This past Wednesday, St. John the Evangelist hosted Priest’s Day Out. This is a gathering of priests from throughout the Diocese of Venice for a day of relaxation and a way to say thank you to them for all they do for us. After meeting here for a gourmet breakfast, these dedicated priests had the option of playing golf, fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, cruising on a yacht to Marco Island for lunch or simply spending the day at La Playa Beach Club relaxing. After a day of fun-filled activities, everyone re-convened at the La Playa Beach Club for dinner. This day was made possible by several very generous sponsors. Marine Max of Naples took the priests to Marco Island on a brand new 38’ yacht completely free of charge. Messner Publications picked up the cost of the breakfast and dinner. La Playa Golf Club hosted our golfers free of charge, while the Beach Club hosted the priests for the day and provided a deeply discounte
d rate for dinner. Thanks to these generous sponsors for their efforts in saying thank you to some very deserving priests. Attached is a picture of several of the priests on the yacht. Also attached is a picture of one of the groups of golfers. Does anyone see a former St. John the Evangelist Associate Pastor in the picture? Fr. Don Henry made the trip from Sarasota to join us. Fr. Henry left us in 1999 to become the pastor of St. Thomas Moore Catholic Church in Sarasota.
Don’t forget that Fr. John will celebrate a special Mass at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 16 commemorating the 15th anniversary of his ordination as a priest. Following Mass there will be refreshments offered in front of the church. If you are able, we would love to have you join us as we celebrate with Fr. John.
What makes our St. John the Evangelist Vacation Bible School so special? It is the volunteers who donate innumerable hours. As mentioned before, we have a team of volunteers within our parish who donate countless hours to create a truly magical experience for our children. Charlene Youngs (Director of Family Ministry) has recruited the services of her husband Brian (also a finance council member) to create the props for this years “SKY” themed VBS. Brian will spend numerous hours over the next month to enhance the VBS experience for the children of our parish. Did you know that our VBS props are so well done that other parishes locally borrow them for their own VBS after we have finished? Thank you once again to all our volunteers who give so generously of their time and talent.
While writing about the memorial garden a few weeks ago I neglected to reiterate the fact that the sale of space in our memorial garden may cease in the very near future. Due to the lack of standardized policies and procedures throughout the Diocese of Venice and all the Dioceses of Florida, The Bishops are contemplating discontinuing sales in all parish memorial gardens until such standardized policies and procedures may be adopted. If you have already purchased space in our garden, your remains may be interred at any time, however, if you have yet to purchase a space, you will be unable to do so once this decision is made. Space still remains in the memorial garden if you are interested in making St. John the Evangelist your final resting place. The cost to purchase a plot in the garden is $1,200.00. This is an all inclusive price which includes the opening, closing, urn, headstone and plaque. If you care to check pricing locally, you will find that our pricing is nearly 33% of what you would pay elsewhere. Yes, you may pay for your memorial garden plot with a credit card. I know this is a difficult decision for many as final planning is not something that you may be comfortable with. I can assure you that planning in advance is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your family of loved ones as they will not have to deal with this added stress after your death. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing space in our beautiful memorial garden. In order to purchase a plot in our garden, you must be a parishioner at St. John the Evangelist or the immediate family of a parishioner.
We added another 5% to our Catholic Faith Appeal goal this week. We are now at 54.33% of our goal – $240,666.84 for the 2012 Catholic Faith Appeal. You have several options for helping us reach our goal. You may make a pledge by completing a pledge card located in the narthex. You may also drop a check payable to the Catholic Faith Appeal in the collection basket. You may also visit the Diocese of Venice website www.dioceseofvenice.org and contribute via credit card. Thank you so much for your generous contributions and remember… If you are a seasonal resident or visitor, please make your check payable to the CFA with St. John the Evangelist in the memo line. Thank you once again for your continued support.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager