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Did you attend the St. Patrick’s Day Mass?  We had a full house for the annual Mass celebrated by our very own Fr. John.  Following Mass, the St. Vincent De Paul Society once again hosted a reception serving pastries, juice and Irish coffee. This year the Black Velvet Band entertained for several hours to a standing room only crowd in the ballroom. If you have taken a glance at the collection summary, you will see that the collection from St. Patrick’s Day was $15,377.00.  This is an increase of nearly 80% over last year’s collection of $8,548.00. All of the funds from this collection will be used by our St. Vincent De Paul Society to help those in our community that are in need.  Thank you very much to everyone that gave so generously to help our brothers and sisters in need.

 The website is now up and running in a limited capacity.  You are able to view mass schedules, download bulletins and most importantly, read Scott’s Corner.  If you would like a taste of what the capabilities of our new website will be, click on Fr. John’s message and watch the walk out video that has been created.  We apologize for the delay in getting the website live.

 The International Festival to be held on April 10 now has representation from 10 countries.  Those countries participating include Ireland, Belize, Vietnam, Lebanon, Poland, Slovakia, France, Italy, Haiti and the United States.  This event is replacing the Parish Picnic and is being sponsored by the Men’s Club. The cost is $10 per adult, $5 for children or $20 per family (immediate family only.)  This price includes unlimited beverages, including wine and beer.  Entertainment will be provided in the PLC Ballroom. If you are willing to participate as a representative of your country of origin, please contact Peter Heaney at 290.8484 or at peter@saintjohntheevangelist.com.  Remember that you will be given a stipend so that you may purchase food. Please see the flyer in this bulletin for further details.

 No takers as of yet!  Do you have a pop up tent that you would like to loan the parish for International Day? We would like each Country represented to have an individual tent setup in the courtyard. We are looking for the 10’ x 10’ Gazebo tents that can stand alone. If you are willing to loan yours, please contact me at 566.1678 to arrange. Thanks in advance for your consideration of this request.

 You watched him grow up at St. John the Evangelist and now PJ has come into his own. Paul Todd, Jr. or “PJ” as we know him, will perform his debut concert on April 14 in the ballroom of the Parish Life Center to support the Mission Backpack program and the Youth on mission in the Caribbean.  PJ will be accompanied by an amazing supporting cast. There is NO COST to attend this concert however we do ask that you make a generous donation the evening of the event to support this endeavor.  Fr. John may even get up and perform a number or two.  Tickets are available at no charge in the parish office.  You MUST have a ticket in order to attend and we only have 350 allotted for St. John the Evangelist.  UPDATE:  We have distributed all 350 tickets allotted for St. John the Evangelist. We have secured an additional 150 tickets to be given away on a first come, first served basis.  As of Wednesday, only 100 of the additional 150 remained.  I strongly suggest that you do not delay. Please see the flyer in this bulletin for further details on the evening’s events.

 A very generous new family to the parish stepped forward and committed to purchase the statue of St. Francis of Assisi this past week. Another philanthropic parishioner purchased Station II as well as the final bench in the Prayer Garden. This leaves Stations I, V, VII, IX, X, XI and XII. There are still seven of ten benches remaining in the Memorial Garden and four outside the front of church. Stations of the Cross are $7,500.00 and benches are $3,000.00. Two new additions to the prayer garden available for sale:  We are going to offer a beautiful fountain (pictured), which will be located in between Stations III an IV.  We are also going to offer a massive 9’ x 5’ mosaic of Assisi. Pricing on the fountain is $5,000.00 and pricing for the mosaic is $6,000.00. When the conceptual sketch is completed for the mosaic, I will publish in the bulletin. We would like to have all of the Stations and benches spoken for by the end of season so that we may order the granite, break ground and have the grand opening by the end of the year.

I received a very generous donation in the mail several weeks ago and am unable to locate the donor to properly acknowledge the gift. This was an IRA charitable distribution in the amount of $2,600.00.  The check originated from “William Blair & Company” and the funds were distributed through the “Delaware Charter Guarantee & Trust.”  If you are the generous donor, could you please contact me to ensure proper acknowledgement for tax purposes.

We are nearly 33% (32.71%) or one-third of the way to our goal with regards to the 2011 Catholic Faith Appeal. We are still well ahead of last year’s appeal with nearly $145,000.00 pledged just over one month into the campaign.  If you are a seasonal resident or visitor, please make your check payable to the Catholic Faith Appeal with St. John the Evangelist in the memo line.  Thank you in advance for your extreme generosity.

Parish Resource Directories are now available in the narthex of the church.  If you have yet to pick one up, please do so. The directory is very well done and will provide you with valuable information about your parish and all of the programs and ministries offered. 

Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.

Vacation Bible School will be held from June 13 through June 17. Early registration for volunteers’ children and St. John’s parishioners from now until March 27. Open registration starts March 28. See the March 20 bulletin for registration forms.

 A sure sign of spring is the blooming of my favorite tree in Southwest Florida, the Tabebui. The Tabebuia is an absolutely spectacular deciduous tree which displays spring-time color in the form of yellow trumpet shaped flowers. Although we only have a few remaining on campus due to Hurricane Wilma back in 2005, what we do have will put on quite a show when in full bloom. These trees will also provide a breathtaking backdrop for the upcoming prayer garden. I am going to approach the Buildings and Grounds committee to see if we may add a few more to our campus so everyone can take advantage of this beautiful tree.

Wristbands for the International Festival to be held on April 10 are now available in the parish office.  This event is replacing the Parish Picnic and is being sponsored by the Men’s Club. The cost is $10 per adult, $5 for children or $20 per family (immediate family only.)  This price includes unlimited beverages, including wine and beer. Entertainment will be provided in the PLC Ballroom.  We now have representation from the United States, Ireland, Vietnam, Belize, Lebanon, Poland and Slovakia.  We have tentative representation from Colombia. We would really like to have representation from Mexico and other European countries including Italy and Greece. If you are not comfortable tasting delicacies from around the world, rest assured that there will be hot dogs and hamburgers to tempt your palate. If you are willing to participate as a representative of your country or origin, please contact Peter Heaney at 290.8484 or at peter@saintjohntheevangelist.com.  Remember that you will be given a stipend so that you may purchase food.  Please see the flyer in this bulletin for further details.

 Do you have a pop-up tent that you would like to loan the parish for International Day? We would like each Country represented to have an individual tent setup in the courtyard. We are looking for the 10’ x 10’ Gazebo tents that can stand alone.  If you are willing to loan yours, please contact me at 566.1678 to arrange. Thanks in advance for your consideration of this request.

Have you noticed that the Baptismal Fount in the Narthex is once again functional?  I would like to thank Bill Shephard for his generous gifts of time and talent to completely rework the fount.  Bill replaced a faulty pump and completely redesigned the plumbing so that the new pump will not burn out again.  Bill also gives of his time during the week to keep the Electrical Room in tip top condition.  For those who may not know Bill, he is the popcorn vendor for our annual Super Bowl Party. Bill also is worthy of an award for longest commute to daily and weekend Mass.  He summers in Wisconsin and winters in Alva, yet his love for St. John the Evangelist brings him to commute nearly 45 miles to Mass. Thanks, Bill, for all you do for your parish.

I am extremely pleased to announce that Jim and Marianne Coogan have fully funded the cost to replace our crumbling sign at 111^th Avenue North.  Installation of the new sign will begin in the next couple of weeks and will optimistically be completed by Easter.  The new sign will be oriented perpendicular to 111^th Avenue North so that passersby may read the sign travelling East or West.  Thank  you, Jim and Marianne, for your very generous gift.

Paul Todd, Paul Todd, Jr. and friends will host a concert on April 14 in the ballroom of the Parish Life Center to support the Mission Backpack program and the Youth on mission in the Caribbean. There is NO COST to attend this concert, however, we do ask that you make a generous donation the evening of the event to support this endeavor. Fr. John may even get up and perform a number or two with Paul.  Tickets are available at no charge in the parish office.  You MUST have a ticket in order to attend and we only have 350 allotted for St. John the Evangelist.  Tickets will be available in the parish office this coming Monday. I strongly suggest that you do not delay. Paul and PJ performed a similar version of this new concert two weeks ago and it sold out two nights straight.  Please see the flyer in this bulletin for further details on the evening’s events.

On the opposite page you will find a succinct plan for the Paniccia Prayer Garden. You may depict the locations of the individual Stations of the Cross, St. Francis of Assisi statue as well as the benches.  There are currently nine Stations of the Cross and ONE bench remaining.  The statue of St. Francis of Assisi still remains although I am meeting with an interested family this week that is considering purchasing this lone statue and fountain.  The Stations that are committed are noted in red.  The cost for the St. Francis statue is $15,000.00, Stations of the Cross are $7,500.00 and benches are $3,000.00. We are also planning on offering benches in the Memorial Garden and in front of the Church, if that would suit your needs better.  Two benches have been purchased in the memorial garden leaving six from which to choose.  Some of you have taken advantage of my offer to pay for your Station or bench over the course of seven months or by the end of October. We would like to have all of the Stations, benches and the St. Francis Statue spoken for by the end of season so that we may order the granite, break ground and have the grand opening by the end of the year.

We continue to make great strides with regards to the 2011 Catholic Faith Appeal. We are now well ahead of last year’s appeal with over $132,000 pledged only one month into the campaign.  If you are a seasonal resident or visitor, please make your check payable to the Catholic Faith Appeal with St. John the Evangelist in the memo line. Thank you in advance for your extreme generosity.

Parish Resource Directories are now available in the narthex of the church.  If you have yet to pick one up, please do so. The directory is very well done and will provide you with valuable information about your parish and all of the programs and ministries offered.

Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.

Have you ever wondered how much income is generated for Habitat for Humanity through the sale of newspapers on Sunday outside of Mass?  In the prior calendar year ending December 31, 2010, just over $5,800.00 was raised through this program.  The proceeds are used to assist those less fortunate through the gift of home ownership.  In addition, over $66,000.00 was raised this past year for the benefit of Habitat for Humanity through St. John the Evangelist.  Thank you to the volunteers that offer the paper for sale EVERY Sunday so that you may conveniently pick up a copy without having to stop by a store and thank you to the parishioners that give so generously to Habitat for Humanity.

Here is the latest on the International Festival to be held on Sunday, April 10^th from 12:30pm until 3:30 pm.  By offering an earlier start time those of you attending the 11:15 am and 1:15 pm Masses  may step right out of church and into the festival.  Thus far we have representation from Belize, Ireland, Vietnam and the United States.  I am sure some of you will step forward from Mexico, Italy and Poland, to only name a few.  The parish will provide a stipend for you to purchase food supplies and we will also supply all of the hard goods necessary including plates, napkins, utensils, chafing dishes, sterno and trays.  This way, you will be able to concentrate strictly on cooking your food.  The price for admission will be $10 per adult and $5 per child or $20 for a family.  soda, water,  beer and wine will be included at no additional charge.  This event will be hosted by the Men’s Club but will involve many of you.  We are asking that if you have an affinity for cooking the food of a particular ethnicity that you contact Peter Heaney ASAP to coordinate your involvement in this event.  We will have tents setup around the courtyard for each Country to showcase their delicacies.  You will have the option of dining in the ballroom or in the courtyard.  If you are interested, please contact Peter Heaney at Peter@saintjohntheevangelist.com or 290-8484 ASAP to sign up.  Please see the flyer in this week’s bulletin for details.  Wristbands will be available for purchase beginning Wednesday, March 16^th in the parish office.

Once again, on the opposite page you will find a succinct plan for the Paniccia Prayer Garden.  You may now depict the locations of the individual Stations of the Cross, St. Francis of Assisi statue as well as the benches.  Many of you have commented that you were having a difficult time reading the huge plan in the Narthex.  There are currently nine Stations of the Cross and two benches remaining.  The statue of St. Francis of Assisi also still remains.  The Stations that are committed are noted in red.  The cost for the St. Francis statue is $15,000.00, Stations of the Cross are $7,500.00 and benches are $3,000.00.  We are also planning on offering benches in the Memorial Garden and in front of the Church if that would suit your needs better.  Some of you have taken advantage of my offer to pay for your Station or bench over the course of eight months or by the end of October.  We would like to have all of the Stations, benches and the Statue spoken for by the end of season so that we may order the granite, break ground and have the grand opening by the end of the year.

 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 March 23rd from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm in the Seminar Room of the Claussen 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.

We are off to a great start with regards to the 2011 Catholic Faith Appeal.  To date, we are just shy of $100,000.00 pledged and are only three weeks into the campaign.  If you were in attendance for my presentation on the 19^th & 20^th of February, I did my very best to explain that the funds raised through the CFA are going to very worthwhile causes.  If you are a seasonal resident or visitor, please make your check payable to the Catholic Faith Appeal with St. John the Evangelist in the memo line.  Thank you in advance for your extreme generosity.

Parish Resource Directories are now available in the narthex of the church.  If you have yet to pick one up, please do so.  The directory is very well done and will provide you with valuable information about your parish and all of the programs and ministries offered. 

Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.

