For those of you who sit in the back wings of church, I am confident that you had no problems reading your missal this past weekend. After numerous delays, we were able to get most of the ancillary fixtures installed prior to weekend Masses. From the comments I have heard thus far, everyone is pleased with the very tasteful sconces and chandeliers. The volume of new light recognized thus far is amazing versus what existed before. Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain an adequate lift to access the ceiling in order to install the stage lighting, which is the true beauty of this new lighting system. As of this past Wednesday, we still had no lift but are expecting to have one in time to get the remainder of the project completed by this weekend. I certainly am not holding my breath as I could easily be asphyxiated in doing so. The lift that is required to access the ceiling is very specialized and there are only 11 in the state. Because of the tight quarters in entering through the front doors and navigating between the pews, we are limited to this particular lift to reach the ceiling. This is a height of 55 feet at its highest point. Until this week, all of these lifts have been on long term rental or lease. We have experimented with several other options with no luck. Short of apologizing once again, I can only say that we are doing everything in our power to get the job done.
The Ladies of Charity “Bike Drive” is in full swing. As of this past Wednesday, we had a jam packed truck of new and gently used bicycles. So many that we had to make a trip to Immokalee to drop off the first shipment. In addition to the bicycles, you have also donated over $5,000.00 in monetary contributions to purchase bicycles for our neighbors in Immokalee. We have one full week to go as of 343this weekend to meet our goal of 200 bikes. After seeing some of the bicycles donated thus far, I would like to make the following suggestion. The recipients of these bicycles will be thrilled with their new mode of transportation. We would also like to have them keep their new bicycle. Many of the bicycles donated are worth well over $200 (several are upwards of $500) and will make a nice target for theft once they are on the road. If you are unable to purchase a bike, maybe you could purchase a lock and chain to secure these valuables. I would hate to see someone abscond with a brand new bike intended for someone who really was deserving. This is a reality and the streets of Immokalee are tough. If you share my concerns, please consider donating a lock and chain. Thank you to all who have contributed thus far to this amazing Bike Drive.
The Ladies of Charity are also conducting a food drive concurrent with the Bike Drive. There are two trees in the narthex, one of which has ornaments for bikes and the other for food. Both the food and bicycles will be donated to the Guadelupe Center in Immokalee.
I received a call from Fr. Dennis Farrall, Pastor of Resurrection Roman Catholic Church in Gerrittsen Beach, NY. Resurrection parish was the recipient of our Hurricane Sandy collection. Fr. Farrell exclaimed that he was completely blown away (he said it knocked his socks off) upon receiving our check for relief from Hurricane Sandy. He went on to tell me that over 450 homes in their community were severely damaged or destroyed by the hurricane. Prior to receiving our check, he had been distributing funds to parishioners in need with a $350.00 cap. Those funds were nearly exhausted as of the time of our call. Fr. Farrall will be writing a letter of sincere thanks which we will publish in our bulletin when it arrives. Thanks to our parishioners for making a difference in the lives of those in New York and beyond.
We are in the home stretch of the 2012 Catholic Faith Appeal. In this bulletin (page 3), you will see a letter from the Finance Council regarding the importance of the CFA in addition to a piece issued by the Diocese concerning year end giving (page 20). We are dangerously close to reaching our goal after falling disappointingly short last year. If you are able to assist us in our efforts, it would be greatly appreciated. As of this past Wednesday, we are only $34,326.00 short of our goal with basically three weeks to go. Remember that the CFA is the single most important component of our annual operating budget. 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.
Time is running out! For those who may have missed my recent comments, the price for space in the Memorial Garden will increase on January 1. The current price of $1,200.00 will increase to $1,500.00. If you would like to secure pricing before the increase, please contact me at 566.1678 before the end of the year.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager