Church Building: The construction on the new improvements for the church building continues along at a steady pace. I think each week you can notice how steadily that the work is happening. Two weeks ago the steel support for the addition was erected. Did you see the 100 foot crane outside the church? Downstairs the bathrooms and food preparation areas are coming along. The trenching for pipes and the rough wiring and plumbing are complete. Many of the walls have now been enclosed.
Bit by bit, it is all happening. Otis Elevator Inc. has said that the elevator should be delivered (in parts) the week of January 15th. It then has to be assembled and installed. It will also need a state certification and inspection. We, however, should have all of our “other space” back by Christmas. The outside lift will remain in place until the new elevator is working. Outside work for the piazza for St. Rocco and walkways to the addition should be starting in a few weeks. Thank you on behalf of every Parishioner to all those who are financially supporting this project. Your personal financial help will allow all of our Community of Faith to welcome so many who wish to be at Mass and Events with us.
Cemetery: Many folks have told me how much they like and admire the new “Garden of Remembrance” Mausoleum in our cemetery. The design and construction work really is excellent. We will be able to inter our beloved’s remains (cremains) in a place of quiet beauty and prayer. Very shortly the Mausoleum crypts (2 cremains per crypt) will be available for purchase. We have also completed another section of the cemetery for in-ground burial. When I think back over my tenure here as Pastor, we have offered funeral Masses or Funeral Prayer Services for almost one thousand five hundred parishioners.
Our School Building and Grounds: The Charter School lease ends on June 30, 2019. We will now have an opportunity to decide about our “patrimony”, i.e. the school building and adjacent land (almost 5 acres) and how this all will support the Mission of our Parish for the future. We are now entering a period of time that we should slowly, prayerfully and thoughtfully discern how all of this aids our Mission as a Community of Faith. I will be asking the Parish Pastoral Council and also the Parish Finance Council at their meetings this coming week to start this process. Through them, we will develop a formal strategy to help us. We need to consult everyone, listen to everyone and then form a long-term plan that will support our Mission of Faith. As we all know there are always more opinions than there are people. Consensus will not be easy, but it is necessary. Over time we will reach a conclusion that is financially practical and possible to implement. We know we need to have space for our Religious Education Program for almost 1200 students. We know we need space for meetings etc., but how much space and how are the questions. Ultimately it is an issue of what does the Faith Community want for this part of our Patrimony and what will we financially support. There are no easy and quick answers and insights.
CORI: This is our second CORI Weekend of the year. We ask all volunteers to make sure that they have filled out a CORI Form. This is out of concern for the well-being of our young people and vulnerable adults. I make it as “user-friendly” as possible. All you need to do is show up with your license in the sacristy after Mass and fill out the two-sided form. We need the code number off your license. I appreciate the cooperation of everyone who does this. Unfortunately, failure to fill out this form as required means that you cannot serve as a volunteer in our Parish.
Father Brian
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