The Archdiocese has completed our “Assurance Review” and we should all be pleased with the results. It is no small task to keep the books for our Parish and School. Their combined budgets are $ 2,112,000.00. That’s a lot of money to collect, disperse, and maintain financial records for. Gone are the days of ledger books. Now everything is computerized and every parish must conform to the same standard accounting practices like any non-profit organization. This parish owes a debt of gratitude to Diane Funk who serves as the Business Manager for both our Parish and School. Often I look out my window only to see the lights on late in her parish office or the Funk mobile parked outside in our school driveway after or before business hours. Quite frequently I ask her to go home, but she doesn’t listen. If you see her, please thank Diane for the generous gift of her talents to our parish community.
Incredible
Did you see last week’s collection it was $15,602.83! That’s where we have to remain to have the funding necessary to begin a search for a youth minister. Remember $1 becomes $2, $5 becomes $6, $10 becomes $11, and $25 becomes $26. THANKS FOR YOUR GENEROSITY. Please keep it up. Our kids are worth it.
From the Maintenance Department
Last week we faced some challenges. Everyone has seen that the snow from the Old Church Roof knocked down the white fence on Peck Street. That seems to be almost a yearly event. Now that the snow has melted, we see that the same “avalanche” of snow broke the duct work for the air-conditioning and possibly damaged the compressor itself. It definitely knocked off the access panel. We won’t know the extent of the damage until everything thaws and can be tested. We are investigating what our insurance will cover. The Church basement flooded twice last week and consumed a lot of the time of our almost one man maintenance crew, Bill DiCicco. The new gutters on the old Church are broken and the drain tile to carry the water away from the church seems to be clogged.
Heating Problems
A pump failed in the school boiler room leaving the little ones on the first floor with no heat. Bill was able to quickly make the needed repairs without having to bring someone else in. This saved the parish a lot of money. The heat in the Church Hall seems to be on the fritz. During RCIA and Christian Yoga it was 62 degrees in there. The ladies tell me it’s hard to do yoga when you are shivering. Be assured we are in the process of bringing in someone who can help us figure it out. Has this traditionally been a problem, or is it something new this year? If anyone knows, please fill me in. I am sure that one part of the problem is the thermostat for the Church Hall located in the front vestibule of the Old Church. When it gets hot in that small space it shuts off the heat in the Hall no matter what the temperature is down there. I even tried propping open the doors on Alling Street at 8:00 PM at night to cool down the vestibule and get more heat in the hall. Needless to say, it didn’t work.
Last Sunday… was crazy.
We had the Catholic Bookstore here. They were very well received and asked to be invited back next year. People were grateful that for the chance to do some “Catholic shopping.” They came and bought lots of stuff. Many thanks to the Ladies Guild for providing coffee and pastries for this event. There was a very well run Engaged Couples Conference in the afternoon. I was very impressed with the work of the team and so were the many couples who participated. The evaluation sheets for the conference were glowing.
We had two baptisms and, as usual, the parents and families looked so happy as their children became sons and daughters of God.
Confirmation Retreat
We also had our 9thGrade Confirmation Retreat for 104 9thand 10thgraders. It was a 5 hour extravaganza. The participants seemed to have a good time. I was very impressed with their behavior, always a sign that the message being given is also being received. When you put over 100 9thgraders in a room, almost anything can happen. I was particularly impressed by their behavior in Church during Mass and Eucharistic Adoration. We knelt or sat before the Lord’s Eucharistic Presence for quite awhile. As I told many of you, there was little or no fidgeting or talking. There was quiet, attention and what seemed to be wonder. I got the impression that they weren’t really sure what was going on, but they were intrigued. The CUA kids and some of our very own high school kids ran the retreat. From what I understand, that’s a first here at St. Paul. Our local kids were very involved and generous with their time. They had some very insightful comments in the staff self-evaluation after the place was cleaned up and the participants left. Yep, last Sunday was “Crazy”, the kind of crazy I like.
One More Thing About the Fire Whistle or Siren
As I type this, the Fire Siren has gone off three times. Yesterday, with all the rain, it seemed like we were back in the time of Noah. The siren went off many times. I heard through the grapevine that our volunteer firemen pumped out 23 basements. We all should be very grateful to the generous men and women, including our own Fr. Michael, who give their time to our town in such an important way. If you know any volunteer firemen, please let them know you are grateful for their sacrifice. Have you ever thought about being a fireman?. I’m not sure how you do it, but I’m sure someone would fill you in if you called our local firehouses.… Thank You!… And know that every time I hear the Siren, and every time I see a fire truck or police car for that matter, I send a prayer and a blessing their way. I hope you will too.
Fr. Robert