Thank you to all of our parishioners who participated in the Capital Reserve collection this past weekend. We were not sure how well our congregation would receive this request for these much needed funds. As it turns out, you gave very generously and we were able to raise $42,704.00. As discussed in Fr. John’s letter, these funds will be restricted and deposited into an account with the Diocese of Venice. If necessary, only 50% of the funds may be used in any fiscal year.
Believe it or not, on this very weekend last year we were celebrating Easter Mass. This year, Easter arrives much later so we still have three full weeks to prepare. What this weekend does signify is what I refer to as the first exodus of our seasonal residents. Many who winter in Southwest Florida do so for a three month period from January through March. What does this mean for the rest of us? It means that the congestion on the roads will taper slightly and there will be a few less bodies in the pews at Mass. For those who are leaving paradise, we wish you a safe and enjoyable spring and summer and hope to see you again next January.
Depending on whether or not we had a flurry of late activity, as you read my column, we are either preparing for or celebrating the end of the Reverse Raffle. Thank you to those who responded to my plea and purchased tickets to this very important event.
We are well on our way to success for the 2014 Catholic Faith Appeal. As of this past Monday, we have 37% pledged or $183,154.12 of $485,000.00. As a point of reference, for this same week last year with a smaller annual assessment, we were at 38% of our goal. So we look to be in pretty good shape moving forward. As a reminder to our seasonal residents and visitors with us in paradise, please make your check payable to the Catholic Faith Appeal with Saint John the Evangelist in the memo line. Thank you so much for your continued support of the Catholic Faith Appeal. Your contributions are making an amazing difference in our ability to operate within our annual budget.
Did you see the collection summary in this bulletin? The St. Patrick’s Day collection from Monday, March 17 was $14,211.00. This entire collection will be distributed to the St. John’s Council of the St. Vincent de Paul Society to be used for assistance by families in our area. Between the party and the collection, we raised nearly $20,000.00 for our St. Vincent de Paul Society. Thank you to our parishioners for your extreme generosity.
Did you know that it has been a little over one year since we switched to the new glossy paper for our bulletin? This was made possible through the purchase of an amazing and very expensive printing press by Messner Publications. We both worked our way through a sizable learning curve with numerous iterations of different types of paper and different shades of ink on the paper any given week. One year later, I think it safe to say that our bulletin is a work of art. We have arguably the best bulletin that I have ever seen. In addition, we have the best bulletin editor (Kathy Sims) and the best publisher (Messner Publications.) Nothing makes me happier than to hear from others all around the Diocese and beyond about how awesome our bulletin is every week.
On May 14 we are hosting an entitled “Priest’s Day Out.” We have hosted this event either annually or biennially for the past ten years. It is basically a thank you to our priests for all they do for us. The day begins with breakfast here at Saint John the Evangelist. After breakfast, these men have the option of participating in numerous activities. They may cruise on a yacht to Marco Island for lunch, play golf, fish offshore/backwater or simply relax at the La Playa Beach Club. Finally, everyone meets up again in the evening for a spectacular dinner at La Playa Beach Club. All of the day’s events are either donated or completely underwritten. Therefore, there is no cost to the priests or the parish. The only piece of the puzzle I have yet to complete is the fishing portion. Are you a charter captain or do you own a fishing boat and feel capable of taking a group out for a day of fishing? If so, please contact me at 566.1678 or at [email protected]. This year we are opening this to the entire Diocese of Venice so we may need a few boats. Thanks in advance for your consideration in showing these priests a fantastic day out.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager