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 PROGRESS REPORT ON THE SJA RETIREMENT MINISTRY 

Early this year, two SJA parishioners, Mark Scannell and Steve Linney, happened to have a conversation about hopes and plans for their own recent retirements. They each saw retirement not as an end, but as a beginning.  In the course of the conversation they considered the possibility of a Retirement Ministry at St. Joan of Arc.  They made initial contacts, talked to others who expressed some interest, then scheduled a meeting to explore it further.

On a Monday in early April a surprisingly large group of people turned out to discuss the formation of a Retirement Ministry. Mark and Steve each addressed the group to explain their initial thoughts but both firmly stated that they weren't trying to create something for which there wasn't a need. Each person in the room stood up to give their name, talk about how long they had been retired - or when they would be retiring, and what they might be looking for in a retirement group at St. Joan of Arc. With little exception, each person said they were very busy so they didn't need more things to fill their days, but there seemed to be a strong interest in having some type of retirement community at SJA that could be a focus for their activities. In particular people talked about looking for ways to contribute or perform a type of service within a like-minded group of people. Several people mentioned it as an educational opportunity, while others were looking for social activities. It was a good meeting, seemingly answering the initial question of whether a retirement group was a feasible idea.  Mark and Steve asked for a smaller group of people who would be interested in serving as a task force and a tentative time schedule was proposed. The task force would meet over the summer months and the Ministry would launch in the fall.

The first meeting of the Retirement Ministry Task Force was held on the first Monday in May. Eleven people were in attendance.  Once again the question was proposed: do we need the ministry when it seems apparent that there are a number of community and state agencies providing many of the similar opportunities. The answer seems to be that there is a commonality with the people of SJA: it is an energetic community filled with people who are intelligent, thoughtful and proactive in their approach to life. It seems natural that such like-minded people might want to make SJA the focus of their retirement activity. The challenge seemed to be to narrow down the focus in order that we don't dilute our efforts.

People in the group talked about wanting to engage in outreach projects - educational, volunteering, social events - but they didn't know how to connect with others who also shared their interests. Could a Retirement Ministry provide that? Steve Linney suggested that we use the computer and a "Facebook" type of program to establish an online community. That would give people a place to register, list their interests, if they desire, and to find others to participate with. Although some retired people are not using computers, the number is diminishing and will continue to drop as the baby-boomers join the ranks of the retired.  St. Joan of Arc is a large parish with people coming many miles from their home so trying to use St. Joan as a physical meeting place can't always happen. An online community would solve that problem. Sue O'Brien is the liaison to the SJA web site and she seemed to think that a program such as this would be easy enough to do on the existing  SJA web site but under the retirement ministry heading. She will talk to the webmaster, Jeff Rholl about how it could happen.

Sue O'Brien is the wife of Tom, mother of four children, and grandmother of eight. She is dental hygienist and manages a dental practice in Spring Lake Park. A parishioner for many years, Sue worked as a caregiver at Grace House for seven years, beginning the week it opened. Now she is looking forward to meeting new people at St. Joan of Arc as she helps out as a web reporter and photographer. Sue can be reached at sueo-b@comcast.net.

Tom Smith-Myott was in attendance and said that on Sunday, September 21st, the speaker at 9:00 and 11:00 am masses would be someone representing the Retirement Ministry.  It was also decided to have a Retirement Ministry Fair outside the gym entrance before and after the Mass in order for people to find out what the Ministry  might have to offer them.  Before adjourning, Jeanne Lutgen suggested that we consider a different name for the group. She thinks that "retirement" conjures up images of an old age that many do not feel and don't relate to.  She and a few others will discuss the possibilities of a different name before the next meeting.

The next meeting will be the first Monday in June. Regular update reports will appear on the St. Joan of Arc web site.