From The Mouths of Babes
Every couple of days I visit the classrooms, especially of the children in the lower grades, to say hello. Most of them know me, but the “little little” ones in Pre-K 3 are still trying to figure out who the big guy in the funny outfit is. The other day I went to each of them and said, “ God bless you.” One little girl said, “What does that mean?” I explained that it was my prayer that God would hold each of them in a special place in his heart that day. She seemed to understand. When I got to a little boy and said, “God bless you,” he responded, “I didn’t sneeze, silly” and started to laugh. If you’re having a bad day, Pre-K 3 is the place to be.
Nearing Completion
Our alarm and security systems are nearing completion. Some of you have been following their progress very closely every week. Yes, that box under the main speaker in the new wing is a state of the art smoke detector designed especially for large spaces. There are also some cameras, which will allow us to continue to keep our doors unlocked during the day. Thanks for your patience and a special thank you to Maximum Security for their work on this project.
The Roof
Last winter the Blizzard did a job on our roof over the old wing. Several tiles were broken, the gutter was damaged and the wood exposed. Finally, we were able to get a competitive bid and our roof was fixed. The best thing about the whole thing is that our insurance is paying. Thank you Catholic Mutual.
Parish Nurses
I am so excited! A number of our parishioners have come together in the hope of beginning a parish nursing program. A couple of other parishes in the Archdiocese have similar programs, and it is our hope that it will be another way for us to reach out and serve the needs of our senior citizens. If you are a nurse, please see the insert in the bulletin and please consider helping out. In the near future there will be more information about this great initiative.
Capital Campaign
Our “Faith in the Future” Campaign got off to a great start last Tuesday. Over 300 people met in the Gym to learn more about our dreams and pick up their campaign packets. As I said awhile ago, some of you might get sticker shock when you see your suggested donation. If you can afford it, or even a little more, we will be very grateful. If you can’t afford it, I trust you completely to just do the best you can. Thanks in advance.
Helping Hands
I was encouraged and grateful to see our School Library packed with people interested in our “Helping Hands” program. As you know, it is an initiative close to my heart. We seem to be getting off to a good start this year. If you are interested in getting to know one of our senior citizens and offering a helping hand, or if you attended the meeting but did not yet get the name of your senior citizen, please call Kristina Guzzardi at (860)829-0173.
Berlin Fair
Over 115 volunteers are staffing our Berlin Fair Booth this weekend and some of them have been doing it for years. Thanks to everyone who helps us with the Berlin Fair Project. I am sure that you will agree that it is important for us to be present at this important local event. If you still plan to go to the fair after you read this, why not stop by our booth and get yourself a meatball grinder or some chicken nuggets and a large soda. Hmmmm.... Health Food….I love it.
New Part-time Maintenance
I am happy to announce that we have hired a new part-time maintenance man. His name is Gabriel Szczygla. He will be helping Bill DiCicco during the week and will also be present on weekends to help with parish events.