In the very near future (hopefully within the next few weeks) you will see a new addition to the Narthex in the church. For those of you unfamiliar with this term, the Narthex is the space immediately inside the main entrance of the church separating the entrance from the sanctuary. Our Narthex, although small, is intended to be a gathering space for parishioners to greet each other and converse before entering the sanctuary and following Mass. Our Narthex has also been used to display any number of information boards, bulletins, Catholic literature, etc. The Stewardship Council is installing two flat screen monitors which will be mounted on either side of the Narthex. The monitors will reduce the need for easels and clutter making the Narthex a more open, welcoming space. What will be displayed on the monitors? We plan on highlighting particular ministries, announcing upcoming events and communicating anything we feel pertinent to the parish. The Stewardship Council feels that this will be a very effective communications tool.
“Keep Christ in Christmas” is an evangelization program of the Knights of Columbus designed to emphasize the real meaning of Christmas. During these times, when everything “Christian” is being attacked in our secular society, we have an obligation to encourage the message that the real purpose of December 25 is to celebrate the birth of our Savior. The Knights are again selling their high quality, modestly priced Christmas cards. These cards are being sold after each Mass in front of the Church. All profits will go to the Jamaica Outreach Program and the Youth of the parish. The Knights deserve your support.
The first “Families in Christ” session is quickly approaching and will take place next Sunday morning, October 28. Bill Maguire (Director of Youth Ministry) is hosting the events this year and we look forward to a very lively gathering. For those of you who read Bill’s weekly column, you will agree that he is very well versed in his theology and relates incredibly well with the youth of our parish. We look forward to seeing you there.
It is no secret that many of our seasonal residents have returned early this year. Attendance at Mass this past weekend was much greater than I have seen in quite some time. I mentioned last week that we met our weekly budget for the first time since May of this year. We now are on our second straight week of meeting budget. Not only did we meet our budget but we recognized an increase of 37.75% over the same weekend last year. Thank you to all of our parishioners for your incredible generosity.
Since taking over the management of our Memorial Garden back in March 2009, I have sold over 300 spaces to parishioners and their immediate families. As I have said before, I initially found the new addition to my job description quite morbid. Since that time, I have come to actually enjoy the interaction that comes along with the job. I have never claimed to be good at sales, however, the Memorial Garden sells itself and at $1,200.00 per space, it really is an easy sell. Many of the couples I meet with really like the idea of being able to come to Mass every week and visit their loved ones before or after Mass. You may also take solace in the fact that your loved one is being buried in consecrated ground. Yes, it costs only $1,200.00 to purchase a space in our Memorial Garden. This is an all inclusive price meaning it includes the opening, closing, urn and engraved granite headstone. I can assure you that this is an incredibly competitive price. You will pay at least three times this amount at any other cemetery. With the addition of new landscaping, a beautiful fountain and new granite benches, the memorial garden is in tip top shape. As a reminder, space is very limited and sale of space in the garden may be terminated without notice. If you are interested in purchasing space in our Memorial Garden, please contact me at 566.1678.
As of this past Wednesday, I still did not have firm pricing for the “Lest we Forget” Veterans Memorial to be constructed across from the front of the church. I promise to have this information available in next week’s bulletin. I have received numerous calls to reserve benches, flagpoles and pavers. I apologize for the delay.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager