Thank You, Thank You, Thank You
Thank you to all who participated in the 40 days for life Eucharistic Adoration. I was so touched by the number who came to pray for an end to abortion and the creation of a culture of life where everyone is wanted and appreciated.
Thank You to the 125 volunteers and coordinators who worked at the Berlin Fair. It certainly takes a lot of work to staff our booths at the fair, but having the presence of our Parish at the fair and the profit we make ensure that the effort is well worth it …
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Berlin Hunger Walk. 100 Percent of your effort and sore feet will benefit the poor in our Town.
Thank you to families who swooped in to make our college care package a success. We sent out just over 100 boxes this year. This type of outreach is so important. Young adults are the most underserved population in our Church. Any little thing that we can do is important and we as a parish have to do more.
Thank you in advance to the Family Life Committee who worked so hard on our Trunk o’ Treat project for the little ones. I promise you that your efforts will bear fruit.
Thank you to all of the visitors who are calling up the members of our parish on behalf of our Capital Campaign. It is my sincere hope that one day you will be able to look across Alling Street and see the fruits of your labors.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Again.
Boy, Berlin is a big small town
Last weekend Fr. Tim didn’t feel well and was taken to the hospital for tests. Because we are such a small town and word spreads fast, especially when there is an ambulance in front of the Friary, many people have asked how he’s doing. So far things look good and Fr. Tim is most grateful for your prayers and best wishes. The moral of the story is when in doubt go to the hospital just to be sure.
One Team Working Together
This weekend our Pastoral Council has invited all of the heads of our ministries to attend an appreciation dinner. This year one of the main goals of the Pastoral Council is to increase communication and collaboration between the many individual groups and ministries of our parish. More communication and collaboration between the many individual ministries and our very competent and generous parish staff will go a long way in helping us all work together as one team.
Special Collection
The Archdiocese has just informed us that there will be a special collection for the Military Chaplains and Military personnel on November 17, 2013. No envelope will be in the packet so just do the best you can to support those who serve our Military personnel all over the world. Thanks in advance.
Finance Council
Last week I met with the Parish Finance Council and we reviewed the following: the Profit and Loss statement and Balance Sheet for the third quarter of our fiscal year, the year to date profit and loss statement and Balance Sheet, our school’s final financial statements from the 2012-13 school year and the current financial standing of our Capital Campaign. Here are some of the issues we touched on during the meeting:
Though the Parish is in good financial shape, we are still $15,000 down in our Offertory giving for the year because the Lord sent us two Sunday snow storms last spring which cut the collections in half. At one time we were $21,000 below last year because of the storms but we are slowly catching up.
The school is in good financial standing with a small reserve fund in case of emergencies.
The Finance Council was very pleased with the way the Faith in the Future Campaign is going and agreed that cash donations should be placed in a separate account with our other savings.
Fr. Robert thanked Diane Funk for her hard work with our finances and the Campaign. Everyone agreed that Diane is doing double duty.
Let’s Try Again
A couple of weeks ago I wrote that we would be including an insert on “Sexting”. Because of a miscommunication the insert was never printed. Sexting is a new phenomenon and new challenge which we never had to worry about when we were growing up, but our kids and grandchildren face it everyday. The issue is complicated and it will take two weeks for us to complete the article I want to share with you. I know that some may be scandalized by some of the examples given in the article, but if we are to help our children and grandchildren face these new challenges and make good choices, the article has to be specific. If you have any concerns or questions on the matter please feel free to contact Sal Biase our Youth Minister. He can be reached at 860-828-0331 Ext. 119 or [email protected] . Sal is a great resource for any concerns you might have regarding your children or grandchildren and he is always willing to help.