I have had to submit three weeks worth of Scott’s Corner in a very consolidated period of time. So much so that I am not sure of which week I am writing. But here goes…..
I hope that everyone enjoyed a HAPPY THANKSGIVING this past Thursday. If you were traveling over the holiday to be with family and loved ones, we wish you a safe return.
We have yet to experience any unseasonably cold weather to speak of here in “paradise” this fall with the exception of a very short lived cool snap several weeks ago. Many up north have also not experienced any miserable winter conditions as of yet. These miserable conditions are usually “just what the doctor ordered” to chase the remaining seasonal residents out of their residences up north and bring them down to Southwest Florida. There used to be a very clear pattern with the seasonal travel habits of our winter residents. Many that have dual residences would come down in late October/early November and open up their winter homes. They would then stay with us until the week before Thanksgiving and head back up north to spend the holidays, returning in the middle of January. Over the past couple of years, this pattern has changed. Many of our winter residents are foregoing their fall visit and instead arriving after the first of the year. Easter also plays a major role in the length of time our seasonal residents remain in Southwest Florida, especially for those who rent versus own. I am overly optimistic that the current poor state of our economy will not prevent those who rent from making their annual trek to Southwest Florida for the winter months. Many that rent do so on a month-to-month basis and will generally stay in Naples until Easter. Easter in 2012 will fall on April 4. This means that many of our winter residents will stay through the month of April in 2012. Why am I discussing the seasonal travel patterns of our winter residents? Because these travel patterns have a substantial effect on our local economy. As we are all aware, the Naples economy is heavily based on tourism. Many of our work force are employed in the service industry and count on our seasonal residents to survive. If our seasonal residents arrive one month later or depart even one month early, this will have a dramatic effect on the ability for many that rely on their economic influx to survive. This is certainly the case here at St. John the Evangelist. As I have stated before, we generally operate “in the red” 7 out of 12 months. Our seasonal parishioners are crucial in allowing us to build a surplus in the winter so that we may sustain during the very lean summer months. Let us pray that the local and nationwide economy improves in short order and that we have long and prosperous winter season.
Did you notice the beautiful addition to the narthex of the church? Last year at the International Catholic Stewardship Conference I was given the idea by a parish in California to design and build a “Ministry Wagon” so that our numerous ministries could display their literature. It just so happens that we have an incredibly talented carpenter in our parish. I presented the idea to Marty Gauthier and he graciously agreed to build the wagon. Marty constructed this beautiful piece by hand from scratch with no template. He is an amazing steward of his time and talent and we are blessed to have him at St. John the Evangelist. The next step is to populate the open sleeves on the wagon. If you would like your ministry included in the wagon, please see me for specifications on the size of your flyer.
Did you know that the mosaic to be located in the north end of the Paniccia Prayer Garden is being designed and built by one of our parishioners? Julie Kwiatkowski has been working for several months to fabricate this massive 5’ x 9’ m
osaic featuring a scene from the city of Assisi in Italy. For those familiar with mosaics, this is a very painstaking process involving the manipulation of thousands of pieces of small tiles. Julie sent me a picture from her studio of the work in progress, which I have included in my column. She is performing all of this work as a gift of time and talent and we are very grateful. Thanks, Julie, for all your hard work and we look forward to seeing the finished product for the dedication of the Prayer Garden.
The miniatures sculptures of the Blessed Mother, St. John the Evangelist and the crucifix are slated to arrive from December 9 – December 12. This is a far cry from the original arrival date of mid September. When they arrive, our team of volunteers will contact those of you that purchased the statues to arrange for pick up. Although there has been a lengthy delay, we are confident that the finished product will be well worth the wait. We will display samples of the statues in the religious boutique for purchase by those who did not order in advance.
The dedication of the Paniccia Prayer Garden is officially scheduled for December 4 following the 9:00 a.m. Mass. We look forward to seeing you there to celebrate this momentous occasion. We have poured a tremendous amount of time and effort into the Prayer Garden and we are optimistic that you will appreciate the finished product.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager