Did you read the article in the Florida Catholic regarding the St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry? Due to the poor economy and many other factors, the need for assistance from St. Vincent De Paul has been enormous this year. The food pantry at the main office is literally running on empty. Our St. John’s conference recently made a monetary donation to assist with the purchase of food to partially replenish the pantry. In addition to the donation made by our conference, caseworkers from St. John donated more than $10,000.00 in the month of June to assist 26 needy families in our area. Statistics for July are not yet available. These donations were for rent assistance and utilities. Other donations were made in the form of food vouchers and gasoline vouchers. The need continues to be great! The president of our conference told me that he handled five cases in only the last two days. Many of those requesting assistance are individuals and families that never thought they would be in this situation. Many are also parishioners sitting right next to you in Mass. If you would like to make a donation to help, please make your check payable to St. Vincent De Paul and drop it in the collection basket. Your donation is completely tax deductible.
A note from the St. John’s St. Vincent De Paul Society
The members of St. John’s St. Vincent De Paul Society are humbled using resources that you give in the offertory and poor boxes. In these difficult economic times there are many individuals and families being helped because of your generosity. In the past week, a home visit was made to a young couple with a 4-year old daughter. They had come to St. Vincent De Paul because the father had lost his job and was living on unemployment benefits. Unfortunately, the benefits did not cover half of their expenses and they had fallen behind on their rent payment. The benefit would pay for half the rent and they would be out of money. We asked the man if he prayed and he told us that in the morning he asked Jesus in his heart to help him take care of his family. And then St. Vincent De Paul knocked on his door. We were able to assist with his rent and when we asked if they had enough food, embarrassed, they opened their refrigerator to reveal a half gallon of milk and a banana. We then helped them with the purchase of food. “How can we thank you?” they asked. We answered: “Pray for the good people of St. John the Evangelist Church who sent us.”
Bishop Frank J. Dewane traveled to Madrid along with 100 young people of the Diocese of Venice for World Youth Day from Aug 15-21. They will be joining other young people from around the globe as they gather to celebrate their faith in Jesus Christ with Pope Benedict XVI. Please pray for World Youth Day and the safety of all who attend
The Diocese of Venice will be continuing its’ Theology on Tap series for young adults (20s and 30s) in the Southern Deanery. The event will be held the last Thursday of every month at Fred’s Food, Fun and Spirits, 2700 Immokalee Road, Naples. Similar to the Northern TOT, it will feature dynamic presenters, Q&A, and table discussions. Admission is free and attendees are welcome to purchase food and drinks. For further information, please contact George L. Smith, [email protected] or 941.484.9543.
Thank you to all of our parishioners for your strong showing the first Sunday of “Undy Sunday.” The bags were overflowing by the end of the weekend and as a result, many deserving children in Collier County will have appropriate undergarments as they head back to school this week. Donations at St. John the Evangelist are up over last year. Let’s finish strong this final week of “Undy Sunday.”
The Visiting Nurses Association will once again offer Flu and Pneumonia shots right here at St. John the Evangelist on Tuesday, October 6 and Tuesday, November 15 beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the ballroom of the Parish Life Center. The seasonal Flu shot is $25 and the Pneumonia shot is $65. Both shorts are covered by Medicare Part B.
Many of you remember my comments regarding the Tabebuia trees on campus and the beautiful yellow blooms displayed during the spring. I have also heard of the Pink Tabebuia but had never seen one locally. We now have our very own which is prominently located in the Paniccia Prayer Garden commingled with the Yellow Tabebuia,s which were retained to enhance the beauty of the garden. There are a few random blooms currently (picture attached), and I have to say that they are absolutely gorgeous. The contrast between the pink and yellow in springtime will be stunning. The St. Francis of Assisi water feature is now completed and landscaped. I trust you agree that it looks amazing. I am very excited for the grand opening of the Prayer Garden so that you may all see the beautiful and serene environment we have created.
We had a surprise renovation in the Parish Life Center this past week. Due to a poor original installation, a portion of the ceramic tile in the reception area buckled and shattered. Since the old 12” tile was dated, we decided to replace the entire floor with new updated 20” tile cut on the diagonal. Marcos Burgoa (Director of Maintenance) is an accomplished tile setter as this is what he did for a living prior to joining us. He also is responsible for installing the new tile in the bathrooms of the church. We were able to complete the entire job with our in-house maintenance staff and save substantial dollars in labor costs.
In writing my weekly column, my goal first and foremost it to inform our parishioners of what is going on within our parish. It is my way to communicate with all of you. That being said, I would appreciate some reciprocity if there is something that is of concern to you that is not being addressed. Please don’t feel that you are burdening me with something that is not important. As is often the case, if there is a problem (no matter how small) that I am not aware of, then it will most likely not take care of itself. If I am aware, steps will be taken to ensure that it is resolved. My phone number is clearly listed on the front of the bulletin and I may be reached via email at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you if you would like to discuss something that you feel is important or simply to talk.
Triplet update:
For those of you interested in attending the baptism of Ella, Mia and Nate, August 28 is the date. Fr. John will baptize all three of our little ones during the 11:00 a.m. Mass. We would love to have you in attendance if you are interested. Ella, Mia and Nate cannot wait to receive the sacrament of baptism and to meet all of their extended family. They are also excited to get out of the house. We hope to see you there!
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager