Have you visited the Paniccia Prayer Garden recently? If not, I suggest you take a few minutes and spend some time in this very spiritual space. The beautiful yellow Tabebuia trees that were incorporated in the garden are in full bloom and the Pink Tabebuia is also beginning to bloom. At the entrance, gardenia bushes are showing 
beautiful white fragrant blooms and the confederate jasmine which has taken over the lattice is also exploding with countless white flowers. Inside the garden, many other shrubs are displaying vivid color. From the Indian Hawthorne to the Bougainvillea, our prayer garden looks a lot like a botanical garden.
As you read my column, we are less than two weeks out from the Reverse Raffle. We have sold nearly half (150) of the 300 tickets necessary for the event to take place. I certainly do not want to resort to begging, however, our options are diminishing. We MUST sell all 300 tickets for the raffle to take place. I was hesitant to host the raffle this year due to the stress in selling tickets. Due to the prodding of several parishioners, I agreed to do so with their assurance that we would have no problems selling all 300 tickets. Here are a couple of suggestions to entice those of you that have not yet purchased a ticket. First and foremost, all of the proceeds from this event will be used to offset our CFA assessment. The last time we hosted the raffle, $15,000.00 was raised for the CFA. As you know, we fell short of our goal last year by $23,000.00. With the proceeds from the raffle we will have a much better chance of attaining our CFA goal for 2012. You have the chance of winning $10,000.00, or possibly splitting the grand prize with some of your fellow parishioners. Every 25th ticket drawn (including the 1st ticket) will win $100 so twelve lucky parishioners will enjoy a night “on the house.” With the purchase of each ticket, you will enjoy dinner for two catered by Cappelli’s, an open bar and entertainment by Tom Oram. Tom has an amazing repertoire and can play most of our parishioners’ requests. For those struggling with the $100.00 price tag, please consider grouping your funds to purchase a ticket. Five parishioners can go in together for $20 each. To win a share of $10,000.00 for a $20 investment is a pretty good return. Also, as I mentioned in previous weeks, you need not be present to win. Therefore, if you are headed back north for the late spring/summer, please consider purchasing a ticket with the understanding that you may win without attending the event. There will also be “side boards” available for $5 or $10 at the event. This is basically a side bet or a hedge. If your number is one of the first drawn on the big board and you are out of the game, by purchasing a different number on the side board, you will still have the opportunity to win. The side boards mimic the big board with the winner of the $5 board taking home $750.00 and the winner of the $10 board taking home $1,500.00. In summary, I truly want to see the Reverse Raffle take place. That being said, this is an impossibility without your support! Please put my mind at ease and purchase a ticket to this amazing event. I promise that you will not be disappointed.
With the crowds of season also come the poor parking habits of many. I would kindly ask that you not park in the emergency lanes around the church as this creates a very dangerous situation. This past weekend there were vehicles parked in places that were incomprehensible. One vehicle was literally parked right in the middle of one of our exit lanes. It was as though the driver simply turned off the engine, stepped out of their vehicle and walked in to Mass. When emergency vehicles need to access our parking lot to attend to a sick parishioner, these illegally parked vehicles cause a major problem. In addition, this causes a major problem with regards to traffic flow. We have more than enough parking between the elementary school, Naples Memorial Garden and our campus to accommodate all of the vehicles at any particular Mass. We would ask that you utilize one of our many legal parking spots even if it requires walking an extra hundred yards or so to Mass. As a reminder, when parking in the cemetery next door, please do not park on the grass. Doing so may result in your vehicle being towed.
In only three weeks, we have nearly a third of the funds pledged to meet our goal for the 2012 Catholic Faith Appeal. Apparently, many of you have chosen to make a pledge for the CFA and we thank you very much.
It is that time of year again when parents begin to pre-register their children for the upcoming school year. If you are enrolling your child in any of our local Catholic Schools (St. Elizabeth Seton, St. Ann’s or St. John Neumann) and wish to be considered for a subsidy from St. John the Evangelist, you MUST first fill out the FACTS financial survey. After we receive confirmation that you have completed the FACTS survey, we will then use our internal criteria to determine whether you are eligible to receive a subsidy from St. John the Evangelist. Please find our internal criteria below:
Tuition Subsidy Criteria
In order for your child to be eligible for a tuition subsidy at either St. Ann, St. Elizabeth Seton or St. John Neumann, the following criteria must be met.
- The family must have been parishioners at St. John the Evangelist for 6 months prior to the initial request.
- The family must regularly attend Mass. Regularly attending Mass is defined as weekly attendance.
- The family must be contributing on a regular basis. The only way to accurately monitor attendance and donations is by use of weekly envelopes. If you do not place your envelope in the collection basket, then there is absolutely no record of your attendance or contribution.
We agree with the importance of your desire to have your child receive Catholic education and sound formation in the faith. Accordingly, the first responsibility of any Catholic parent is to attend Mass with their family regularly at St. John the Evangelist.
At St. John the Evangelist, we strive to be good stewards of the treasure that our parishioners share with us. Granting subsidies to families who meet the above criteria is the best way for us to be responsible stewards.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager