On behalf of the Clergy and Staff of St. John the Evangelist, it is my sincere pleasure to wish everyone a very blessed and spiritual Easter weekend. I cannot wait to see the sight as thousands are attending Mass this weekend in the church and overflowing into the Parish Life Center. Because Easter arrives prior to “tax day” this year, we are expecting substantial crowds at all Masses. It is true that a handful of our visitors have departed; however, there are many seasonal residents and visitors remaining in town as well as those who satisfy their annual requirement for Mass by attending only on Easter Sunday.
Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket for the Reverse Raffle. Believe it or not, we sold all 300 tickets and were actually turning parishioners away the Friday before the event. We had an amazing time this past Saturday. Tom did an amazing job of fielding music requests and had many in attendance occupying the dance floor. We were also able to televise the final four basketball games on one of the screens so that our sports fans were not left out of the loop. Over 400 attended the Reverse Raffle, and I believe that everyone was pleased. I am confident that at least 19 of our guests were very pleased with the end result. Twelve lucky parishioners received a prize of $100 for being the 1st and 25th subsequent ticket drawn. Six very lucky parishioners decided to split the grand prize of $10,000.00, which left them each with $1,666.67. One of the final six was a shared ticket which netted them each $833.33. The six winning tickets belonged to Joe & Kay Reid, Lois Wellman, Dave & Betty Quist, Gail Mulloy, Charles and Ruth Malloy and Janet D’Addario/Violoette Saluan – shared ticket. As previously mentioned, all proceeds from the Reverse Raffle will be used to reduce our Catholic Faith Appeal Goal. Thank you again to all of our parishioners who endured my begging and pleading for the last month in order to make this event a success. You really came through and I am very grateful. Due to an early deadline for the bulletin, we don’t yet have a detailed accounting of the net proceeds, however, I will include in next week’s bulletin.
Do you remember Deacon Matthew Grady who interned at St. John the Evangelist over the summer? Currently, Deacon Matthew is in Rome completing his work in the seminary. He will be ordained a priest on Saturday, July 14, at 11:00 a.m. at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. If you are able, I am sure Matthew will appreciate you presence. We will have a reception at a date to be announced to recognize Matthew’s very special accomplishment.
Have you considered using “Pledge Connect” to make your weekly, monthly or annual offertory contributions? Pledge Connect is our electronic vendor which processes credit cards and electronic bank drafts. Pledge Connect is the same vendor used by the Diocese of Venice. You may access Pledge Connect through our website by clicking on “ways to give.” This is a great opportunity for those of you wishing to earn miles or points through your credit card. It is also a great opportunity to setup recurring transactions so that you may never have to worry about writing a check for Mass each Sunday. While you are away for the summer, you may also choose to continue contributing to St. John the Evangelist via credit card through recurring contributions. In addition to regular offertory, you may electronically contribute to a plethora of other entities, including Habitat for Humanity, Jamaica Outreach and St. Vincent De Paul. You may even purchase your plot in the memorial garden via Credit Card. Some of you chose to purchase your reverse raffle ticket through credit card as well. For those who like to place an envelope in the basket weekly during Mass, you may simply write “gave via credit card” on your envelope and drop it in the basket as usual. The Pledge Connect website is very secure and encrypted so that none of your credit card information will be compromised. Please take a minute and check it out. Giving electronically could make your life much easier.
This past weekend at Mass, many of you heard Tom Oram mention the new baby grand piano which now resides next to the organ. Considering that this is Easter weekend, many more of you in attendance most likely did not hear his comments. This beautiful piano is not new, although it is new to us. Tom found a great deal and through the generosity of many of our parishioners, was able to purchase this gently used piano at a fantastic price. We hope that you enjoy the amazing music that Tom will produce through our new baby grand. Thanks again to the parishioners that made Tom’s dream a reality.
For those of you planning on attending the Parish Appreciation Day Picnic on April 15, please do not forget our Lenten “Mission Clothe Me” project. Although there is no charge for admission to the picnic, we kindly ask that you purchase a “new” clothing item for the boys and girls in St. Lucia. Believe it or not, you can assemble an entire outfit at Target or Wal-Mart for less than $15. This includes shirt, shorts, underwear and socks. Thanks in advance for your consideration.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager