Posted on June 11, 2017 View all news
Laudetur Jesus Christus! Gelobt sei Jesus Christus! Sia lodato Gesù Cristo! Praised be Jesus Christ!
Please mark your calendars for a special Mass and picnic on Monday, July 3 for the parish’s 175th Anniversary! Mass will begin at 6:00 p.m. followed by a picnic with fireworks. Everyone is welcome, and sign up sheets are near the Church doors so we can plan for food and side dishes. This is a huge moment for our parish, so please make this a priority. A commemorative stein will be on sale in a few weeks to mark the event, available just in time for the parish celebration. They will be $25 per stein.
We were recently blessed to receive a bequest from someone who left the parish in their will worth over $70,000. We have been lucky to have been able to move away from the system where we had to rely on bequests for the annual operating expenses of the parish. However, bequests are an important source of revenue to the parish. These monies are generally placed into the renovation fund, unless otherwise specified, which allow us to do capital improvements to the Church building when required. It was a bequest last year that allowed us to repair the bell tower, which cost the parish over $100,000.
This is important, because we try not to burden you with many requests for financial support, beyond the Sunday collection. If you have not already, please be sure to remember Old St. Mary’s and the Oratory in your will. Both are important to the continued operation of our parish. Without maintaining the Church building, this historic building would quickly fall into disrepair. Though it is expensive to keep the building up, it is well worth the labor, effort, and cost. Without maintaining the Oratory, we would not be able to keep up the priests who look after our spiritual needs. So please be generous, either in your giving now, or in your will, to each. We are capable of also receiving stock donations. Please contact the parish office for more information on how to do this.
In two weeks, on June 25, Fr. Donald P. Halpin, O.F.M. Conv. will be with us for a mission appeal for Franciscan Works. From the information that they sent me, “Franciscan Works currently operates Liberia Mission in West Africa. Founded in 2003, just as the civil war was ending, Liberia Mission began with just six orphaned children. Today it is a vibrant, life-saving community of love, learning, work and prayer, with about 50 residents. Nearly 500 youths from surrounding villages attend St. Anthony of Padua Mission School. These are young people who would not otherwise have access to education, medical care, adequate food and shelter, and faith-formation. To learn more about Franciscan Works and Liberia Mission, please visit our website at www.franciscanworks.org.”
Please prayerfully consider this cause, and listen to Fr. Donald when he is with us. He will preach at all Masses that weekend and also be the celebrant for the 11:00 a.m. Mass, with the celebrant parts in English that weekend due to a shortage of priests and Fr. Lawrence’s vacation. Please welcome him to Old St. Mary’s. Have a blessed week ahead!
