I cannot even conceive that it has been a full year since I first was given the immense responsibility, honor, and duty to manage the Parish Mission of Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church. There have been so many changes, so much activity, such a powerful thrust of positive, joyous energy and involvement, that I cannot even begin to put into words how it makes me feel to be contributing to this amazing church. For those of you who have heard me talk or read this column over the past year, you know that is a big deal, because I have been called “wordy”.
The first thing I feel I must do is thank each and every one of you. The Parish Family and the church is made up all of us, and through every contribution, every word of encouragement, and every sacrifice we all make, we are renewing and living out our faith with our actions. In fact, after Our Holy Father’s visit to the United States, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released this chart on the priorities of the church.
I just want to highlight a few of these and how in just this past year, St. John has championed these issues with our actions:
- Protect the Most Vulnerable – Our focus on our Safe Environment program to ensure each and every person that steps onto our campus can feel safe and protected as they heal and celebrate could not be more important.
- Celebrate the Institutions of Marriage and Family – From new Marriage Retreats to filling the Ballroom for Families in Christ, St. John directly supports and encourages families of all types to participate in their faith
- Work for the Common Good and Serve the Poor and Hungry – Just this week, our Mission takes on another role with A Simple Gesture, a Parish Family-wide food support for the Food Pantries in the area. We have already instituted our bi-weekly clothing drive to Immokalee and continue to increase our support for Guadalupe Social Services, including their first ever fundraiser last year, Feeding Hunger, Filling Hearts, which raised over $13,000.
- Teach New Generations to Embrace their Neighbors – This is our Life Center in a nutshell. By engaging our community and bringing the joyous involvement of every age together, our youth and young at heart can all learn from each other
There is so much more we have done together this year and so many individuals I would like to single out for their amazing contributions, but again, I do not want to be wordy. Instead I will simply say: Thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul. God Bless all of you and God Bless Saint John the Evangelist!