting.
Q and A
- Please use the SaveTacomasLandmarkChurch@gmail.com for any questions or concerns. Your message will be sent to our Board of Directors and they will either answer your question(s) or forward it to the correct chair person. They are quick to respond.
- Someone asked if our advertisements in the church bulletins are cost effective. We are advertising in 3 churches for one year for a $500.00 commitment for each from approximately April 2019 through April 2020. A board member explained that it is difficult to determine if advertisements have been effective, but we made a one-year commitment early this year.
- Someone asked about the funding reimbursements if the church was not to be restored. Any cash contribution of $1,000.00 or more will all be tracked and returned, less applicable fees.
- The maintenance cost in the past for Holy Rosary was approximately $24,000.00 annually. The AD is going to require that all churches keep a $300,000.00 maintenance fund balance going forward. Not many churches have this or will be able to come up with funding.
- There is a concern that we are appealing to the Catholic base and not the general public. Please tell everyone, including PLU, Allied Ministries and anyone who may be interested in our cause. If you do not want to approach an individual or a group on your own, please send an e-mail to SaveTacomasLandmarkChurch@gmail.com to let them know that you know of an interested party or individual.
- We would like our members, in groups of two, to reach out to businesses and other churches for sponsorship or just to find out if it would be OK to post our information on their property. We will start a spreadsheet to identify all those that have been contacted so we do not duplicate our efforts or harass anyone. For now, please send an email message detailing which businesses you approach, until that spreadsheet becomes available.
Good of the Order
- Our next special meeting will be focused on selecting a canonical lawyer in Rome and reviewing the AD’s response to our appeal. Please spread the word to any friends and neighbors who might be interested.
- A member found a new grant to apply for with a specific interest in northwest historical landmarks. $15,000.00 to $50,000.00
- Everyone was invited to events at Holy Rosary 1) Saturday night (10/05/2019) pot luck after the 5 pm Mass at the Convent Meeting Center (CMC). 2) Sunday (10/06/2019) a procession for our Lady and cake after the noon Mass. 3) Monday (10/07/2019) at 7 pm Rosary w/candles.
T-shirts and yard signs were available for sale at the meeting and are available for purchase online. Movie tickets are currently only available for purchase online.
Like and follow “Save Tacoma’s Landmark Church” on Facebook or on Twitter @SaveHolyRosary. Sign up for our email-mailing lists.
Contact us anytime at: SaveTacomasLandmarkchurch@gmail.com
Our next meeting will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church starting at 6:30pm on this coming Thursday, October 10th to discuss response (or lack thereof) to the appeal from the AD. This is a special public meeting. Please bring or invite any and all interested parties.
The meeting was closed with a prayer and adjourned before 8pm.