Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away hunger. – Saint Basil
If you have attended Mass this past week during the rainstorms we have been having, you may have noticed a new item on the altar: a rain catcher.
When we began our Capital Campaign, we named it Build Our Future, Serve Our Past for a specific reason. We knew that our entire campus requires renewal in the near future. Some people would respond to Father John’s vision for the future of the Catholic community in Naples, and would to contribute to the Parish Family for our new Life Center. Those efforts were accomplished much faster than any of us anticipated. We recognized, however, that while not everyone might believe in that vision, they could certainly understand the other needs of our campus, including the current roof of the church, the renovation of the Ballroom, and many other items. We specifically built the campaign to include goals so we could rejuvenate our entire campus. It is time to focus on those goals and efforts. God himself is showcasing that fact with what was called “our new Baptismal Font” on the steps of the altar, from the leak emanating from the now-defunct skylight in the church roof.
We have received several bids from roofing companies in the area to fully replace the roof. The situation is dire: after over 25 years, the plywood and layers under the tiles have warped and failed in several areas. This replacement must be complete and total. The bids are coming in around $350,000, which includes the significantly less expensive move to a standing seam metal roof, rather than with the tile roof we have now. Several wonderful Parish Family members have already dedicated their Capital Campaign pledges to the church roof, but their amounts are not even a third of the above cost. We need more assistance in order to accomplish this essential project. Any donations you provide will continue to be non-assessable by the Diocese, meaning that we get 100% of your gift to fix the roof, instead of requiring us to give 26% of it to Venice.
As we Build Our Future, Serve Our Past, we still need all the gifts, prayers, and support of our Parish Family to reach our Pinnacle Goals. If you have any questions, please contact Joe Lichwalla, the Campaign Coordinator at 239-495-2001 or email: [email protected].