It is no secret that the current economic state of affairs in Collier County and abroad is bad at best. It seems that the effects of the recession have trickled down into almost every segment of the economy. As most of you can attest, many people locally are finding it difficult to meet their monthly obligations due to the downturn. This is where the St. Vincent De Paul Society will step in and assist families who are experiencing difficulties. Whether it is assistance in the form of a rent payment, a gift card from Publix in order to provide food or a gas card, St. Vincent De Paul provides an incredibly valuable service to those in our community. As I have stated before, the only source of income for our St. Vincent de Paul Society comes in the form of donations made through two annual collections, the poor box and random mail-in contributions. If you would like to donate, here are your options. You may donate furniture, appliances, house wares, vehicles and even boats. Simply call the main office at 775.1667 and they will arrange to have your donation picked up free of charge. Donations of food or clothing may be taken directly to the main office at Airport Road and Davis Blvd. And last, but not least, cash donations may be made through the poor boxes conveniently located at nearly every church exit. The current donations received through the poor boxes will satisfy less than one case per week. St. Vincent De Paul is one of my favorite ministries as I have seen first hand the amazing work they perform and the end result. Under the direction of Bill Smart, the St. John chapter of the St. Vincent De Paul Society is assisting several families per week. This number is expected to increase exponentially as the summer progresses. If you would like to volunteer your talent and time, St. Vincent De Paul is actively looking for new members to serve needy individuals in our own backyard (literally.) If you would like to join a ministry that will provide you with a true sense of worth and accomplishment, here is your chance. Please call Bill Smart at 495.8295 if you would like to become part of this organization that can change a life.
If you were questioning whether or not season is officially over, one quick glance at our collection summary will certainly reveal the answer. Our regular offertory collection has dropped to 60% of its average during the winter months of December through April. As a reminder, we operate “in the red” seven out of twelve months. If last summer was any indication of what we will experience this summer, we are in for a “rocky road” with respect to covering our operating expenses until the seasonal residents return in the fall. On a brighter note, regular offertory collections are up nearly 5% (fiscal year to date) versus the same period last year. In addition, the finance council has made numerous efforts to reduce operating expenses so that we may survive the lean summer months in the face of a very unfriendly economy.
Thank you for your continued support of the Catholic Faith Appeal. Contributions have dwindled but remain steady as we head into the summer months. I have had several recent requests from the Diocese of Venice asking that our parishioners please make their checks payable to the Catholic Faith Appeal or CFA with St. John the Evangelist in the memo line. They have returned checks in the past for this very reason and are threatening to do so again. Even if you use the yellow CFA envelope, you must make your check payable to the CFA and not to St. John the Evangelist. As you can understand, it is not an ideal situation with the Diocese of Venice depositing a check made payable to St. John the Evangelist into their bank account. In addition, the argument could be made that if a check were made payable to St. John the Evangelist with nothing in the memo line, we could enter CFA on the blank line and send the check to the Diocese to be credited to our CFA goal, even if that wasn’t the donor’s intention.
While we are on the subject of the CFA, I have mentioned the fact that you may make contributions via credit card through our website several times in the past. The Diocese of Venice website is www.dioceseofvenice.org. Simply choose the donations tab and then choose Catholic Faith Appeal. With that being said, please notice that we are now at 55% of our goal with less than $200,000 remaining to pledge in order to reach our goal. Thank you to everyone who is continuing to support our appeal as we head into the summer months.
At this time last year, I was at The Birth Place at NCH waiting for the arrival of my triplets. When people said that the time will go by so fast, they really knew what they were talking about. Ella, Mia and Nate are now one year old and thriving. Although not yet walking on their own, they are very close. I have been warned about this. “Be careful what you wish for” is a common response when I explain to parishioners that they are on the brink of walking. My wife and I are truly blessed to have three beautiful children and even more blessed to have many of you continuing to pray for their well being. Attached is a picture of Ella and Mia with mom and another of Nate posing solo. I hope the second year doesn’t go by as fast as the first. 
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager