Every day is a blank page upon which each Christian begins writing with good works. – Pope Francis
It has been an interesting month for all of us here at St. John, both in our personal lives and in our church environment. From celebrating Mass in our Seminar Room without power to serving those hit hardest in the area around our Parish Family, we have responded to this disaster with our hearts and our stewardship, showcasing the best of our faith. In the midst of our actions, we have been constantly recovering our campus from the serious damage that occurred during and after Hurricane Irma. We have been constantly asked when we will be “normal” again, and the answer to that question may be difficult to understand: we will not be “normal” again. Instead, due to the significant damage to all of our buildings, we will have to institute several construction tasks all at once. These projects, including replacing the church roof and the Ballroom renovation, were planned to be accomplished over the next several years. We will be repairing and renewing the campus in a major way over the next months, which will bring our campus to a “new normal”, with enlivened and enhanced spaces for worship and social activities.
In order to accomplish this feat, we will need your assistance. The time we had planned to gather the wonderful gifts of our Parish Family for our Capital Campaign for these projects must be shortened considerably. We must now pay for deductibles for the hurricane damage. However, we are most blessed here at St. John. An amazing anonymous donor has pledged to match every dollar we collect for these repairs and renewals up to $200,000 starting on October 22, and going through Thanksgiving. If you have the ability in this time of need, please contribute to our Capital Campaign, Build Our Future, Serve Our Past, in any way you can. If you would like your funds to be directed only to the repairs of the church, make sure to state that on your donation.
I have described before our need for patience and flexibility during this time of renewal. Our entire clergy and Parish Staff appreciates every single one of you that has provided your positive support as we work tirelessly to restore, repair, and rejuvenate our campus so we can continue to grow as a Parish Family to achieve our Mission: To Know, To Love, and To Serve God in His Church and Our Community.
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 Jean-Paul Boucher, at 239-566-8740 or email: [email protected].