A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just. – Pope Francis
Through the continued generosity of all our Parish Family, year round and seasonal, meeting the remaining goals of the Build Our Future, Serve Our Past capital campaign will allow us to provide the current and future maintenance needs of the existing facilities here at St. John. We have already been overwhelmed by the generosity already provided, but we must continue our efforts together to reach our Pinnacle Goal of $14 million. Our church, the original building that has housed us all for well over a quarter century, is in significant need of major renovations. From small changes that most would barely recognize to major functional efforts, below is a list of a few of these areas we still need your support to achieve:
- Roof: John’s church still has the original roof, now about 5 years past its useful life expectancy. In order to replace this roof, we will not only have to take the current roof off, but we will have to bring all the infrastructure surrounding the roof (insulation, air flow and ductwork) up to code and replace the components that no longer work.
- Skylight: Did you know there is actually a skylight above the altar? Through time and wear, it has sealed over. We must decide if we will keep it or make it part of the standard roof and ceiling.
- Air Conditioning: As many of you have told me recently, now that the AC is working properly, it may be too strong, chilling our seats with the constant flow of air to remove the moisture and heat from the 1300+ people during a full Mass. Unfortunately, it was not designed to cool the altar at the same level, thereby requiring more air flow than needed just to get to the priests and deacons, who are covered in their vestments. We must re-engineer the air conditioning to get as many people comfortable as possible.
- Confessionals: If there is one “constructive criticism” I have heard about our church the most (and I will tell you I hear on a daily basis just how beautiful our church is), it is the Confessionals. I have been told they look like an office cubby, where someone might as well be doing paperwork than engaging in a Holy Sacrament. We should take the time to develop these spaces to be welcoming and warm places for us to receive the gift of Reconciliation.
- Overflow: Anyone who has been to our Masses has experienced the wonderful expression of joy, love, and mercy that the Catholic faith and Mass provides. However, especially with our seasonal Family Members here, it can be quite packed within the church. It is all of our responsibility to create an overflow capability that can handle the swelling of our Parish Family.
These are just a few examples of the renovations we will be undertaking. If you have yet to make a commitment or provided for our campaign, we ask that you prayerfully consider how you can help us make our goals for the capital campaign a reality for all our Parish Family and the local community here in Naples. While we have begun the work our current blessings have allowed us to accomplish for the Build Our Future, Serve Our Past capital campaign, we still need our entire Parish Family to give in order to reach our additional goals. If you have any questions, please contact Joe Lichwalla, the Campaign Coordinator at 239-495-2001 or email: [email protected].
You can also learn more information about the Campaign at: www.sjecc.com/future