As a reminder, Thursday March 17^th is St. Patrick’s Day and we will once again be celebrating the annual St. Patrick’s Day Mass at 9:00 am.  There will be no 8:00 am Mass on St. Patrick’s Day.  St. Vincent de Paul will be the recipient of the entire collection taken on St. Patrick’s Day.  As you know, our St. Vincent De Paul Society assists needy families within our parish boundaries and sometimes beyond.  Many families in our parish and community are in need of help in the way of rental assistance, utilities, fuel and even the basic necessities such as groceries.  Through the generosity of your donations, St. Vincent De Paul is able to provide for these families.  In addition, the funds raised through our parish St. Patrick’s Day party next Saturday, March 12^th will be used to benefit the St. Vincent De Paul Society here at St. John the Evangelist.  Between both events last year, we raised in excess of $22,000.00 to assist families in need.

 The management at Naples Memorial Garden next door has suggested that they may begin towing vehicles that are parked on their grass or in clearly marked no parking areas.  They have also installed signs to suggest such.  We have absolutely no control over their ability to act on this threat so I would strongly suggest that you either park in one of their “clearly marked” parking spots or utilize one of our many parking spots.  We offer additional parking behind the Claussen Center or in the Elementary School.  I do not want to see one of our parishioners leave Mass only to find that their vehicle has been towed.  Thanks for your cooperation with this request.

 We are announcing the formation of a very exciting cultural event here at St. John the Evangelist.  On Sunday, April 10^th we are going to host our first ever International Festival.  This event will be hosted by the Men’s Club but will involve many of you.  We are asking that if you have an affinity for cooking the food of a particular ethnicity that you contact Peter Heaney ASAP to coordinate your involvement in this event.  The options are limitless and I would expect that we have more than 50 ethnicities within our parish that may be willing to participate.  Off the top of my head, I can think of numerous individuals that would fit the bill from Lebanese to Vietnamese to Belize.  Based on turnout, we will have the ballroom and courtyard setup with stations from around the world for attendees to visit and taste the particular delicacies from each region.  We are also considering offering entertainment provided (hopefully) by our parishioners which will be tailored to the particular region that each group represents.  This could be a traditional dance or music specific to a particular country.  If you are interested, please contact Peter Heaney at Peter@saintjohntheevangelist.com or 290-8484 ASAP to sign up.  We really think this can be a great event for our parish and also a great way to involve many of you who would like to showcase your country of origin or cultural background.  Once details are finalized, we will have a flyer in the bulletin officially announcing this event.

 On the opposite page you will find a much more succinct plan for the Paniccia Prayer Garden.  You may now depict the locations of the individual Stations of the Cross, St. Francis of Assisi statue as well as the benches.  Many of you have commented that you were having a difficult time reading the huge plan in the Narthex.  There are currently nine Stations of the Cross and three benches remaining.  The statue of St. Francis of Assisi also still remains.  The Stations that are committed are noted in red.  The cost for the St. Francis statue is $15,000.00, Stations of the Cross are $7,500.00 and benches are $3,000.00.  We are also planning on offering benches in the Memorial Garden and in front of the Church if that would suit your needs better.  Some of you have taken advantage of my offer to pay for your Station or bench over the course of eight months or by the end of October.  We would like to have all of the Stations, benches and the Statue spoken for by the end of season so that we may order the granite, break ground and have the grand opening by the end of the year.

 As a veteran runner and a brother Knight, I will be running the 5^th Annual West Coast “Run for Life” this Saturday morning.  Unfortunately, due to my recovery from a chronic injury (plantar fasciitis) I will only be running eight miles this year.  If you would like to sponsor my efforts this weekend, please make a check payable to the “Florida K of C Charities, Inc./Helping Life” in any amount that you would like.  The proceeds from the run will be used to support our local pro-life organizations.  This is a completely tax deductible contribution.  Checks may be dropped in the collection basket, brought into the parish office or mailed to the parish.  I thank you in advance for your support of the Knights of Columbus and our local Pro-Life organizations.

 Following up with my pitch for the K of C, I will carry on with another.  The Lenten Fish Bakes officially kick off this coming “Ash Wednesday” and then continue every Friday throughout lent with a break on March 25^th for the St. Joseph Feast.  There will be no Fish Bake on Good Friday either.  I must say the Knights do a phenomenal job of preparing a healthy, yet incredibly tasty meal for a great price.  The baked fish served is REALLY good.  If you question my testimony, come down and find out for yourself.  You may find a flyer for both of these aforementioned events in the bulletin this week.

 The Holocaust Museum Boxcar will not be onsite until Friday March 11^th due to some renovations.  We apologize for this inconvenience.

 Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.