Fr. John celebrated a beautiful Mass for about 250 parishioners this past Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to recognize the 15thanniversary of his ordination. Celebrating Mass in the same vestments in which he was ordained, Fr. John thanked everyone for their support during his tenure at St. John the Evangelist. He al
so asked that we pray for all of the other priests, seminarians and especially those discerning the priesthood. He further stated that he wanted nothing in recognition of this milestone other than to celebrate Mass with his congregation. Congratulations to Fr. John for 15 years of service to the people of God. It is my hope that he has many more years in which to serve.
Many of you are aware that we have AEDs located in the church, Parish Life Center and Claussen Center. An AED is an Automated External Defibrillator. It is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electrical therapy which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm. Many of our ushers and staff are trained in the operation of AEDs and can step into action if the need arises. The Diocese of Venice uses an outside vendor to monitor all of the AEDs located in the parishes to make sure they are kept up-to-date and in good working order. This past week, the representative was on site for an inspection and told me that two weeks ago at Our Lady of Lourdes in Venice, a parishioner suffered cardiac arrest and was saved by the use of their AED. We certainly hope that we never need to use ours, however, it is comforting to know that there are competent individuals on hand to save a life if needed.
Quite frequently as our parishioners age, the decision is made to leave Naples and move back north to be closer to children and family. Such is the case for Bob and Barbara Pollack. Bob was one of the first parishioners I met after moving to Naples 15 years ago and was of great assistance to me. Barbara sent me a very nice note, which she graciously allowed me to publish in my column. On behalf of our parish family, we wish Barb and Bob the very best in the next chapter of their lives.
To say that St. John’s has been the very best parish we have ever belonged to is an “understatement.” In our 70 + yrs. of being Catholics, and in the 16 yrs. that we have been in Naples, we have never encountered a more caring, spiritual, and tremendously uplifting group of priests, musicians, and support staff. We will miss all of you terribly, but we are entering a new stage in our lives, once again, when we need to move close to our children. As you can imagine, even writing this is bringing on the tears! May God bless you all and keep you in his loving care.
After three rounds of landscaping, our memorial garden is a thing of beauty. The zoysia grass is perfectly maintained, the many varieties of shrubs are flowering and the ficus hedge buffer creates a private and serene environment. The only issue that remains is the bronze plaques which are affixed to the granite headstones. As you may have noticed, roughly six months after installation, the elements (salt air, water and sun) begin to affect the integrity of the finish. Some of the older plaques are hardly legible. We have experimented with numerous solvents and cleaners recommended by the manufacturer with very poor results. In addition, from time to time many of the plaques will become loose because they are affixed to the headstone with a large bolt. This results in the plaques appearing skewed on the headstone which is very unsightly. I have certainly had my share of emails and calls regarding these plaques. As a result, we are considering having the granite headstones engraved directly and eliminating the plaque altogether. The same vendor that produces our granite benches is fabricating a sample which will arrive in the next few weeks. Assuming the finished product is aesthetically pleasing, we may begin using this new procedure in the near future.
Did you know that if we exceed our Catholic Faith Appeal goal by no more than 25%, 100% of the overage will come back to the parish free of assessment. These funds may then be used to bolster reserves or contribute towards one of the many ministry wish lists within the parish. Thanks for your continued support of the Catholic Faith Appeal. I am optimistic that this will be a banner year and we will again exceed our goal.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager