Pastoral Council

The Pastoral Council, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, acts in an advisory role to the Pastor to help him identify parish needs, define parish policies, and develop and evaluate parish programs and activities. There are twelve members, along with several ex-officio members, such as the Associate Pastor, parish deacons, and the heads of Religious Education and Parish Communications. The Pastor, as President, and an Executive Officer preside over the Council and its committees.

Some of the specific responsibilities of the Council include:

• Facilitating the annual strategic planning process for all standing committees and evaluating whether St. Edmond’s is meeting the goals outlined in the Parish Mission Statement.
• Promoting regular communication and understanding among parish committees and organizations, and between the parish, the diocese, and the universal church.
• Communicating on at least an annual basis with parishioners about the status of parish affairs, and soliciting their input on parish programs and activities.
• Providing oversight of the activities of all parish committees and ministries.
• Appointing and supervising ad hoc committees, as needed, for special projects and events.
• Reviewing the parish’s annual budget and financial statements as prepared and submitted by the parish Finance Council.

The Pastoral Council meets monthly, September through May. Parishioners are welcome to attend or contact a Pastoral Council member by clicking on their email link below.

Click here or check our Parish Events tab for specific meeting dates, time, and location.

Click here for the Pastoral Council minutes.

2022 Pastoral Council Members’ Roster

Officers

Fr. William Cocco — Pastor (President) pastor@stedmond.org

Rose Marie Patin — Executive Officer  rmpinde@comcast.net

Tom Carter — Recording Secretary tomcarterofs@gmail.com

Ministry Chairs

Connie Benko — Liturgy cbenko@comcast.net

Joe Fuller — Building and Maintenance

Marie Kopf — Director of Religious Education dre@stedmond.org

Susan Ondish — Parish Family Life  tigerond@comcast.net

At-Large Representative- Vacant

Ex Officio Members

Deacon Jim Cadigan —  jjcads@me.com

Deacon Jim Walls —  candj.walls@att.net

Deacon Bob Sprouse —  rsafeway@aol.com

Deacon Matt Raymond — matthewlraymond@me.com

Organization Liaisons

Dave Eason — Knights of Columbus Grand Knight

Michael Renner — St. Vincent de Paul President

Building and Maintenance

The Building and Maintenance Ministry oversees the necessary upkeep, repair, care and maintenance of our parish building and property. Members recommend short and long term capital improvements in response to the physical plant needs of the parish.

The Building and Maintenance Ministry meets as required from September until June. If there are major projects undertaken, additional meetings are scheduled as special project reviews.  Click here or check our Parish Events tab for specific meeting dates, time, and location.

There is always a need for volunteers who are handy, and who have a willingness to match their interests and skills with general maintenance and repairs for the church properties.

Annual March for Life

As the “Mission of St. Edmond’s Respect Life Ministry” is to promote and advocate for the protection of the sanctity of life in all phases from conception to natural death…”, we participate in the Annual March for Life in Washington D.C. We march proudly with our banner: ‘Life What a Beautiful Choice’ (see photo) under the direction of our chair, Barbara Riggs.

Holding onto that hope, we pray that this might be our final ‘walk up to the hill’ to defend life; we would like all future trips would be in thanksgiving and praise to Our God who commands us always to “CHOOSE LIFE” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Please contact Barbara for more information at 302 226 4947 or email at briggs@umd.edu.

Finance Council

Mission

• Assist the pastor
• Administer parish goods
• Observe and facilitate the preparation of the annual budget
• Ensure complete and accurate bookkeeping
• Develop a financial plan
• Monitor surplus parish funds

Members

Fr. William Cocco

Gordon Kaiser - cgkaiser@comcast.net

Yvonne Bailey - administrator@stedmond.org

Ditmar Kopf - ditmar.kopf@gmail.com

Nick Caggiano - nicolapizza@comcast.net

Coleen Collins - collinsprice1@gmail.com

Jim Falk (Executive Officer)- jfalk@udel.edu

Deacon Jim Walls - deaconjimwalls@stedmond.org

Parish Family Life

The Parish Family Life Committee provides for a holistic growth and development of the parish family. The committee promotes Christian community and personal development and enrichment for families and individuals of St. Edmond. The programs and events are based on promoting values of the parish family and our Catholic faith. The Committee sponsors the annual parish picnic, Sunday coffee times, parish dinners, and other events. More information may be obtained by calling the parish office (302 227 4550) or emailing Susan Ondish, committee chair at tigerond@comcast.net.