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The new St. John the Evangelist street sign on 111^th Avenue North is now in place and looks absolutely beautiful.  It is also illuminated after hours which makes a nice statement to passersby after hours.  We plan to make some adjustments to the landscaping at the front of our site to create better visibility for the sign. Attached is a picture of the installation which took place last week. Thank you once again to Jim and Marianne Coogan for their gift in order to make our beautiful new sign a reality.  When the Coogan’s return in the fall, I intend to include a picture of them in front of the sign.

Please see the attached picture of our new fountain in the Memorial Garden along with its donors, Jack and Madeline Gaffey. The Gaffeys wanted to do something memorable to enhance the Memorial Garden which will ultimately be their final resting place. After my recent comments regarding the sale of space in the Memorial Garden, I have been inundated with families heeding my advice and pre-planning their final arrangements.  If you are interested in doing so, please contact me at 566.1678.

Triplet update. According to our doctors, Shelley will be giving birth to our little ones this Memorial Day weekend.  If this turns out to be the case, look for pictures in next week’s bulletin.  I will also see if we can get some pictures placed on the website. Nathaniel, Ella and Mia are looking forward to meeting their parents and meeting all of you later in the summer. Thanks again to all who have prayed for a safe arrival.

We hope to break ground this week on the Paniccia Prayer Garden to be located on the west side of the courtyard, stretching from the church to the Parish Life Center. We are very excited about this upcoming enhancement to our campus. We will first install a construction fence which will surround the perimeter of the eastern side of the Prayer Garden. We kindly ask that you do not enter the fence until construction is complete for obvious reasons. The granite for all 22 benches and 14 Stations of the Cross has been ordered. The granite is mined in Italy and will then be shipped to Georgia to be finished and engraved.  We eagerly anticipate completion of the Prayer Garden by the end of the year.

One quick glance at the collection summary will give confirmation that “season” has officially come to a close.  As you may notice, our weekly operating budget is approximately $27,000.00 and this past week’s offertory was $21,351.00 or $5,649.00 short of budget.  As I have stated on numerous occasions, we generally operate “in the red” seven out of twelve months.  This is why it is so important that we manage your donations very carefully over the winter months so that we retain the needed surplus to get us through the lean summer months.  In the past this has been quite a task.  With that said, it is due to your generosity that we have been able to close last fiscal year in the black.  With any luck, we will be equally successful on June 30^th which marks the end of our fiscal year.  Thank you to all of our parishioners who give so selflessly to make St. John the Evangelist all that it can be.

With the departure of our seasonal residents and visitors, contributions to the Catholic Faith Appeal have tapered substantially. If you are a remaining seasonal resident or visitor, please continue to make your checks payable to the CFA with St. John the Evangelist in the memo line.  Thank you for your continued support of the Catholic Faith Appeal.

I have had several recent inquiries regarding bequests to St. John the Evangelist. I published this information last year, however, many did not see the information.  I will also post this information on the website under ways to give. If you are interested in making a bequest to St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, here is the legal description to be used for planning purposes.  Have you remembered St. John the Evangelist in your estate plans? The legal wording to include St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in your Will is:  “I bequeath the sum of $____ or ____% of the residue of my estate to Bishop Frank J. Dewane (or his successor), Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Venice, a corporation sole, whose principal office is located at 1000 Pinebrook Road, Venice, FL 34285, for the benefit of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church.”  You may further restrict the use of your gift to be used for a ministry, capital improvement, Catholic Charities, etc….

