Over the course of the calendar year, we have six “second” collections here at Saint John the Evangelist. Four of these collections are for our Jamaica Outreach Program and the other two are for the Seminarians and World Mission Sunday. Fr. John has been adamant that second collections are not to be taken lightly and only used for VERY special circumstances. We also administer second collections when there is a natural disaster such as the recent typhoon in the Philippines.
Did you know that we are allowed by the Diocese of Venice to take two second collections for the Catholic Faith Appeal? The decision was made long ago to forego this process as the clergy felt that it was simply too much.
Ironically, over my many years with Saint John the Evangelist, we have never taken a second collection for anything related directly to the parish. That will change on March 22 & 23. We will take a second collection that weekend and the proceeds will be used to fund a Facilities Capital Reserve Account. Many of you live in gated communities or neighborhoods which have Homeowners Associations. Many of these HOAs require that capital reserves be accumulated annually to satisfy long term liabilities in the way of new roofing, pavement, air conditioners, etc. Until now, we have been completely reactive at Saint John the Evangelist with the hope of one day being proactive. Obviously financial constraints are involved in our inability to stash funds away for capital reserves to be used at a later date. When we have had a capital need in the past, we have either used operating funds or solicited our parishioners for the funds in order to do so.
You will see a letter from the Buildings and Grounds Committee and Finance Committee in the bulletin (page 5) describing many of the improvements that have taken place over the past five years on campus. As of this weekend, you will have two full weeks to discern and pray about how much you would like to contribute to this very important endeavor that will keep the campus looking great for many years to come. Thanks in advance for your generosity on March 22 & 23.
Did you know that the seven Dioceses/Archdioceses of Florida are joining together to expand the existing seminary on the southeast coast in Boynton Beach. We published a letter from the Bishop in our bulletin back in January discussing these plans. St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary’s student body has grown from 55 five years ago to 85 this year. In three years, expectations are for 110 students, the largest group in the seminary’s 50-year history. The cost of this renovation/expansion is $7 million and is being shared by all Florida Dioceses. Each individual parish is being assessed over five years based on their annual offertory collection from the 2012/2013 fiscal year. Obviously we have a much larger assessment than others due to your extreme generosity. Our portion is $97,249.00 or $13,893.00 per year spread out over seven years. The Seminarian collection on January 11 & 12 went a long way in satisfying our annual obligation. We collected $11,482.00 leaving only $2,411.00 due for our first of seven years.
Why did I spend so much time discussing the seminary expansion and our obligation? I did so because the parish cruise proceeds this past January were earmarked for the Seminary expansion in an effort to mitigate our share. Dr. Dave Quist should be commended for doing an amazing job of coordinating an amazing trip but more importantly for raising an enormous amount of funds for the seminary. Through tour credits and profit sharing, our parish cruise netted $17,157.36. This amount covers our shortfall for this year and completely covers us for next year. It is our hope that we will be able to satisfy our seven year obligation in only three years with revenue generated from upcoming cruises. This is great news as it will not affect our operating budget or our bottom line. Thanks again to Dr. Dave for a job very well done.
Before I let everyone go, I felt it prudent that we discuss the Reverse Raffle which will take place on March 29. I promise not to begin begging as of yet, however, tickets are currently on sale in the parish office for $100.00. This includes admission for two to an amazing event. For the newcomers, I will describe in more detail next week the particulars. For returning guests, please get out and buy your tickets now rather than waiting so I don’t have to stress. Thanks.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager