Wow, what a weekend! If you were fortunate enough to attend Mass this past Saturday evening for the Vigil or Sunday for the Easter celebration, you were most likely as amazed as me at the massive crowds that turned out to recognize the Resurrection of our Lord. Beginning at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and not ending until approximately 6:15 on Easter Sunday, St. John the Evangelist was the place to be. At the 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Masses, both the church and PLC overflow Masses were standing room only. Fr. Len commented that we could have used an overflow Mass for the overflow Mass. Even though numerous seasonal residents and visitors have departed, the crowds were some of the largest I have seen in my fourteen years at St. John’s. I would estimate that as many as 10,000 attended Mass over the weekend. Hopefully, we will see many of the aforementioned attendees again before Christmas. It was truly wonderful having you all here with us to celebrate Easter Mass.
Once again I must hand it to the Arts and Liturgical Environment Committee for their work in making the Church and PLC absolutely beautiful for Easter Masses. We truly have some incredibly talented and creative parishioners that give selflessly of their time and talent in order to make St. John the Evangelist the best that it can be.
The Men’s Club did an amazing job hosting the annual Easter Egg hunt on Holy Saturday. Over 300 children, parents and grandparents attended what was an organizational masterpiece. The children made quick work of collecting the 2,000 eggs hidden very conspicuously. They then convened in the ballroom to sort through their loot and have a pizza party. Thank you to the Men’s Club and all of the volunteers that contributed to make this event a tremendous success.
What do you think of the beautiful new Pascal Candle stand and accompanying smaller stands on either side of the Tabernacle? The Pascal Candle stand was purchased by a parishioner in loving memory of her husband. The smaller candle stands were purchased by a parishioner and the other by the Men’s Club. There are two candlesticks remaining if anyone wishes to follow suit. The price for a smaller candle stand is $1,900.00. There is one bench remaining in the Memorial Garden and four remaining in front of the church. The price for a bench is $3,000.00. If you are interested in a candle stick or bench, please contact me at 566.1678.
Nothing ever goes completely as planned. As I alluded to last week, the new fountain in the memorial garden was indeed installed prior to Easter. Unfortunately, there was a leak in the holding tank and it was not operational for all to see the fountain in its true beauty. We are working with Mark Stahlman to repair the leak and have our fountain completely functional for this weekend.
After a somewhat lengthy delay, our new online donations capability is back up and running and much better than ever before. We have contracted with Pledge Connect as our vendor to manage your credit card and automatic bank drafts. This is the same vendor used by the Diocese of Venice for your CFA credit card donations. The process is incredibly user-friendly and there is no need to create an account. You will need your envelope number. Go to our website at www.saintjohntheevangelist.com and choose the “welcome” tab and then scroll down to “ways to give.” At the bottom of this page, click “here” to make your donation. Hopefully, by this weekend we will have a donations tab on the home page. You may now donate at a desired frequency or make a one time gift. Thank you for your patience and enjoy this new online giving system. Rest assured that the site is encrypted and very secure.
As promised, please see the attached aerial view of the parking lot with the new traffic pattern. This new “flow” should alleviate many of the inconveniences you have experienced in the past. We have contracted with Bonness, Inc. to re-stripe and repair the parking lot. Many of the asphalt areas that have deteriorated over the years will be reinforced and paved. We are optimistic that work on the parking lot will begin in late May.
We are thrilled to announce the ordination of our very own Michal Szyska on May 21 at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. We are contemplating bussing parishioners up to the ceremony on Saturday. Once we have pricing available, a bulletin insert will appear with a sign up sheet. Michal will celebrate his first Mass on Sunday, May 22 at 11:15 a.m. Following Mass, there will be a reception to honor Michal in the ballroom of the Parish Life Center. The reception is open to everyone that wishes to attend at no cost. Hors d’oeuvres (some with a Polish flare) will be served as well as a full bar. Please come out to support Michal as he enters the priesthood.
If you have requested tuition assistance for St. Ann, St. Elizabeth Seton or St. John Neumann and claim St. John the Evangelist as your parish of residence, please pay close attention to the following information. All families are required to first complete the FACTS financial survey online. In order to receive financial assistance from the parish of residence, families must be registered in that parish, attend Mass on a regular basis, financially support the parish using church envelopes and participate in the life of the parish. In some cases, the subsidy requested is substantial. The finance council will review the aforementioned criteria to ensure that the family requesting assistance is in compliance.
Do you enjoy the new statues of Mary and St. John the Evangelist? Are you mesmerized looking at the beautiful crucifix while sitting in Mass? You can now have all three of these beautiful pieces in miniature form (11” x 5” x 5”) for your home or office. Our sculptor, Timothy Schmalz, is creating miniature replicas of all three pieces which we will offer for sale at $35 each. There are very limited quantities (200) of each piece. If you would like to pre-order yours, please make your check payable to St. John the Evangelist with your sculpture(s) of choice in the memo line. You may drop your check in the collection basket or bring it to the front office. If the memo line isn’t sufficient space, attach detailed information and place in an envelope. We expect delivery in mid to late September. We will notify you when the sculptures arrive.
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.