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

Over my fourteen years at St. John the Evangelist, I have tried my best to follow the arrival and departure patterns of our seasonal residents.  Many of these seasonal residents used to arrive in October to open their winter residences and then depart prior to Thanksgiving to spend the holidays with family, returning after the new year.  Over the past five years or so, this pattern has changed and many seasonal residents are now foregoing their fall arrival.  While many of these seasonal residents own a home in Naples, a large number are renters and have contractual agreements for a set period of time.  The most popular contract seems to be a three month rental, which generally encompasses the months of January through March. Some will adjust their stay based on Easter, which was extremely late this year.  Departures or “the three exoduses” as I like to refer to them generally take place at the end of March, April and May.  By the attendance in Mass this past weekend, I feel it safe to say that the second exodus is now complete.  Although we had some very bad weather on Sunday morning, attendance at the morning Masses was sparse at best.  I have always gauged the timing of departure patterns by the amount of “car carriers” seen on our local roadways.  This indicator has now failed me as the cost to ship a vehicle north has increased substantially.  One parishioner told me that the cost to ship a vehicle to New Hampshire (in an enclosed trailer) was in excess of $1,700.00.  That would be nearly $3,500.00 round trip.  They also said that the price was not fixed and based on the cost of fuel, could increase at the discretion of the hauling company.  Other parishioners had suggested that they may hire someone to drive their car north and pay to fly them back as this was a less expensive option.  With all of that said, it looks as though within the next couple of weeks, it will be just the year round residents remaining in Naples to enjoy the heat and humidity of summer.  For those enjoying your final few weeks in paradise, we wish you a safe journey home and a wonderful summer.  We look forward to seeing you again, either in the fall or early winter.

Demolition of our 21 year old street sign DID NOT begin this past week as I had suggested.  Let us hope that the new sign will be installed this week. You have my apologies for the misinformation, yet this seems to be my trademark these days.

This week I have included a picture of the clay rendering of the St. John the Evangelist miniature. These miniatures (11” x 5” x 5”) will be great 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.

We have reached the elusive 50% mark with regards to the 2011 Catholic Faith Appeal.  We now have until the end of the calendar year to reach our goal of $440,000.00.  Due to a very large Easter gift to the CFA last year, we have fallen behind with regards to where we were at this time in 2010.  Thank you to all who have given so generously to the CFA.  We have a long way to go, but I am confident that we will prevail by December 31^st.

Triplet update.  My wife (Shelley) has officially reached 32 weeks of pregnancy which, according to our doctors, has been the goal since day one.  Triplets typically deliver prior to 32 weeks.  This past Friday will mark 33 weeks.  We have appointments twice weekly to monitor the continued growth of our three little ones.  While this is great news for the triplets, Shelley may think otherwise.  As you can imagine, she is extremely uncomfortable and it seems that there is a “party” going on inside her belly 24 hours a day.  This, combined with heartburn, shortness of breath and the inability to move about easily is making her long for their birth.  For those of you who saw her before she went on bed rest, you may have noted that she does not look like she is pregnant with triplets.  She has certainly not gained the 50-60 pounds that the docs suggested she may during her pregnancy.  It is literally “all babies” which is the main source of her discomfort as there is very little room to move around.  The ultrasound technicians are now having a very difficult time doing their job because everything is so scrunched together in the womb.  We are on a day to day and week to week basis now.  Any abnormality they may find will result in the immediate birth of our little ones.  I would like to wholeheartedly thank all of you that have included us in your prayers.  The power of prayer goes without saying and we feel incredibly blessed to have so many of you thinking of us in ensuring that we have a successful pregnancy and subsequent birth.

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

Ask and you shall receive! Several weeks ago I made a request for a copier in the Claussen Center to be used by the Faith Formation, Music Ministry and Youth Ministry departments.  Bob Bruckman stepped forward and donated a combination printer/copier which will be used in the Music Office. John and Jasmine Dina then came forward and donated a full sized copier capable of printing the largest jobs (even 11×17 copies. This high volume printer will eliminate the need to tie up the main printer in the Parish Life Center which is nearly always in use. Thank you to Bob Bruckman and John and Jasmine Dina for your generous donations.

Demolition of our 21 year old street sign began this past week.  The new sign will be installed immediately thereafter.  We are very excited for this new addition to our campus.  The sign will be two sided and situated perpendicular to 111^th Avenue North so that passersby may see it travelling east or west. We have also run electrical conduit to the sign so that it may be illuminated at night. The sign will prominently display our “Eagle Logo” for all to enjoy.  Thanks again to Jim and Marianne Coogan for their very generous contribution to make this new sign a reality.

Although the re-striping of our parking lot will not take place until next month, you may have noticed that Bonness, Inc. has been onsite doing some repairs, which include patching of the damaged asphalt areas as well as the removal of the front entry island extension which will now allow parishioners to re-enter the parking lot. These repairs and enhancements should have been completed by this weekend.

The new drinking fountain in the church may seem to be installed a little “low” for some of you although certainly not for me. The fountain has been installed according to ADA guidelines which makes it accessible to those in a wheelchair. Your children will also find the height very appropriate. For those taller parishioners, we apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while attempting to quench your thirst.

