MARCH 26, 2006

I apologize to all of you who did not receive a bulletin last week. That is why this insert repeats last week's PSP information as well as last week's Pastor's Corner. I was (pleasantly) ambushed by the response both in terms of the number of people attending the Masses (1258!) and the sudden popularity in reading the bulletin and passing it around. (People are actually hearing me when I tell them to share the word.) It will be corrected this Sunday - we are upping the order to 1400 bulletins. We will order even more for Palm Sunday and Easter. And I had to call and double the order on Palms as well (I had previously cut it. So much for my prognostication abilities.) I couln't be more thrilled with the response to the new Mass schedule and Sunday School concept. Thank you!

There is more on the business front, and I want to keep everyone abreast.

1. At the Church at St. Mary, we are going to put panic bar hardware now on all the doors. Cost: $4,000. We have to cut down the four big sycamore trees alongside the Church. They have all become less than healthy and pose a danger to the buildings from falling branches. Cost: $5,000. With the space we gain, we will do some paving to make the ramp more accessible to auto drop off. We do not have a bid on that as yet. We will remove the former communion rail, fill in the carpet gaps, and put new contrasting carpet on the altar and pulpit platforms to make them more visible and safer so they can be seen easily when stepping on and off. We will then purchase a portable handicap ramp so that the sanctuary is accessible in the event someone not mobile wishes to be a lector or a witness for a wedding or any other purpose. Total cost: $3,000. As you see, each step we take leads to the next in making the Church more viable for our worship. The good news is that all these additions still qualify for the 2 for 1 matching grant, still exempt from diocesan tax, so keep the donations coming in and we will keep up the work. As always, we are trying to get these things done in time for Easter, but we are at the mercy of material delivery and working schedules.

2. At the Chapel at Mother of Sorrows, we have completed the upgrade of the sound system, including new microphones, new interiors to the speakers, amplifier module and a tape deck. Cost: $2,000. We have also put a new light bar in with dramatic lighting for the crucifix and spots on the altar and pulpit. We need to do some other lighting work as materials are available. Cost: $2,000. We are also looking at installing handicap bathrooms there as well, but this is a long term project because of the need to do architect studies and safety codes. Also, we are looking at some physical changes in the balcony. We cannot use that now because the railing is too short for the safety code and it would be illegal to use the seating there, but we have a plan that will reconfigure that space to provide some classroom space and still keep two rows of seating. Cost and scheduling unknown, but it will be long term.I will try to qualify these projects for the 2 for 1grant. If we cannot get the matching grant, we will use proceeds from the sale of the MOS rectory to cover. So if anyone has been hesitating to contribute, you can specify for the projects at the chapel. The tremendous success so far of the Sunday School/Mass integration is actually causing us to rethink the whole space issue. Please keep it up!

3. We have reapportioned many of the vestments, sacred vessels, altar furnishings, monstrance, etc. from St. Mark's to our other sites. In the future, we will bring to the Church at St. Mary the statues of St. Mark, SS. Cyril and Methodius and the baptismal font. We will begin accepting written bids for the plant on April 1. Dependent on that, we will then at the bishop's discretion schedule the decommissioning Mass and will make sure to advertise it widely so that all who wish can come to say their final goodbye to the building that fostered their spiritual life for so many generations. It is a sadness still, and ever will be, but we are a Faith of hope and Resurrection, and my personal gratitude to one and all for your pious acceptance and cooperation in these trying times.

4. Since we do not have a large hall or much space at the rectory at St. Mary, we have remodeled a decent size room behind the garage. There is a kitchen going in, there is a bathroom, and there are no steps. We will be encouraging groups like the Ladies of Charity, St. Vincent de Paul, the Ushers Club, the Senior Citizens, etc., to begin using this instead of the basement of the rectory. For the time being, I have been referring to it as "The Gathering Place." If someone has a better suggestion for a name, I am open to suggestion.

The next scheduled Town Hall Meeting won't be until Ascension Thursday, but if more issues of an immediate nature arise before then, we will have special call meetings as needed. Stay tuned.