[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

And Now a Word From Your Pastor…

 

Since my last bulletin’s ‘And Now a Word from your Pastor’, the Ukraine conflict still rages. The Ukrainian people have been putting up a heroic resistance to the Russian invasion. The world’s response has been remarkable considering the complexity of nations involved and the difficulty of obtaining any kind of consensus. We are still holding our breath on what the eventual outcome will be.

The response of our communities of St. Mary and St. Joseph has been not only remarkable but an example of what the world’s response should be. The outpouring of generosity to aid the Ukrainian people is typical of our response to any pressing need that presents itself to us. If you remember when the Cathedral of Notre Dame was burned, our desire to help with the restoration was immediate and outstandingly generous. I am proud to report that as of this writing, as announced at the Masses this past weekend, our response to aid the people of the Ukraine has amounted to over $31,000. The money is still coming in. These monies will be forwarded to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) of Poland to help in the care of the almost two million refugees flooding that country from the Ukraine. We will send the collection on April 4^th. I will inform everyone of the final total collected. As soon as we receive a communique of reception of the monies, I will relay what we receive from the CRS of Poland.

As I am writing this article, I can hear the jack hammers breaking up the concrete parking lot behind the church at St. Mary’s. This has been a project put on hold for many years due to other pressing needs. The time has come. Not all the parking lot will be re-concreted but the part that has been broken and in need of repair. Not only will some hazards of tripping and falling be taken care of, but an area where the big tent is set up for the bazaar will be safer and useable. The restriping will also make uniform parking easier. When we announced the redo of this parking lot, I had several mention they didn’t know a parting lot was behind the church…lol. Well, it’s there and very handy.

Another project on the horizon that I have had planned for quite some time is the redo of the entrance to the priest’s sacristy at St. Joseph. The steps have been a hazard since the time I arrived over 22 years ago. When I was younger…lol…it wasn’t as much a hazard, but now, because of the out-of-code steps, they become harder to navigate, especially if the weather is inclement or worse, icy. Actually, I should have had the sacristy entrance redone when Fr. Kelly was here. He would have been able to enter the sacristy by way of a ramp similar to the handicapped ramp at the side entrance. In the very near future the priest’s sacristy entrance will be graced with a ramp and cover that not only I will greatly appreciate but also the pastors/priests that will come after me.

St. Joseph’s guys are also in process of reconstructing the meat cutting room used during the bazaar. The bar-b-que pits have been completely redone. All will be ready in time for the annual bazaar the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend. Great job, guys!

All is done for the honor and glory of God…and through your generosity.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]