True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice. – Saint Francis de Sales
We are quietly and constantly making progress on all fronts of our Capital Campaign to Build Our Future, Serve Our Past. The Life Center continues to take shape, with the foundation and utility work nearing completion. Our new Front Parking Lot will be available next weekend, once the paint is completely dry and the asphalt is sealed. Our offices have successfully moved back into the Parish Activity Center and Claussen Family Center and the programs of the Parish Family have begun again, including both youth and adult Faith Formation. We still have a long road of recovery to journey on together, but each day brings more improvement.
We have now turned to prioritizing the major undertakings that I know Father John has spoken about during Mass: repairing and restoring our campus that was damaged by Hurricane Irma. We have identified 5 major projects that we must undertake urgently:
- Church Roof: The roof was heavily damaged in the storm, with major sections being pulled up. The roof will be replaced with a new, stronger metal roof system, and we will remove the overhead skylight (which has not been a skylight for over a decade, due to discoloration) as part of that effort.
- Church AC Units: The two oldest air conditioning systems attached to the church were both destroyed by falling tiles from the roof. These units must be completely replaced.
- Church Doors: Saturated by the driving rain and pushed by the storm wind, the wooden doors of the church must be replaced, especially the doors behind the tabernacle, which have completely warped.
- Ballroom Restoration: The largest social space we have, the Parish Activity Center Ballroom, was completely destroyed in the storm. Leaks from the roof and water coming in from all the doors soaked nearly every component of the room, including the chairs.
- Bell Tower: The winds from Hurricane Irma pushed our Carillon, or Bell Tower, too far off its foundation, so it must be demolished and rebuilt.
Many of these projects were already part of our Capital Campaign’s plan to “Serve Our Past”, so we are blessed that we can move forward quickly with existing plans, but we must take on these projects with a clear priority and direction. We must ensure our mission continues with Masses and Services without interruption, even as we move into the busy Advent and Lenten Seasons. We have already begun demolition in the Ballroom, in anticipation of the priorities to get the church repaired as quickly as possible, which will be a major engineering and construction task.
As we Build Our Future, Serve Our Past, we still need all the gifts, prayers, and support of our Parish Family. For the next month, a generous donor will match any and all donations for our Building Fund up to $200,000. This challenge is from a non-parishioner, a community member who has chosen to give to St. John’s as a way of acknowledging the great work the parish does in the community; a person who didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to help Saint John the Evangelist continue our great work. Please use your blue Capital Campaign envelopes to ensure your gifts will become part of this matching opportunity. Make your checks out to Saint John the Evangelist and put “Hurricane Repairs” or “Building Fund” in the Memo Line. If you have any questions, please contact Jean-Paul Boucher, at 239-566-8740 or email: [email protected].