Dear Parishioners,
With so many events and initiatives within the parish currently underway or in the planning stages, be them advanced or preliminary, I’d like to provide you with some updates to our progress:
– I would like to thank everyone who joined us for our Fall Festival last weekend, and a express a special thanks to Angela Erb, our Event Coordinator, her event planning committee, and all the volunteers who assisted her. I think she and her team did a tremendous job in organizing and coordinating this event.
View Photos from the Fall Festival Here
It was wonderful to see our parishioners able to take part in this gathering again, after the COVID induced pause of these last couple years. The turn out was truly amazing. There are too many volunteers to name individually who helped make this happen and I truly appreciate the time, talent and treasure that they give to our parish. Events like this are only able to happen because of the volunteers willing to help. On behalf of the parish
and staff, I thank you!
– Also happening last Sunday, over at the Cathedral of St. Jude in St. Petersburg, I had the pleasure of joining parishioners Richard and Cindy Burnette as they received the St. Jude the Apostle Medal from Bishop Parkes for extraordinary service to our parish. It was great to see these two being recognized by the diocese for their years of volunteerism and self-giving in support of our parish’s liturgical ministries, faith formation classes, connection to Love INC, and various committees.
– Up at the North Campus, we have had some unforeseen expenses crop up. A new roof was recently installed on Bonaventure Hall, formerly the pre-k building when the school was open. The replacement was not necessitated by any damage from Hurricane Ian, but rather the age, which lead to leaks. The cost to replace the roof was about $18,000. We were fortunate to get this repair done quickly, as many roofers would not even schedule a meeting for a quote, due to the hurricane and the sudden need of roofers and supplies. This expense will impact our budget for this year. We will be renting Bonaventure Hall out to the construction firm that is overseeing the New Robles Park Village redevelopment. The income from this rental will go toward the future renovation of the North Campus’ kitchen.
– The first set of doors in the front of the church are taking a little longer in the restoration process then anticipated, but they are moving along. As I mentioned previously, once the first set are done, we will start on the northern-most set. Keep in mind these doors are original to the building, and are 117 years old. The cost of the door restorations will be just above $34,000. When you have historic buildings, as we do, you will always have repairs going on. The cost of these repairs are covered by your generous donations and our offertory. Everyone loves the beauty of our church and North Campus. If you are able, please consider increasing your weekly donations to help with the restoration, upkeep, and preservation.
– The staff have begun plans to bring back yet another Sacred Heart staple event, and we are excited to announce a date as well. The annual Gala which will return in 2023, taking place on the Yacht Starship on Friday, April 14. This principle fundraising event will also have its proceeds directed toward the renovation of the kitchen at the North Campus. While additional details will be not be released until the new year, I wanted to ensure that parishioners had the opportunity to save the date.
– Each year, before the 4 p.m. Mass on Christmas Eve, our parish hosts a Christmas pageant centered around the Nativity of Our Lord. The pageant is always enthusiastically received, and something our families and visitors look forward to each year. To keep the tradition going, we are looking for some adult volunteers and children to help with this year’s pageant. General requirements include attendance to one rehearsal, and then being present for the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass. To volunteer. please contact Maria Giral.
Pope Francis tweeted in 2013 that “Holiness doesn’t mean doing extraordinary things, but doing ordinary things with love and faith.” We’re certainly seeing that energy within our parish life, and again, I thank you all for your dedication to providing that loving and faith-filled atmosphere.
Peace and All Good,
Fr. Mike
