This weekend is our official segway into the middle of October. If the forecast holds true, the weather will actually feel a little more like fall and a little less like summer on Saturday and Sunday. High temperatures are forecast to remain in the mid to upper 80s with lows in the upper 60s. The average high for October 13 is 88 degrees and the average low is 69 degrees. The record low for this date is only 60 degrees. So if the mercury dips to 67 degrees as expected, we will only be 7 degrees off of a record low temperature. What will be most evident to most of us will be the lack of humidity in the atmosphere which will make it feel much more tolerable as we enjoy what looks to be a rain free weekend. That would be the first we have had in many months. Although this cool spell will be very short lived, at least we get a brief taste of what we will experience for the next several months. With “Season” virtually on our doorstep, I would like to welcome our seasonal parishioners back to Naples. If you have been away, we welcome you back with open arms to “paradise.”
After a hiatus of nearly four years, we are once again hosting a blood drive. The drive will take place on Saturday, October 26 from 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. and on Sunday, October 27 from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. There will be a bloodmobile conveniently parked in the front parking lot of church. This blood drive is being sponsored by the Community Blood Center (an affiliate of the NCH Healthcare System) which means that all of the blood collected here, stays here. Appointments are highly recommended to eliminate a wait. Please call the main office at 566.8740 to schedule your appointment. Did you know that every pint of blood you donate has the ability to save three lives? For those who are able, this is a great way to give back to your community at no cost.
Last weekend was the second consecutive since the end of season (May 15) that we met our weekly operating budget. As a matter of fact, this usually does not happen until the first weekend in November. The weekend before, we recognized a 64% increase over the same weekend in 2012. As I am sure you have read in past editions of Scott’s Corner, we generally operate “in the red” seven out of twelve months. If this is an early indicator, we may be able to shave a month off of that statistic this fiscal year. Thank you to all of our parishioners for your incredible generosity.
We have officially transitioned over to our new phone system with very few problems. We have had to re-create our voice mail trees and change a few settings internally but overall, I am very pleased with the new system and its amazing capabilities. As a note, all of our internal extensions have changed. If you were used to entering the extension for a particular employee, the one that you have been using is no longer operable. Once all of the dust has settled completely, we will publish a list of staff members and their extensions in the bulletin.
“Keep Christ in Christmas” is an evangelization program of the Knights of Columbus designed to emphasize the real meaning of Christmas
. During these times when everything “Christian “is being attacked in our secular society, we have an obligation to encourage the message that the real purpose of December 25 is to celebrate the birth of our Savior. The Knights are again selling high quality, modestly priced Christmas cards. These cards are being sold after each Mass in front of Church. All profits will go to the Jamaica Outreach Program and the Youth of the parish. The Knights of Columbus thank you in advance for your support.
Since taking over the management of our Memorial Garden back in March 2009, I have sold over 350 spaces/plots to parishioners and their immediate families. As I have said before, I initially found the new addition to my job description quite morbid. Since that time, I have come to actually enjoy the interaction that comes along with the job. I have never claimed to be good at sales, however, the Memorial Garden sells itself and at $1,500.00 per space, it really is an easy sell. Many of the couples I meet with really like the idea of being able to come to Mass every week and visit their loved ones before or after Mass. Yes, it costs only $1,500.00 to purchase a space in our Memorial Garden. This is an all-inclusive price meaning it includes the opening, closing, urn, and engraved granite headstone. I can assure you that this is an incredibly competitive price. You will pay at least three times this amount at any other cemetery. With the addition of new landscaping, a beautiful fountain and new granite benches, the memorial garden is in tip top shape. As a reminder, space is very limited and sale of space in the garden may be terminated without notice. If you are interested in purchasing space in our Memorial Garden, please contact me at 566.1678.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA,
General Manager