Parish Updates
Parish Finance Update. The initial financial reports for last year (2019) show we have met our budget goal as well our contributions to the Together in Action (TIA) Campaign. Our recovery from our running deficit of almost $50,000.00 as of the middle of December was largely due to the big year-end contributions of a couple of our parishioners (may God continue to bless their love and generosity and may their kind increase in our midst!). We really have to look at ways to avoid the stressful prospect of waiting for a year-end financial windfall or miracle (that is what it is). We express our appreciation for your continuing support for the parish.
“Cleanliness is next to godliness…” At the end of mass, we are encouraged to pick up any litter or garbage around our seats so that the church is clean and ready for the next celebration. Paper, donation envelopes, a bulletin and other pieces of litter had to be removed from inside the heat registers located on both sidewalls of the church. Inserting these pieces of dry materials into these heat registers can cause a fire and burn down the church. Parents are advised to look after their young children when “they are on their own”, not allowing them to play with church envelopes (which cost money) and litter the pew areas. Hopefully, adults are not the culprits. We can resort to reviewing footage from our surveillance cameras to determine who are causing the problem. Green, blue & black bins. We are also in the process of implementing environment-friendly garbage management for the entire church complex using color specific garbage bins for compostables (green), recyclables (blue) and garbage for the landfill (black). We need your utmost cooperation. By now, we should be used to using real porcelain cups for coffee, real plates and utensils and real flower centerpieces for receptions.
LED Transition Project. We have ordered some 200 LED fluorescent bulbs to replace the ballast-type bulbs, currently installed in our hall, kitchen, meeting rooms and other little rooms in the entire complex. The lights in the back sacristy have been replaced with LED and have been working great. We are also looking at options for our current lighting system in our church sanctuary. The first-generation LED lights in the church are starting to flicker and fail (don’t ask me why…). The failing light fixtures have been removed and will be replaced by the ones from the Marian and Sacred Heart coves. Users of our facilities are encouraged to minimize energy-use, which includes turning off lights when not in use or when leaving the building. We need your continuing support. The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is the process an Adult is accepted into Full Communion with the Catholic Church and is baptized, confirmed and receives the Eucharist. It involves catechesis and actual immersion into the community. Our parish needs an RCIA Team. If you are interested, please contact Fr Edmund.
Together in Action (TIA) needs a new coordinator for this year’s campaign. Peter Aldrich’s term has expired as of the end of the year. Part of the responsibility of a TIA Coordinator is to launch a congregational awareness of what the campaign is all about, including inviting representations from various ministries or organizations that benefit from the campaign. Those who are interested can contact Fr Edmund directly,