June
10, 2007
When
Nature Turns
Catholic
Ministries Appeal Update
A few weekends ago I made a presentation at different masses about our
trying to reach this year’s goal for the Catholic Ministries Appeal.
When we reach the goal of $109,400, we will receive a 20% rebate equalling
over $21,000. As I mentioned, if we treat the Catholic Ministries Appeal
as a parish fundraiser, we’d be getting much needed funds to offset
the loss of income from the Convent rental.
Glad to see that we’re now at $59,846 in pledges toward our goal
-- and increase of $16,066 in pledges in two weeks! Thank you.
So that leaves us with $49,554 to go. That’s
a lot of money for just a few people but if only 200 people pledged
$250 (that’s around $40 a month til December), we’d reach
our goal. In a parish of 6,000 families, this is do-able. Please join
me in helping us reach our goal. Thanks.
Online
Masses
We are now able to stream masses and other events live over the internet
to homebound folks and to relatives who live in other lands. If you’re
interested in this, in this, click
here.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
June 4: Celebrating Fr Jim
May 27: Praying in Tongues
May 20: Making (up) the
difference
May 13: Loving our Mothers
May 6: About Father George
April 29: Hearing Voices
April 22:Three Stones
April 15: What a week!
April 8: Alleluia! Alleluia!
April 1: Holy Week
March 25: Climate Change
March 18: Take A Step
March 11: Cold Enough for
You?
March 4:Stocking the Shelves
Feb 25: Basket Case
Feb18: Ashes and Desert
Dust
Feb11: Get Ready, Get Set,
REST!
Feb.4: Lent Lurking
Jan.28:Catholic Schools
Week
Jan.21:Crying in Church
Jan.14: Love ahead
Jan.7:
So How Was Your Christmas?
Columns
from 2005
Columns
from 2004
Columns from
2003
Columns from 2002
We
had quite an adventurous week where nature attacked us all over. I’m
sitting in the rectory when all of a sudden there is a swarm of flying
carpenter ants everywhere! My desk, chair, (even bed!!), windows, floor.
AAAAARGH!
Then I got word that there is a
termite infection in the gazebo outside. So we call for the exterminator
who makes a complete survey of the place. There are carpenter bees drilling
holes in the door outside Father Jim’s room. There are tiny ants
in the kitchen. AAAAARGH!!
But wait! We start spotting raccoons
near our garage -- in the daytime. (We have peacefully coexisted with
raccoons at night for years, but raccoons in the daytime? That could be
a sign that they are infected with rabies.) AAAAAARGH!!!
Then one of the parishioners who
volunteers each afternoon to take care of the Padre Pio Shrine parks his
car under a tree. Within ten minutes of his leaving, a giant branch falls
down at exactly spot his car was. (Good thing he is a fast worker!) AAAAARGH!!!
The roofer stops by and tells us
that the good news is that we have only ONE leak to fix. The air conditioning
system in church needs $5,000 to “patch it” to make it work
this season. A new more efficient system will cost over $100,000. AAAARGH!!
So we had the trees trimmed, the
bugs treated, the raccoons removed, the roof fixed, the AC recharged,
the bee holes patched, the ants ousted...Might I take this time to say
“thank you” to my predecessor, Father Frank, and the parishioners
who had the foresight and generosity to establish the Millennium Fund?
We certainly used some of the dividends from that fund to handle our nature
problems this past week.
Indeed throughout the past year
we used around $69,000 to handle repairs, an engineering study, and capital
improvements throughout the properties. We wouldn’t have been able
to without the benefits of this fund.
