Ask and you shall receive! Several weeks ago I made a request for a copier in the Claussen Center to be used by the Faith Formation, Music Ministry and Youth Ministry departments. Bob Bruckman stepped forward and donated a combination printer/copier which will be used in the Music Office. John and Jasmine Dina then came forward and donated a full sized copier capable of printing the largest jobs (even 11×17 copies. This high volume printer will eliminate the need to tie up the main printer in the Parish Life Center which is nearly always in use. Thank you to Bob Bruckman and John and Jasmine Dina for your generous donations.
Demolition of our 21 year old street sign began this past week. The new sign will be installed immediately thereafter. We are very excited for this new addition to our campus. The sign will be two sided and situated perpendicular to 111th Avenue North so that passersby may see it travelling east or west. We have also run electrical conduit to the sign so that it may be illuminated at night. The sign will prominently display our “Eagle Logo” for all to enjoy. Thanks again to Jim and Marianne Coogan for their very generous contribution to make this new sign a reality.
Although the re-striping of our parking lot will not take place until next month, you may have noticed that Bonness, Inc. has been onsite doing some repairs, which include patching of the damaged asphalt areas as well as the removal of the front entry island extension which will now allow parishioners to re-enter the parking lot. These repairs and enhancements should have been completed by this weekend.
The new drinking fountain in the church may seem to be installed a little “low” for some of you although certainly not for me. The fountain has been installed according to ADA guidelines which makes it accessible to those in a wheelchair. Your children will also find the height very appropriate. For those taller parishioners, we apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while attempting to quench your thirst.
I am still amazed that many in our parish are/were unaware of our very own Memorial Garden which is located directly in front of the church on the southeast corner. After describing the new addition of a fountain and future landscaping last week, numerous parishioners contacted me to purchase space in our garden. I neglected to reiterate the fact that the sale of space in our memorial garden may cease in the very near future. Due to the lack of standardized policies and procedures throughout the Diocese of Venice and all the Dioceses of Florida, The Bishops are contemplating discontinuing sales in all parish memorial gardens until such standardized policies and procedures may be adopted. If you have already purchased space in our garden, your remains may be interred at any time, however, if you have yet to purchase a space, you will be unable to do so once this decision is made. Space still remains in the memorial garden if you are interested in making St. John the Evangelist your final resting place. The cost to purchase a plot in the garden is $1,200.00. This is an all inclusive price which includes the opening, closing, urn, headstone and plaque. If you care to check pricing locally, you will find that our pricing is nearly 33% of what you would pay elsewhere. Yes, you may pay for your memorial garden plot with a credit card. I know this is a difficult decision for many as final planning is not something that you may be comfortable with. I can assure you that planning in advance is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your family of loved ones as they will not have to deal with this added stress after your death. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing space in our beautiful memorial garden. In order to purchase a plot in our garden, you must be a parishioner at St. John the Evangelist or the immediate family of a parishioner.
The bus is nearly full! We are thrilled to announce the ordination of our very own Michal Szyska on May 21st at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. Michal will celebrate his first Mass on Sunday, May 22nd 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 who wishes to attend at no cost. Hors d’oeuvres (some with a Polish flair) will be served as well as a full bar. Please come out to support Michal as he enters the priesthood. Please remember that Michal has no family in the United States and that we are HIS FAMILY. If you would like to take the chartered bus to the Ordination, please contact Bill Wright at [email protected] to reserve your spot. The cost is $30 per person and includes refreshments. Reservations MUST be made through Bill and may not be made through the parish office.
Once again, on the opposite page I have included a copy of a Catholic Faith Appeal pledge card if you would like to cut it out and use this to make your CFA pledge. You may also make a credit card donation to the CFA by visiting the Diocese of Venice website at www.dioceseofvenice.org. Choose the donations tab and then choose “donate now.” Thank you in advance for your extreme generosity by allowing us to reach our goal for the 2011 Catholic Faith Appeal.
This week I have included a picture of the clay rendering of the miniature crucifix. The crucifix will come complete with a hook attached to the back of the cross. I will include pictures of Mary and St. John the Evangelist when Timothy completes them. These miniatures (11” x 5” x 5”) will be great 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.
The first work to prepare the courtyard for the Paniccia Prayer Garden began this past week. We removed the old queen palm trees which were located immediately outside the back of the Altar doors.
The final bench in the gazebo of the Prayer Garden still remains. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity please contact me sooner than later to reserve this final bench. In addition, two of the four benches in front of the church have now been purchased, leaving only two opportunities. The cost for a bench is $3,000.00.
After re-reading my column from last week, It seems that I could have entitled it “Scott’s Solicitation” rather than “Scott’s Corner.” Nearly every paragraph was some type of solicitation for one thing or another. Please understand that this was not my intention. It just so happened that many of the items of which I spoke also included the opportunity to make a donation or purchase something from our memorial garden to the miniature sculptures to a bench to a credit card contribution and, of course, included a pitch for the CFA. With that said, I would like to sincerely thank everyone for their extreme generosity and also for putting up with my suggestive selling. I have toned it down a bit this week.
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.