I am still amazed that many in our parish are/were unaware of our very own Memorial Garden which is located directly in front of the church on the southeast corner.  After describing the new addition of a fountain and future landscaping last week, numerous parishioners contacted me to purchase space in our garden. I neglected to reiterate the fact that the sale of space in our memorial garden may cease in the very near future. Due to the lack of standardized policies and procedures throughout the Diocese of Venice and all the Dioceses of Florida, The Bishops are contemplating discontinuing sales in all parish memorial gardens until such standardized policies and procedures may be adopted.  If you have already purchased space in our garden, your remains may be interred at any time, however, if you have yet to purchase a space, you will be unable to do so once this decision is made.  Space still remains in the memorial garden if you are interested in making St. John the Evangelist your final resting place. The cost to purchase a plot in the garden is $1,200.00. This is an all inclusive price which includes the opening, closing, urn, headstone and plaque.  If you care to check pricing locally, you will find that our pricing is nearly 33% of what you would pay elsewhere.  Yes, you may pay for your memorial garden plot with a credit card.  I know this is a difficult decision for many as final planning is not something that you may be comfortable with.  I can assure you that planning in advance is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your family of loved ones as they will not have to deal with this added stress after your death.  Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing space in our beautiful memorial garden.  In order to purchase a plot in our garden, you must be a parishioner at St. John the Evangelist or the immediate family of a parishioner.

The bus is nearly full!  We are thrilled to announce the ordination of our very own Michal Szyska on May 21^st at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice.  Michal will celebrate his first Mass on Sunday, May 22^nd 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 who wishes to attend at no cost.  Hors d’oeuvres (some with a Polish flair) will be served as well as a full bar.  Please come out to support Michal as he enters the priesthood.  Please remember that Michal has no family in the United States and that we are HIS FAMILY.  If you would like to take the chartered bus to the Ordination, please contact Bill Wright at wkwrightjr@aol.com to reserve your spot.  The cost is $30 per person and includes refreshments.  Reservations MUST be made through Bill and may not be made through the parish office.

Once again, on the opposite page I have included a copy of a Catholic Faith Appeal pledge card if you would like to cut it out and use this to make your CFA pledge. You may also make a credit card donation to the CFA by visiting the Diocese of Venice website at www.dioceseofvenice.org.  Choose the donations tab and then choose “donate now.”  Thank you in advance for your extreme generosity by allowing us to reach our goal for the 2011 Catholic Faith Appeal. 

This week I have included a picture of the clay rendering of the miniature crucifix.  The crucifix will come complete with a hook attached to the back of the cross. I will include pictures of Mary and St. John the Evangelist when Timothy completes them.  These miniatures (11” x 5” x 5”) will be great 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.

The first work to prepare the courtyard for the Paniccia Prayer Garden began this past week. We removed the old queen palm trees which were located immediately outside the back of the Altar doors.

The final bench in the gazebo of the Prayer Garden still remains.  If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity please contact me sooner than later to reserve this final bench.  In addition, two of the four benches in front of the church have now been purchased, leaving only two opportunities.  The cost for a bench is $3,000.00.

After re-reading my column from last week, It seems that I could have entitled it “Scott’s Solicitation” rather than “Scott’s Corner.”  Nearly every paragraph was some type of solicitation for one thing or another.  Please understand that this was not my intention.  It just so happened that many of the items of which I spoke also included the opportunity to make a donation or purchase something from our memorial garden to the miniature sculptures to a bench to a credit card contribution and, of course, included a pitch for the CFA.  With that said, I would like to sincerely thank everyone for their extreme generosity and also for putting up with my suggestive selling.  I have toned it down a bit this week.

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

Times for daily Masses will change beginning Monday, June 6.
Daily Mass Monday through Friday will be at 8:30 a.m. There will no longer be two daily Masses.
Saturday Mass will be at 8:00 a.m. with confessions at 8:30 a.m.

