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April 29, 2011
Wow, what a weekend! If you were fortunate enough to attend Mass this past Saturday evening for the Vigil or Sunday for the Easter celebration, you were most likely as amazed as me at the massive crowds that turned out to recognize the Resurrection of our Lord. Beginning at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and not ending until approximately 6:15 on Easter Sunday, St. John the Evangelist was the place to be. At the 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Masses, both the church and PLC overflow Masses were standing room only. Fr. Len commented that we could have used an overflow Mass for the overflow Mass. Even though numerous seasonal residents and visitors have departed, the crowds were some of the largest I have seen in my fourteen years at St. John’s. I would estimate that as many as 10,000 attended Mass over the weekend. Hopefully, we will see many of the aforementioned attendees again before Christmas. It was truly wonderful having you all here with us to celebrate Easter Mass.
Once again I must hand it to the Arts and Liturgical Environment Committee for their work in making the Church and PLC absolutely beautiful for Easter Masses. We truly have some incredibly talented and creative parishioners that give selflessly of their time and talent in order to make St. John the Evangelist the best that it can be.
The Men’s Club did an amazing job hosting the annual Easter Egg hunt on Holy Saturday. Over 300 children, parents and grandparents attended what was an organizational masterpiece. The children made quick work of collecting the 2,000 eggs hidden very conspicuously. They then convened in the ballroom to sort through their loot and have a pizza party. Thank you to the Men’s Club and all of the volunteers that contributed to make this event a tremendous success.
What do you think of the beautiful new Pascal Candle stand and accompanying smaller stands on either side of the Tabernacle? The Pascal Candle stand was purchased by a parishioner in loving memory of her husband. The smaller candle stands were purchased by a parishioner and the other by the Men’s Club. There are two candlesticks remaining if anyone wishes to follow suit. The price for a smaller candle stand is $1,900.00. There is one bench remaining in the Memorial Garden and four remaining in front of the church. The price for a bench is $3,000.00. If you are interested in a candle stick or bench, please contact me at 566.1678.
Nothing ever goes completely as planned. As I alluded to last week, the new fountain in the memorial garden was indeed installed prior to Easter. Unfortunately, there was a leak in the holding tank and it was not operational for all to see the fountain in its true beauty. We are working with Mark Stahlman to repair the leak and have our fountain completely functional for this weekend.
After a somewhat lengthy delay, our new online donations capability is back up and running and much better than ever before. We have contracted with Pledge Connect as our vendor to manage your credit card and automatic bank drafts. This is the same vendor used by the Diocese of Venice for your CFA credit card donations. The process is incredibly user-friendly and there is no need to create an account. You will need your envelope number. Go to our website at www.saintjohntheevangelist.com and choose the “welcome” tab and then scroll down to “ways to give.” At the bottom of this page, click “here” to make your donation. Hopefully, by this weekend we will have a donations tab on the home page. You may now donate at a desired frequency or make a one time gift. Thank you for your patience and enjoy this new online giving system. Rest assured that the site is encrypted and very secure.
As promised, please see the attached aerial view of the parking lot with the new traffic pattern. This new “flow” should alleviate many of the inconveniences you have experienced in the past. We have contracted with Bonness, Inc. to re-stripe and repair the parking lot. Many of the asphalt areas that have deteriorated over the years will be reinforced and paved. We are optimistic that work on the parking lot will begin in late May.
We are thrilled to announce the ordination of our very own Michal Szyska on May 21 at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. We are contemplating bussing parishioners up to the ceremony on Saturday. Once we have pricing available, a bulletin insert will appear with a sign up sheet. Michal will celebrate his first Mass on Sunday, May 22 at 11:15 a.m. Following Mass, there will be a reception to honor Michal in the ballroom of the Parish Life Center. The reception is open to everyone that wishes to attend at no cost. Hors d’oeuvres (some with a Polish flare) will be served as well as a full bar. Please come out to support Michal as he enters the priesthood.
If you have requested tuition assistance for St. Ann, St. Elizabeth Seton or St. John Neumann and claim St. John the Evangelist as your parish of residence, please pay close attention to the following information. All families are required to first complete the FACTS financial survey online. In order to receive financial assistance from the parish of residence, families must be registered in that parish, attend Mass on a regular basis, financially support the parish using church envelopes and participate in the life of the parish. In some cases, the subsidy requested is substantial. The finance council will review the aforementioned criteria to ensure that the family requesting assistance is in compliance.
