Dear Family,
Did you ever think the day would come? At long last we are beginning. This weekend, after the five p.m. Saturday liturgy, we “broke ground” for the kitchen addition and the new storeroom. The kitchen is on the northeast corner of the parish hall and the storage area will be on the north wall.
It’s been a long time coming, but the good news is that it’s paid for. The money we have saved includes the cost of the equipment as well.
I know over the years there has been some discussion about whether we needed a kitchen. We certainly seem to do pretty well most of the time.
My hope for the kitchen is not just making our current uses easier. Let’s imagine what else we might be able to do. The mantra in the back of my mind has been, “If you build it, they will come.” Who is “they?’ I don’t know, but if we build it, we will find out.
Some of the “they” might have been here on Easter when 1,085 people came to offer Easter Praise. Thank you for creating the environment that welcomes people. Time and again, I get feedback from visitors near and far. They felt welcome. It’s not that we need to hear such praise. Rather, it helps us to remember that our mission is to show the face of Jesus as well as we can. The folk who stand at the Church doors on the weekends to say “hello and welcome” set the tone. Something so simple speaks volumes about who and what we are.
As we break ground for the kitchen we are especially praying for the safety of the builders. Our construction company is CRR General Contractors. Alex Rodriquez is the chief honcho. He built our shrine area for the mosaic of Our Lady, Star of the Sea. Alex has been wonderfully patient as we waded through the stuff required by the Archdiocese and the city. All seems finally in order.
Speaking of worthwhile projects...
We are reaching our ABCD goal of $143,516. On April 14th, we had $19,147 to go. Last Monday, a very generous parishioner came in and asked how much we had to go. He then wrote a check for $10,147. It brought a smile to Annie’s face when she saw the $147 added to the $10,000. She and the generous parishioner agree that the rest of us could come up with the remaining $9,000.
If you are a visitor, our ABCD is the annual appeal the Archdiocese makes to the Catholic Community for helping the Archdiocese in its outreach to parishes and ministries in need. Most dioceses throughout the country have some kind of similar appeal.
I hope you are sharing in the work of your diocese “up north” and if you put a tiny bit into the ABCD appeal “down south,” I have every confidence the Lord will be able to add them together and give you the gold star for superior participation. And never forget, participation is far more than giving money. ALL our actions speak louder than our words, even our check writing.
I still have very good feelings about the visit of Bishop Enrique Delgado, our auxiliary bishop, who came last Sunday to confirm Brendan Gipps, Aleksandra Rohleder and Jasmine Trang. You will find them pictured below with the Bishop.
Bishop Enrique’s good humor made the ceremony a real pleasure. His master of ceremonies, Raul Panellas, made the ceremony flow. Raul is the coordinator of the Worship and Spiritual Life Office. That was a job I had 1,000 years ago, actually 54 years. I was the first director. After that I was succeeded by people who kicked it up quite a few notches. My goodness! So many memories. Maybe I’m getting old. Love and Peace,
In Jesus,
