A Church with these three features – humility, selflessness and beatitude – is a Church that recognises the action of the Lord in the world, in culture, in the daily life of the people. I have said this more than once, and I will repeat it again today to you: ‘I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security’– Pope Francis
I hope you have gotten a chance to see the new “Coming Soon” Sign outside our church. It clearly shows we have made our first goal and on our way to our second goal now. The Life Center will be a reality for our Parish Family. That does not mean we are done by a long shot, however. The Build Our Future, Serve Our Past campaign is now in its second round, ensuring the future of our entire campus with renovations for the church and office building. There are also additional needs for our Mission programs, like our support to Immokalee, that will be gained through these next phases of the campaign. As Pope Francis asks of all of us, we must be active in daily life with our joyous faith and make a difference:
I wish for a joyful Church with the face of a mother, who understands, accompanies and caresses. May you too dream of this Church, believe in her, innovate freely. The Christian humanism that you are called upon to live radically affirms that dignity of every person as Son of God, establishes between all human beings a fundamental fraternity, teaches to understand work, to inhabit creation as our common home, and provides reasons for joy and humour, even in a life that is often very hard – Pope Francis 11/10/2015
As we develop and start the programs associated with our Build Our Future, Serve Our Past campaign for all members of our Parish Family, like the Catholic Adult Organization and CYO, we need our entire Parish Family to give in order to reach our additional goals. If you have any questions, please contact Joe Lichwalla, the Campaign Coordinator at 239-495-2001 or email: [email protected].
You can also learn more information about the Campaign at: www.sjecc.com/future