Thank you…
The Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil) was beautiful this year. The music was outstanding, the altar servers were very prayerful and professional (we received lots of compliments about our altar servers), the church was(is) beautifully decorated, thanks to Fr. Raymond, our maintenance staff and the decorating committee. On Good Friday, I was so moved by how the parishioners venerated the Cross. Easter is certainly the high point of the Church year and it is certainly the high point of our Church year here at St. Paul. As you can see, even the collection was a little more than last year. A heartfelt thanks to one and all.
We made it...
Last week we received a rather large donation, which pushed us just beyond our goal for the “End of the Year Appeal”. Our goal was $80,000 and last week we ended with $80,665. As you all know, these funds will be used to repair the Gym roof which is leaking in several places. I want you to know that we are being very diligent about this project. We want to do it right the first time and we don’t want to have to revisit this ever again for the life of the warranty. We have already had a structural engineer, who is also an expert on roofing options, give us good advice. The design phase of the project is coming to an end and now we are seeking competitive bids to get the job done over the summer.
There is always something to do...
We are also working on a number of other projects on our property. This summer we hope to abate the asbestos from the floors of two more of our classrooms and replace the torn and ripped carpet with new tile. (The School received a grant for that purpose). We hope to redo our first floor computer network and install Smart Boards in the primary grades of our school and religious Education Program. We have some funding for that project and are trying to get some more grant money to finish the job. We have bids out for the security cameras and access control of the parish offices so that we can keep our office staff safe. Recently there has been some strange characters knocking at our door. Someone even ruined the back door in the Parish Center by trying to break in. We are going to upgrade all of those doors this summer. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Times are sure changing. Who would have ever thought that a Church office would need to be concerned about safety?
Honk Honk..
The parking committee is still meeting to formulate a plan to help us with our parking problem. I’ve noticed over the last few weeks that once people start parking on the streets, others just assume there are not parking spaces and sometime there are. I’ll keep you posted.
Youth Minister Applications
We already have several great applications for our Youth Minister Position. The Youth Minister search committee is reviewing all of the applications and we will soon be deciding who to interview. I am very encouraged by the quality of the applicants. You know how much I want our young people to be a part of our parish. Please keep this important process in your prayers.
Mom says goodbye..
My Mom was able to visit with us for two weeks and it was wonderful having her for the Easter holidays. Both she and I are very touched by all the kind words people shared with her. To be honest, she is just a simple person and is a little embarrassed that she can’t remember people’s names from one visit to the next. Thanks again for your kindness.
They keep coming...
Last Monday night the Pastoral Council held another registration night . Five families joined us and one of the families even expressed interest in registering their child in our school. Of the 5 families, three had moved into Berlin, one decided to register after decades of coming to our Church and one has been coming here for a couple of weeks from another local church and decided to register . All I can say is Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!