Do you enjoy the new statues of Mary and St. John the Evangelist? Are you mesmerized looking at the beautiful crucifix while sitting in Mass? You can now have all three of these beautiful pieces in miniature form (11” x 5” x 5”) for your home or office. Our sculptor, Timothy Schmalz, is creating miniature replicas of all three pieces which we will offer for sale at $35 each. There are very limited quantities (200) of each piece. If you would like to pre-order yours, please make your check payable to St. John the Evangelist with your sculpture(s) of choice in the memo line. You may drop your check in the collection basket or bring it to the front office. If the memo line isn’t sufficient space, attach detailed information and place in an envelope. We expect delivery in mid to late September. We will notify you when the sculptures arrive.
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.
April 24, 2011
The Paniccia Prayer Garden is officially sold out. All 14 Stations of the Cross, six benches, St. Francis of Assisi statue, St. Francis of Assisi mosaic and wall fountain have been committed to by very generous parishioners. Believe it or not, we actually have a waiting list for Stations in case someone is unable to fulfill their obligation. In addition, only two of ten benches remain in the memorial garden, and the fountain for the memorial garden has also been purchased. All four benches remain in front of the church for those who may be interested. The cost for a bench is $3,000.00. I would like to say that I am amazed at the outpouring of support for the prayer garden and wish to thank those who stepped forward to purchase the items offered to honor or memorialize their loved ones.
The new fountain in the Memorial Garden was to be installed this past week and operational by the weekend. Due to an extremely early bulletin deadline, I am optimistic that you will be able to see it as you arrive for Easter Masses. Please accept my apologies if it is not installed. This fountain will make a dramatic setting in our Memorial Garden located immediately opposite the Holy Family. Thank you to Jack and Madeline Gaffey for their generous donation to make this beautiful fountain a reality.
Several months ago I wrote about our St. John the Evangelist Boy Scout Troop 168. The troop is not only looking for new members but also for new leadership. This is a small but very active troop whose members may be seen hosting a pancake breakfast in the PLC or assisting the Knights of Columbus with Lenten Fish Bakes. A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. Boy Scouts try to incorporate this oath into every aspect of their lives. These are traits that I would imagine all parents would like to see in their sons. We are looking for Catholic leadership for this Troop as there is a strong faith component that is incorporated through the Diocese of Venice. There are countless Catholic badges available to earn through the church. If you would like to have your son join this troop or if you, as a Father, would like to take a leadership role, I urge you to contact Jim Cullen (Scout Master) at 269.1049 or Eric Flesher (Committee Chair) at 248.8055 to explore the possibilities. Please see the flyer in the bulletin for further information as well as pictures of some of the great events in which these young men participate.
Do you have a used copier that you would be willing to donate to the Faith Formation Department at St. John the Evangelist? The only copier currently at the disposal of the Faith Formation staff is located in the lobby of the PLC. By having a copier in the Claussen Center, greater efficiencies may be obtained. This new/used copier would also be used by the Music Department and Youth Ministry Department as they are both located in the Claussen Center. If you are able to help, please contact me at 566.1678. Thanks in advance for your generosity.
The Buildings and Grounds Committee has been hard at work planning for numerous improvements to take place on campus over the summer. As I mentioned last week, we will be re-striping the parking lot in late spring. In addition, they are currently accepting bids to replace the poor bollard lighting with pole lighting in the parking lot north of the Claussen Center. Bids are also being accepted to revamp the lighting on the interior of the church. A new landscaper has been retained to take over maintenance for the site beginning in early May. Please look for many new changes to the grounds over the summer. Plans are also underway to totally overhaul the kitchen in the PLC by replacing the faulty lighting, resealing the floor and making numerous other enhancements. The work in the kitchen will take place in late June. The Buildings and Grounds Committee has been a great help to me in ensuring that the campus is in great shape.
Do you enjoy the new statues of Mary and St. John the Evangelist? Are you mesmerized looking at the beautiful crucifix while sitting in Mass? You can now have all three of these beautiful pieces in miniature form (11” x 5” x 5”) for your home or office. Our sculptor, Timothy Schmalz, is creating miniature replicas of all three pieces, which we will offer for sale at $35 each. There are very limited quantities (200) of each piece. If you would like to pre-order yours, please contact Natalie at Natalie@saintjohntheevangelist.com. We are expecting delivery in mid to late September.
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.
