I just sent 25 priests from around the Diocese of Venice off on a day of fun and sun for Priest’s Day Out. These hard working “men of the cloth” had the option of offshore fishing, golf, cruising on a yacht to Marco Island and back or simply relaxing at the La Playa Beach Club. After a day of fun-filled activities, we will meet for dinner at Baleen at La Playa to finish off an amazing day. I would like to thank La Playa for their participation with the golf and beach club and their willingness to underwrite most of their costs. I would also like to thank MarineMax of Naples for graciously donating an amazing yacht and captain for the trip to Marco Island and back. Thank you also to Mark Rogers (parishioner) who took five priests fishing on his marvelous vessel. And finally, thank you to Messner Publications for their participation in underwriting this spectacular event.
Did you know that 40 cabins have been sold for the parish cruise to set sail on January 28, 2015? These 40 cabins will accommodate 77 parishioners who will cruise the Caribbean for eleven days. Fr. John will celebrate Mass on Sunday and every day “at sea” while on board. This is a great opportunity to develop lasting relationships with many of your fellow parishioners. Reservations will be capped at 150 guests so if you are hesitating, please sign up at your earliest convenience. This cruise is very well priced and the parish will also receive Tour Credits from the cruise line which will be used to offset our Catholic Faith Appeal assessment. See the full page flyer on page 22 in this bulletin for more details.
Have you registered your children for Vacation Bible School? If not, I strongly suggest you do so in the next week. Our VBS is widely known as the best in the area and fills quickly. As a matter of fact, in my 17 years at SJE, I cannot remember a year when we did not fill to capacity. Don’t procrastinate if you want your children to have an awesome experience in our Wilderness Escape themed VBS. Registration forms are available in the parish bulletin and on our website.
Did you know that this past Friday was the 17th anniversary of Fr. John’s ordination to the priesthood? If you happen to speak with Fr. John this weekend, please congratulate him on this milestone.
While writing about the memorial garden a few weeks ago I neglected to reiterate the fact that the sale of space in our memorial garden may cease in the very near future. Due to the lack of standardized policies and procedures throughout the Diocese of Venice and all the Dioceses of Florida, The Bishops are contemplating discontinuing sales in all parish memorial gardens until such standardized policies and procedures may be adopted. If you have already purchased space in our garden, your remains may be interred at any time, however, if you have yet to purchase a space, you will be unable to do so once this decision is made. Space still remains in the memorial garden if you are interested in making Saint John the Evangelist your final resting place. The cost to purchase a plot in the garden is $1,500.00. This is an all-inclusive price which includes the opening, closing, urn, and engraved marker. If you care to check pricing locally, you will find that our pricing is nearly 33% of what you would pay elsewhere. Yes, you may pay for your memorial garden plot with a credit card. I know this is a difficult decision for many as final planning is not something that you may be comfortable with. I can assure you that planning in advance is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your family of loved ones as they will not have to deal with this added stress after your death. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing space in our beautiful memorial garden. In order to purchase a plot in our garden, you must be a parishioner at Saint John the Evangelist or the immediate family of a parishioner.
We added another 5% to our Catholic Faith Appeal goal this week. We are now at 58.76% of our goal – $285,039.37 for the 2014 Catholic Faith Appeal. You have several options for helping us reach our goal. You may make a pledge by completing a pledge card located in the narthex. You may also drop a check payable to the Catholic Faith Appeal in the collection basket. You may also visit the Diocese of Venice website www.dioceseofvenice.org and contribute via credit card. Thank you so much for your generous contributions and remember… If you are a seasonal resident or visitor, please make your check payable to the CFA with Saint John the Evangelist in the memo line.
Thank you once again for your continued support.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager