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February 19, 2011
The lighting for the Blessed mother and St. John the Evangelist is hopefully in place as you read my column. In addition, the lighting for the Crucifix and Ambo should also be installed. Electricians were working diligently this past week to ensure that the lighting enhancements were completed by the weekend. We have ordered the new votive candle light stands which will be located on either side of Mary and St. John the Evangelist. These will be a beautiful addition to the church.
We have had our share of delays with the launch of our new website, however, we still anticipate having it up and running this coming week. Because we are switching hosts and registrars, the change was much more complicated than we had initially anticipated. The changes will affect our email which is very sensitive and required a little extra time to ensure a smooth transition. The wait will be worth it as the new site is awesome. Thanks for your patience while we complete this transition.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the new “resident” Ospreys living next door at the ball field. One of our parishioners (with a really good camera) took some pictures of the Ospreys, one of which I have included. Aren’t they beautiful? This past Sunday while standing outside of the morning Masses, I watched “them” make trip after trip to enhance the monstrosity of a nest that they have created.
There will be a Safe Environment Training right here at St. John the Evangelist on Thursday, February 17th at 6:00 p.m. and again on Saturday, February 19th at 9:30 a.m. If you have yet to complete this mandatory training for employees and volunteers, this will be an ideal opportunity to do so. Please call Melanie in the parish office to register.
I would like to formally introduce the Deacon Frank and Sandi Paniccia Prayer Garden. The Paniccia’s approached us last year with the idea of a prayer garden at St. John the Evangelist. Fr. John felt this was an outstanding opportunity and commissioned a team to begin design and conceptualization of the garden. Deacon Frank and Sandi have offered up the seed money to get the project rolling. Now we have an opportunity for you. You will see two prominently placed artist’s renderings in the narthex of the church. One is of the garden as a whole. The other is the life sized version of one of the stations of the Cross. This is your opportunity to secure a piece of St. John the Evangelist forever.
With the design and implementation of our new prayer garden underway, we have decided to offer for sale the naming rights for all 14 Stations of the Cross as well as the statue of St. Francis of Assisi to be surrounded by a beautiful water feature. You may also choose to purchase one of several stone benches to be located in the garden. The Stations will be prominently displayed on granite pedestals with the name of the donor beautifully inscribed directly on the granite.
The cost to purchase a stone bench will be $3,000.00
The cost to purchase a Station of the Cross will be $7,500.00
The cost to purchase the St. Francis of Assisi statue will be $15,000.00
Please contact me at 566.1678 to make your reservation. The Stations of the Cross are available on a first come first served basis. If you have a Station that holds a special place in your heart, please do not delay as there is only one of each.
I will publish a list of the Stations (similar to what you see below) which will be placed in the church Narthex, listing the Stations that have been sold and those that remain.
I. Jesus is condemned to death
II. Jesus is given his cross
III. Jesus falls the first time
IV. Jesus meets His Mother
V. Simon of Cyrene carries the cross
VI. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
VII. Jesus falls the second time
VIII. Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem
IX. Jesus falls the third time
X. Jesus is stripped of His garments
XI. Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross
XII. Jesus dies on the cross
XIII. Jesus’ body is removed from the cross (Deposition or Lamentation)
XIV. Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.
February 19, 2011
The first annual Ministry Fair this past weekend was a smashing success. Over 40 ministries participated in the fair and countless parishioners stopped by to meet with the respective representatives. Many of you singed up to join a ministry or multiple ministries in some cases. As we have mentioned on numerous occasions this past year, the goal of the stewardship council is to have 100% participation by our parishioners in at least one ministry within the parish. The fair was our first attempt in achieving this goal. I would like to recognize Lena Costain for her incredibly hard work and dedication in preparing for and managing the ministry fair. Lena spent countless hours ensuring that our ministries were represented and that the event went off without a hitch. She displayed the true essence of stewardship! In addition, we distributed the new Parish Resource Directory at the fair and outside of the Masses that did not coincide with the times of the fair. We received rave reviews from our parishioners on the professionalism of the directory. If you have not received yours, you may pick one up in the parish office during business hours. Every family should have a Parish Resource Directory.
Annual Contribution Statements were mailed out this past week to all parishioners that contributed at least $1.00 during the 2010 calendar year. The statements were mailed out first class in order to eliminate any problems with the bulk rate mailing process. As you know, we have made great strides in the past several years to ensure that your statement is accurate. For those that are already connected through our “Ministry Connection” portal, you may view your contributions at any time to ensure accuracy. If there is an error on your statement, please contact me as soon as possible so that I may research and rectify the situation. The following are examples of contributions that will not appear on your annual statement from St. John the Evangelist. 1) If you have been contributing to the Catholic Faith Appeal in the 2010 calendar year and have exceeded the IRS $250.00 threshold, you will receive an acknowledgement directly from the Diocese of Venice. If you did not meet the $250.00 threshold for CFA contributions in 2010, you will need to use cancelled checks for tax purposes. 2) If you made a contribution directly to the Jamaica Outreach Program (JOP), your gift will be recognized by JOP. 3) If you made a contribution directly to the St. Vincent De Paul Society, your gift will be recognized by the St. Vincent De Paul Society. 4) If you deposited loose cash in the offertory and did not use an envelope, we have no record of the gift. 5) If you are not a registered parishioner, you will not receive a statement. Thank you very much to all of our parishioners for your generous support in 2010. We would not be able to efficiently operate without you.
Catholic Schools Week (January 30-February 5, 2011) is an annual national celebration of the important role that Catholic elementary and secondary schools across the country play in providing a values-added education for America’s young people. Catholic schools are proud of their educational network that emphasizes intellectual, spiritual, moral, physical and social values in their students. We are proud to be a part of this annual celebration here at St. John the Evangelist with our Early Learning and Childcare Center. We offer Prek3 and Prek4 education to those in our parish and surrounding community that would like a strong Catholic foundation to their child’s education. If you would like to be a part of this outstanding program right here in our Parish Life Center, please contact Renee Dantonio at 325-2102.
Would you like a discount on your automobile insurance? I would, but unfortunately I don’t qualify. But if you are a senior, you most likely do qualify. We are hosting an AARP Driver Safety Class on February 18th from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. in the library of the Parish Life Center. The cost is $12 for AARP members and $14 for non-members. This is a very informative and fun class. Upon completion of the program you will be eligible for a substantial discount on your automobile insurance by submitting documentation to your provider. If you are interested in participating, please contact Toni Valery at 593-9329.
If ticket sales to the parish events offered here at St. John the Evangelist are an “economic indicator” then I would say that the economy may be looking up. After several years of marginal sales and attendance, this year seems to be much different. The Paul Todd “Concert for Life” was a sellout (600 attendees) as is the K of C Valentine’s Day Dance (325 attendees). The Super Bowl party is nearing capacity along with JOP Pirates of the Caribbean Party. The Men’s Club Big Band Dance had a great turnout for their first dance of the season and the Rice School Priests Concert is starting out with strong sales. The first trip to the Horse Races also sold out. I, for one, am very aware that there are a plethora of activities offered during season and at times it seems overwhelming flipping through the bulletin perusing all of the events. I have also been told in the past that if a parishioner wanted to attend all of the events, they would go broke. I am very grateful to our parishioners for supporting these activities as ultimately they all support very worthwhile causes. I look forward to seeing you at many of these upcoming events.
Believe it or not, without a word being said as of yet, we are already at 10% of our goal for the 2011 Catholic Faith Appeal. Final compilation of our new goal is still being adjusted, however, it looks to be in the neighborhood of $440,000.00. This new goal is over $40,000.00 less than last year which is very good news as we enter the new appeal. Thank you once again for your generosity in allowing us to reach our goal for 2010. I don’t want to be overly optimistic, but it looks as though 2011 could be a “slam dunk.”
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.
February 19, 2011
As most of you are aware, there was no Scott’s Corner in last week’s bulletin. I was skiing in New Hampshire with my daughter and had planned to be back on Tuesday evening in time to compose my weekly column. Unfortunately, mother nature had a different plan. After driving to the Manchester Airport in a “white out” I was confident that we would get out and make our connection in Newark. The snow then turned to freezing rain and we ended up spending another night in the frozen north. After spending a little time in the middle of January in New England, I will never again question why our winter residents choose to evacuate their northern residences and escape to Southwest Florida. And as a Florida native, I respect those of you that lived in those conditions year after year. Although it is beautiful country, travel is treacherous at best especially for an inexperienced winter weather driver. I especially enjoyed driving down I-93 trying to figure out where my lane was. As it turns out, it really didn’t matter as I could seemingly drive anywhere without any consequences other than fish tailing all over the road. I am thrilled to be back in Naples.
I am also thrilled to announce that we finished incredibly strong in the 2010 Catholic Faith Appeal. We exceeded our goal of $486,000.00 by $22,596.96 finishing with a total of $508,596.96. In round numbers that is well over one half million dollars. Thank you so much to all that made this dream a reality. We have now met our goal three years in a row. Our assessment for 2011 looks to be even lower than last year. I am looking forward to a four year run in 2011. The $22,596.96 will be returned to the parish to be used for whatever need we choose.
I know there are a lot of Bears and Jets fans out there who are dejected while there are plenty of Packers and Steelers fans who are euphoric. As a Redskins fan, I have not seen the glory days for many years. So who do I cheer for? I cheer for the teams that I think will be the best draw for our Super Bowl Party. Considering the majority of our parishioners are from the Midwest and Northeast, I think this will be a great party with representation from each respective geographic region. As of this past Tuesday, we had sold nearly 200 tickets. If you are planning on joining us, please do not delay as I feel this year’s event will sell out. For those who have attended in the past and those who may be first timers, this is a great party! Tickets are available for $25 in the parish office.
The ministry parade was a smashing success this past weekend. Please remember that this weekend is the ministry fair and your opportunity to join one or several of our parish ministries. Please stop by the Parish Life Center Ballroom and meet the representatives. In addition, this will be your first opportunity to get your hands on the new Parish Resource Directory. This is truly a magnificent publication (thanks again to Dave Quist) and may only be obtained by attending the ministry fair.
There is a vicious rumor floating around the parish and for once I am incredibly proud to acknowledge that it is true. For those of you who were not at the 9:00 a.m. Mass several weeks ago and missed Fr. John’s announcement, I will now put it in writing. My wife (Shelley) is pregnant and expecting not one, not two, but three babies. Yes, this is true! We are expecting triplets. We also now know that we will have one boy and two girls. To say that we are excited is an understatement, and to say that I am terrified is also an understatement. I will wholeheartedly welcome any comments or suggestions as this is very unknown territory that we are entering.
Have you seen our new resident Ospreys? Well actually I guess you could say that they are residents of the baseball field as the nest is perched atop their light pole. He prefers to fish in our lake and retention pond so we can claim them as our own. I can only assume that they are preparing for some babies of their own – triplets maybe? If you have yet to see them I would bet you have heard their signature screech resonating throughout the campus.
As you are all aware, Mary did arrive as planned and is now positioned in her niche on the east side of the nave. She is even more amazing in person that I ever could have imagined. We are still working with our lighting vendor to enhance the illumination of Mary. In the very near future, we will also install votive candle light stands on either side of Mary for your devotions.
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.
February 19, 2011
There is no Scott’s Corner this week.
February 19, 2011
Mary has completed her extremely long trek from Thailand and is now in Southwest Florida. If all goes as planned, we should have the new statue of Mary installed for Mass this weekend. If you don’t see Mary in the niche on the east side of the nave then you can surmise that things did not go so well. I am incredibly excited for Mary’s arrival and am very confident that you will find her absolutely beautiful. Thanks again to the anonymous donors that made this dream a reality.
Below is a note of thanks from Fr. Al McPartland’s family. Also please find a summary of Dennis Powers’ eulogy honoring Fr. Al in this bulletin.
Words cannot express how grateful the family of Fr. Al McPartland is for the generous ways in which the entire St. John the Evangelist community helped us to grieve, yet celebrate his arrival into the loving arms of our God. Father John, all the ministers, the volunteers, the choir and cantors, and the entire faith community are an inspiration to us all. As we mourn his absence, we will we pray in gratitude for all of you. United in affection for Fr. Al, may we together continue to witness the gospel he loved and lived.
We are planning a “soft launch” of our new website this coming week. We have been working for several months to reveal the new site. With the EXTREME limitations of our current website, we thought that we would launch the new site even though it is not completely finished. Please accept our apologies while we make the transition. There may be an interruption of service while we are changing providers. We are using a local firm (4what interactive) to design and host the new site. This will allow us to support much more interactive components than what we currently have.
Messner Publications (our bulletin provider) had a major technical issue last week and was unable to provide you with a full color bulletin. Luckily, they were able to provide a full color front page to properly honor Fr. Al. What a difference the color makes. It is hard to believe that we went so many years with only black and white. All of the issues have been resolved and I am confident that this bulletin is again in full color.
It is with great pride that I announce that we exceeded our goal for the 2010 Catholic Faith Appeal. I still do not have the totals, however, I was contacted by the Development office at the Diocese of Venice with the great news. This marks the third straight year that we have exceeded our goal after going nine years without doing so. Thank you so much for your generosity and diligence in ensuring that we met with success.
Save the dates……..On January 22 and 23 we will host our second annual ministry parade. This involves representatives from all of our parish ministries processing into the church prior to Mass with their respective banners. For those who witnessed the parade this past year, it is a truly amazing sight. This will provide an opportunity for those not involved in a ministry the chance to peruse the choices. The following weekend on January 29 and 30, we will host the first annual ministry fair to be held in the PLC ballroom from 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. This will be your opportunity to come down and meet representatives from all of our ministries and sign up to join. As a reminder, this will also be your first opportunity to receive the new Parish Resource Directory. This incredibly comprehensive full color directory is a true work of art and is amazing. There will also be other giveaways at the fair so be sure to attend. We will serve refreshments during the fair on both days. Our goal is to create 100% participation by our parishioners in ministries at St. John the Evangelist. With so many choices, we invite you to join us for this magnificent event.
Thank you for your extreme generosity during the second collection this past weekend to benefit the Seminarians of the Diocese of Venice. The collection totaled over $13,000.00. This was an increase of 136% compared to last year’s second collection of $5,500.00. As you know, it is very expensive to prepare these young men for the priesthood. Due to your generosity, we will be able to continue to turn out amazing priests in the Diocese of Venice.
Don’t forget to purchase your tickets for Paul Todd’s return to St. John the Evangelist. Paul will perform a “Concert for Life” to benefit the Pro-Life ministries of Collier County on Thursday, January 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the PLC ballroom. Joining Paul will be Catholic recording artist Gabriela Frei. Please see the flyer in this bulletin.
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.