April 16, 2011
Parish Appreciation Day was an enormous success. I was ecstatic to see all of our parishioners show up to support this event. Thank you to the Men’s Club for an outstanding job in coordinating this massive undertaking. Everything went off without a hitch.
The choir from St. Pius X in Jamaica did an amazing job this past weekend. It is always so uplifting to see these talented musicians filled with the Holy Spirit. Our parishioners responded in true St. John the Evangelist fashion by contributing $24,107.00 to the second collection for the Jamaica Outreach Program. Thank you so much to everyone that gave so generously to help our brothers and sisters in Jamaica.
Have you seen the new St. Vincent De Paul poor boxes that have been installed around the perimeter of the church? They are very attractive, yet discreet and most importantly, vandal proof! As many of you know, we have had our share of problems with the old boxes in the past. On numerous occasions, we have had vandals sneak into the church and empty the contents of the poor boxes. Some chose to use creative techniques (a stick with duct tape), while others simply pried the door open and helped themselves. This was always very disturbing as the funds in the poor boxes are used to assist needy families in our community. These new boxes should solve our problems. We have also installed a similar box for the votive candle offering near Mary. Another box has been ordered for St. John the Evangelist. Thank you to Marty Gauthier for researching vendors, choosing an appropriate solution and installing the boxes.
We finally have a clay rendering of the corpus for our new Processional Cross which you have all been patiently awaiting. As you may remember, Timothy Schmalz, the same sculptor that created the corpus for our crucifix, Mary and St. John the Evangelist, designed this beautiful corpus for our processional cross. I will not dare to suggest a delivery date but wanted to let everyone know that we have approved the design so that Timothy may cast the sculpture. Please see the attached pictures.
And then there was one! As of this past Monday, only one Station of the Cross remained. Since the publication of the last bulletin, three more parishioners came forward to reserve Stations I, VII and X. This leaves Station IX (Jesus falls for the third time) as the lone remaining Station. We also sold two more benches in the memorial garden and have a reservation for one or two more. This would leave three or four benches remaining in the memorial garden. I have still had no takers for the benches in front of church. I find this odd as it is such a prominent location. In any event, all four benches remain if anyone is interested. In an effort to have all of the remaining Stations sold by Easter, may I offer the following option. Consider purchasing a Station with another family and share the cost. Two families may come together and honor or memorialize their loved ones. The dedication plaque will simply list the names of both families rather than one. If this option is of interest to you, please contact me at 566.1678 to arrange an appointment. Stations of the Cross are $7,500.00. We would like to have all of the Stations of the Cross 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.
Do you dislike the traffic pattern in the parking lot in the front of church? Are you irritated when you cannot find a spot in the rows of parking and realize that your only option is to leave the parking lot and return to try again? If you answered yes to either of these questions then you will be happy to hear that we are re-sealing and re-striping the parking lot this Spring, hopefully, in late May or early June. We have enlisted the help of professionals this time so we will have a traffic flow that makes sense. Dave Underhill (Civil Engineer) and John Dina, both parishioners, have volunteered their time and talent to design a parking lot that works well for everyone. In the next few weeks, I will publish an aerial view of the new striping so that everyone will be able to see the enhancements. Thank you so much to Dave and John for their generosity in this endeavor.
We have reached the 40% mark with regards to the 2011 Catholic Faith Appeal. We currently have $178,668.00 pledged towards our goal. For those seasonal residents and visitors who remain with us in paradise, please make your check payable to the Catholic Faith Appeal with St. John the Evangelist in the memo line. Thank you again for your extreme generosity
Do you enjoy the new statues of Mary and St. John the Evangelist? Are you mesmerized looking at the beautiful crucifix while sitting in Mass? You can now have all three of these beautiful pieces in miniature form (11” x 5” x 5”) for your home or office. Our sculptor, Timothy Schmalz, is creating miniature replicas of all three pieces which we will offer for sale at $35 each. There are very limited quantities (200) of each piece. If you would like to pre-order yours, please contact Natalie at Natalie@saintjohntheevangelist.com. We are expecting delivery in mid to late September.
Please consider making a donation to the Easter Spiritual Bouquet so that the Arts and Liturgical Environment Committee may furnish the church and Altar with beautiful flowers this Easter season. Any excess funds will be used to keep the Altar decorated year round. If you are unable to locate a Spiritual Bouquet envelope, please tear out the sample on page 12 of the bulletin. Thank you in advance for your prayerful consideration.
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.
April 13, 2011
April 9, 2011
Our beautiful new Votive Candle Stands were installed on Wednesday afternoon, March 30. Since that time, I have been absolutely amazed at the response. Who knew that so many would light candles for their special intentions. Obviously, the Blessed Mother has had the majority of the activity, but St. John the Evangelist has had his fair share. This is a very welcome addition to our church, and I am thrilled that so many are taking advantage of the opportunity. One parishioner commented that in the past they would drive to St. William to light a candle as we did not have any here. On behalf of the entire parish, I would like to thank the generous family that donated the Votive Candle Stands.
Nearly 1,000 expected for Parish Appreciation Day
After changing the format of our International Festival to Parish Appreciation Day, we now have tentative reservations for nearly 1,000 guests this Sunday. I look forward to seeing everyone this weekend to thank you for all you do for this amazing parish.
Did you know that we have an author in our midst? Joan Driscoll Lynch has been a parishioner at St. John the Evangelist since 2003. She is a Professor Emeritus and former chair of the Communications Department at Villanova University. Joan has authored a Novel entitled “Women of the Passion.” The days and weeks after the crucifixion and resurrection were both an exultant and a harrowing time for His followers. Even as they were assured of their faith, they feared for their lives. And the women who were some of the early leaders of the church were in just as much danger as the men. “Women of Passion” places readers squarely in the middle of those dramatic days through the eyes of the women who walked with Christ: Mary, his mother, Mary Magdalene, Susanna, and Joanna, among others. Inspired by Scripture and deepened by historical research, the novel gives readers the opportunity to walk in the shoes of a group of women who let faith guide them when times seemed darkest. A fast-paced narrative that puts readers in the midst of the events, this book makes the characters real and the events immediate. The novel is available in our Religious Gift Shop for $15.00.
I would like to thank Thomas and Sondra Sheehan for their very generous donation of a new candle stand which will adorn the Altar. Sondra is a current RCIA candidate and has been so touched by the RCIA program and Parish that she felt inclined to do something during this Lenten season to show her appreciation. She further wishes to thank Margie Lynch for her dedication and support during her RCIA journey. Let us all pray for Sondra as she is welcomed into the Catholic Church on Saturday April 23.
We are in the final stretch with regards to the Paniccia Prayer Garden. As of this past Wednesday, only four Stations of the Cross remained. Another parishioner came forward and purchased a Station and a bench in the Memorial Garden. Also, a very generous family that spends only three weeks a year in Naples wanted to purchase a Station to honor their family. This leaves Stations I, VII, IX and X. In an effort to have all of the remaining Stations sold by Easter, may I offer the following option. Consider purchasing a Station with another family and share the cost. Two families may come together and honor or memorialize their loved ones. The dedication plaque will simply list the names of both families rather than one. If this option is of interest to you, please contact me at 566.1678 to arrange an appointment. Stations of the Cross are $7,500.00. We would like to have all of the Stations of the Cross 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.
Update: I neglected to mention the size of the miniatures as well as their composition in last week’s bulletin. All of the pieces will be approximately 11” tall with a width and depth of approximately 5”. They are composed of resin stone which is crushed marble and stone mixed with a clear resin. Timothy is still sculpting the pieces so exact dimensions are not possible at this time. As soon as the clay renderings are completed, I will publish pictures in the bulletin. Do you enjoy the new statues of Mary and St. John the Evangelist? Are you mesmerized looking at the beautiful crucifix while sitting in Mass? You can now have all three of these beautiful pieces in miniature form for your home or office. Our sculptor, Timothy Schmalz, is creating miniature replicas of all three pieces, which we will offer for sale at $35 each. There are very limited quantities (200) of each piece. If you would like to pre-order yours, please contact Natalie at Natalie@saintjohntheevangelist.com. We are expecting delivery in mid to late September.
Don’t forget that Bishop Frank Dewane will be the guest speaker at Faith and Ale this coming Wednesday in the PLC Ballroom. See the flyer in this bulletin for further details.
Please consider making a donation to the Easter Spiritual Bouquet so that the Arts and Liturgical Environment Committee may furnish the church and Altar with beautiful flowers this Easter season. Any excess funds will be used to keep the Altar decorated year round. If you are unable to locate a Spiritual Bouquet envelope, please tear out the sample on page 12 of the bulletin. Thank you in advance for your prayerful consideration.
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.