Times for Sunday Masses will change beginning Sunday, June 12.
Sunday Masses will be at 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. with the Contemporary Mass at 5:00 p.m.
Saturday vigil Mass times remain the same at 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

While I enjoy writing my weekly column, occasionally I make a statement which I later find not to be completely accurate.  Such is the case with my comments last week regarding the Pascal Candle stand and smaller candle stands.  While it is true that a very generous parishioner donated the Pascal Candle stand in memory of her late husband, it turns out that she also donated the other two candle stands which I claimed to be the gifts of others.  Sondra Sheehan and the Men’s Club did indeed purchase candle stands for the altar, however those have yet to arrive.  There are not two, but four candle stands that remain available for purchase at a cost of $1,900.00 each.  My apologies for the error. This will humbly serve as my retraction.  If you would like to purchase one of these beautiful candle stands (see attached picture), please contact me at 566.1678.

After an electrical problem and a leak, the new fountain in our memorial garden is now fully operational and quite stunning.  This is a beautiful addition to our serene memorial garden.  We continue to make improvements to the landscaping in the garden.  In the upcoming summer months, we will add a secondary hedge around the interior of the garden to provide additional privacy.  Space still remains in the memorial garden if you are interested in making St. John the Evangelist your final resting place. The cost to purchase a plot in the garden is $1,200.00.  This is an all inclusive price which includes the opening, closing, urn, headstone and plaque.  If you care to check pricing locally, you will find that our pricing is nearly 33% of what you would pay elsewhere.  I know this is a difficult decision for many as final planning is not something that you may be comfortable with.  I can assure you that planning in advance is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your family of loved ones as they will not have to deal with this added stress after your death.  Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing space in our beautiful memorial garden.  In order to purchase a plot in our garden, you must be a parishioner at St. John the Evangelist or the immediate family of a parishioner 

Thank you to those who signed up for automatic withdrawals from your credit card or bank account through our new online giving module, Pledge Connect.  This is a great opportunity for those who head back north during the summer to support St. John the Evangelist while you are away.  This is also an opportunity to earn points or miles on your credit card.  For those who are used to dropping an envelope in the basket, may I suggest that you simply write “gave via credit card” on your envelope and drop it in the basket?  When making a credit card or bank draft donation, I am notified immediately and your account is credited.  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 “ways to give” button on the home page.  At the bottom of the “ways to give” page, click “here” to make your donation.  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.

We are thrilled to announce the ordination of our very own Michal Szyska on May 21^st at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice.  Michal will celebrate his first Mass on Sunday, May 22^nd 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.  Please remember that Michal has no family in the United States and that we are HIS FAMILY.  If you would like to take the chartered bus to the Ordination, please contact Bill Wright at wkwrightjr@aol.com to reserve your spot.  The cost is $30 per person and includes refreshments.  Reservations MUST be made through Bill and may not be made through the parish office.

We are slowly nearing the 50% mark with regards to the 2011 Catholic Faith Appeal. We are currently at 46% of our goal of $440,000.00 with eight months remaining in the appeal.  We have worked very hard over the last several years to become financially solvent and your support of the CFA has been a very large reason for our success.  By meeting our annual CFA goal, we can concentrate on building the programs and ministries within the parish.  If we fall short of our goal, funds must be directed from our operating revenue in order to make up the deficit.  If you are a seasonal resident or visitor, may I suggest that you make your check payable to the Catholic Faith Appeal with St. John the evangelist in the memo line?  For our full time parishioners, if you have yet to do so, you may make an annual pledge to the CFA.  Pledge cards are available in the narthex if you choose this option.  Furthermore, on the opposite page I have included a copy of a pledge card if you would like to cut it out and use this.  You may also make a credit card donation to the CFA by visiting the Diocese of Venice website at www.dioceseofvenice.org.  Choose the donations tab and then choose “donate now.”  Thank you in advance for your extreme generosity by allowing us to reach our goal for the 2011 Catholic Faith Appeal.    

You may now have all three of our beautiful sculptures (Mary, St. John the Evangelist and the Crucifix) 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.

We are preparing to break ground on the Paniccia Prayer Garden.  We hope to do so during the month of May.  While we were finalizing details, the decision was made to incorporate the gazebo as an alternate entrance into the garden.  With this decision came the availability of two additional benches to be located immediately inside the gazebo entrance.  One of the benches has been purchased, however, one still remains.  If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity please contact me sooner than later to reserve this final bench.  In addition, two of the four benches in front of the church have now been purchased, leaving only two opportunities.  The cost for a bench is $3,000.00 

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