As of this past Wednesday, the parking lot resealing project was still not complete. We did receive a brief respite from the rainy weather this past weekend while crews were not working. Unfortunately, mother nature picked up right where she left off at the beginning of the week. Only the parking area immediately in front of the church remains to be completed. I am extremely confident that we will have the job completed in time for the 3:00 p.m. vigil Mass this Saturday. Thank you for your patience while we dodge thunderstorms to create a more functional and aesthetically pleasing parking lot.
June 30th marked the end of our fiscal year (2010/2011) and I must say that in the face of extremely difficult economic times, we weathered the storm fairly well. I am still waiting on several documents in order to completely close the books for the fiscal year, however, as it stands now we performed slightly better this fiscal year than last. I will publish financial statements in an upcoming bulletin so that you may see the strides we have made over the past twelve months.
The Paniccia Prayer Garden is really beginning to come to life. Installation of landscaping began this past week with the largest trees and shrubs being planted first. Rather than planting smaller trees, we opted for more mature varieties, and I am confident that this was a great decision. I can assure you that this Prayer Garden is going to be a showpiece for the parish and an example for the entire Diocese of Venice. You may glance through the construction fence at the massive plantings of Ligustrum, Italian Cypress, Pink Tabebuia, Oak and many more. The centerpiece of the garden will be a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, which will be elevated on a water feature. Following on the theme of Assisi, we will install a massive nine foot panoramic mosaic of the commune which will be located on the northern end of the garden. The inclusion of Italian Cypress Trees really gives the feel of actually being in the Umbria region of Italy. The Men’s Club purchased a beautiful wall fountain which has been relocated to the interior of the gazebo at the main entrance to the garden. The fountain will have a backdrop of lattice and confederate jasmine creating a magnificent visual. Installation of irrigation and electrical conduit took place this past Monday. Installation of ancillary landscaping also began this past week and will continue through this coming week. There will be a total of 33 different varieties of plantings in the garden creating a lush and serene environment. I am extremely proud of this project and excited to see it come to fruition. I would like to thank everyone who came forward to purchase a Station of the Cross or a bench so that we could make this garden a reality.
As a reminder, there are still two benches remaining for purchase. These benches will be located immediately in front of the church and may be engraved, honoring or memorializing a loved one. The cost to purchase a bench is $3,000.00. The benches are solid granite and are very attractive. If you are interested in purchasing either of these two remaining benches, please contact me at 566-1678.
Believe it or not, this weekend marks the 7th anniversary of “Scott’s Corner.” That means that this is approximately my 350th edition, give or take a few. What began as a recommendation to me by one of our volunteers has turned out to be quite a functional way to convey pertinent information to our parish family. As you may attest, communication is the single most important component of any successful operation. Whether it is a business or a church, lack of communication is a recipe for failure. I do my very best to keep everyone up to date on the happenings within the parish. I truly enjoy writing my weekly column and I am hopeful that you enjoy reading what I write.
I feel it safe to say that we have now settled into the summer doldrums even though summer just began a few weeks ago. Attendance has substantially tapered off and contributions to the CFA have also decreased dramatically. We are still in decent shape due to the early outpouring of generosity through the first six months of the campaign. As I stated last week, let us strive to not just meet our goal this year, but rather substantially exceed our goal. Thank you in advance for your continued support of the Catholic Faith Appeal.
Saturday, July 16th marks the 23rd anniversary of ordination to priesthood of Bishop Frank Dewane. Please join us in wishing the Bishop many more happy and fruitful years of priesthood, and pray that Almighty God will abundantly bless his spiritual leadership of the Diocese of Venice in Florida.
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.