This coming Tuesday is election day. From what I have seen driving by the Collier County Public Library on a daily basis, everyone and their brother is taking advantage of early voting. I don’t know if “taking advantage” is accurate terminology as the lines are well over an hour long. Although we are all well aware of the ramifications of this election, there will be good news for all of us on Wednesday, regardless of your party affiliation. Living in a swing state has put us all through the ringer with regards to political ads. Beginning on November 7, we will be free from these ads for at least another two years.
We now have a “somewhat firm” date for the installation of the new lighting system in the church. We have scheduled the week following Thanksgiving (November 26 – November 30) for installation. I use the term “somewhat firm” because, as is the case with most things that involve dependency on a vendor, we are often “left in the lurch.” We look forward to finally completing this project and properly illuminating the church.
Both of the flat screen monitors have been installed in the Narthex. Due to the technology now included in modern flat screen televisions, we were able to eliminate the need for a computer to run the slide show and the need for an expensive cable run. Our IT department will simply design the slides and download onto a flash drive which will plug directly into the TV. The pictures will then loop at whatever speed we deem appropriate to read the information. We hope to have the monitors up and running by next week. We will have a test version running this weekend.
During weekend Masses the past two weeks, someone has apparently been placing political stickers on vehicles parked in our lot. Please understand that this was not approved by St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. We cannot and do not openly endorse any candidates. The only signage that has been approved are those supporting amendments 6 & 8. We sincerely apologize to our parishioners that were offended by the receipt of these stickers.
I met with the General Contactor that is constructing the “Lest we Forget” Veterans Memorial this past week. Although it looks as though very little has been accomplished, he assured us that the memorial will be completed in time for the dedication following Mass on Saturd
ay, November 10. Below is a list of the remaining items available for purchase.
- (2) 20’ Flagpole – $4,000.00 – flying the Papal flag – SOLD and St. John the Evangelist flag (features a bronze plaque at the base of the flag)
- (1) 25’ Flagpole – $4,500.00 – flying the American flag – SOLD (features a bronze plaque at the base of the flag)
- (6) Granite benches – $3,500.00 – engraved with an honorarium or memorial – Two remaining
- (50+) Brick pavers – $150.00 – engraved with an honorarium or memorial – Numerous remaining
Currently, the American flagpole, Papal flagpole, three of the benches and numerous pavers are sold. If you are interested in purchasing any of these items, please contact me a 566-1678. This is going to be an absolutely amazing memorial to our veterans.
The first order of replacement granite markers for the Memorial Garden is scheduled to arrive this coming week. As I mentioned several weeks ago, we will begin with Section 24 (adjacent to the fountain on the West side) and then move on to the Knights of Columbus section (Northwest corner) and continue until completed. This will be a major undertaking and the Memorial Garden will be closed from time to time while this work is being completed. The end result will be very aesthetically pleasing and worth the slight inconvenience. Thank you in advance for your understanding while we transform the Memorial Garden into a truly beautiful and spiritual space. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT – For those of you waiting in the wings, the price of a space in the Memorial Garden will increase on January 1. The new cost for a space will be $1,500.00. if you would like to take advantage of the current $1,200.00 pricing, please contact me (566-1678) at your earliest convenience.
We are now officially on the downhill slide with regards to the Catholic Faith Appeal. We currently are at 78.27% of goal with two months remaining. We have less than $100,000.00 ($96,280.00 to be exact) to satisfy our goal for 2012. We are now well ahead of where we were at this same time last year and I am optimistic that we can exceed our goal after a one year hiatus. As a reminder to our seasonal residents and visitors, please make your check payable to the Catholic Faith Appeal with St. John the Evangelist in the memo line. You may also make electronic contributions by visiting the Diocese of Venice website at www.dioceseofvenice.org. In addition, you may also make contributions of stock by contacting Deborah Shafer in the Diocese of Venice development office at 941-484-9543. Thank you for your continued support of the Catholic Faith Appeal.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager