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July 29, 2011
Last year at this time, I received a voicemail message from a manager of the Wal-Mart at the corner of US-41 and 111th Avenue North. She asked that I call her back to discuss an upcoming program we were hosting at the parish. I had no idea to what she was referring so I inquisitively returned the call. As it turns out, she was referring to Undy Sunday which will take place this year on August 14th and August 21st. The reason for her call was to identify the dates for last year’s drive so that her store could make sure to order extra inventory for the event. I have to say that I would never have thought of that nor did I realize we collected that much in the way of socks and underwear for the drive. So I did a little research and was astounded at what I found. This year I called her to let her know the dates so that they may have the appropriate inventory.
Did you know that this year, nearly 50 Collier County Churches and Synagogues will participate in Undy Sunday hosted by Catholic Charities of Collier County? This is the 15th annual event. Since the initial Undy Sunday in 1997, the number of participating churches has more than doubled. About 650,000 undergarments have been given to disadvantaged children in Collier County during the past 14 years.
It is hard to imagine these children doing without such basic necessities as clean underwear and socks; however, the fact is that this situation is all too prevalent throughout Collier County. The good news is that this is a program in which everyone can participate. I intend to have my oldest daughter (although maybe slightly unwillingly) use her allowance to purchase a package of underwear for the drive. She will learn a very valuable lesson about how blessed she is and how important it is to take care of those in need. I will also petition everyone I know to follow suit and do the same. You can purchase a little girls combo pack (9 pairs of underwear and 6 pairs of socks) for as little as $10.50 at Wal-Mart. So when I say that everyone can participate, this is certainly the case. If you are unable to make it to the store to shop, Catholic Charities will accept monetary contributions as well.
Please look for the Undy Sunday boxes in the narthex of the church on August 14 and August 21. We ask that you bring new socks and new underwear for boys and girls sizes six through 12. Monetary donations are also needed to purchase backpacks and school supplies. Thank you for supporting those in our community that may otherwise go without.
I had the pleasure of giving Deacon Frank and Sandi Paniccia a tour of the Paniccia Prayer Garden this past week. This was the first opportunity they have had to see the garden since we broke ground two months ago. This was a moment I will remember f
or quite some time. Upon entering the garden through the gazebo and seeing their vision come to life, both Frank and Sandi had tears welling up in their eyes and then running down their cheeks. They were truly amazed at what they saw. As you may remember, Sandi came up with the idea for a prayer garden last year. She had initially envisioned the garden on the west side of the service road, however, that land is a preserve and may not be disturbed. The decision was then made to build the garden on the west side of the courtyard which is rarely used. I am confident that when completed, our parishioners will have a similar reaction when entering the prayer garden. We have worked diligently to create a very special place for you to enjoy for years to come. Sandi and Frank confirmed through their reaction that we have been extremely successful. Copper pathway lighting was installed this past week and the majority of the trees throughout the garden have been illuminated with up lighting. With only 50% of the lighting installed, the garden looks amazing at night. Granite for the benches and Stations of the Cross is due to arrive this week from Italy. The benches will then be sculpted, engraved and sent on their way to Naples along with the bases for the Stations of the Cross. All 20 benches are now sold. Thank you to all who made the decision to purchase a bench, Station of the Cross, statue, mosaic or fountain.
As promised, please see the consolidated financial statement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, with a comparison to the same period last year. I will address a few items which you will find of interest with regards to the statement. As expected, regular offertory which is our main source of revenue was off by over 4% versus last year. Considering the current economic conditions and financial constraints on many of our parish families, this could have been much worse. Receipts from all sources were up 2.67% due mainly in part to restricted contributions for the Prayer Garden. We continued to make gains with regards to salary expense. We recognized a nearly 3.5% decrease in personnel and salary expense on the heels of a 22% decrease the year before. Please note that we have removed all income and expenses related to the Catholic Faith Appeal and any Diocesan collections including Jamaica Outreach, Habitat for Humanity, Haiti Earthquake Relief and Tornado Relief. These are technically pass through accounts and due to timing will skew the income and expense creating abnormalities that don’t truly recognize our current financial position. All in all, we had a very good year.
With that said, I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of you for your support and generosity in keeping us solvent as we have gone through transition and a very tough economic downturn. It is truly a testament to the generosity of each of you that we have the amazing parish we do.
Please remember to make a pledge or contribution to the Catholic Faith Appeal.
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.
July 25, 2011
Night of Joy
Night of Joy is a contemporary Christian music festival that takes place September 10, 2011 at Magic Kingdom theme park. It features live performances by Contemporary Christian Music superstars in rock, pop and gospel.
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED this year, don’t forget to register early next year.
The cost of attending this event is $95 per person and includes lunch on Saturday, bus transportation, ticket into the Magic Kingdom, and snacks on the bus. Please make checks payable to St. John the Evangelist and include “Night of Joy” on the memo line.
If you have any questions about the Night of Joy event please contact:
Brad Campbell
Phone: 239-398-2993
Email: brad@capitalrockadvisors.com
Michele Standish
Phone: 239-431-3281
Email: michele.standish@gmail.com
Event Highlights
Night of Joy artists will grace several stages around Magic Kingdom theme park. Choose from different musical performances and locations during the festival.
The Night of Joy 2011 details are still being finalized. Check back regularly as more information will be added as it becomes available.
2011 Headliners
Saturday, September 10:
MercyMe
TobyMac
Jars of Clay
View the complete list of performers
Artist lineup subject to change without notice.
Attractions
While you’re at Magic Kingdom theme park, have a blast rockin’ to the music and ride some of your favorite attractions:
July 22, 2011
I am always jealous this time of year when parishioners call from their summer residences and brag about the wonderful cool weather they are experiencing. Every once in while, I am able to comment that it is cooler in Naples than it is in the Midwest or Northeast. The LOW temperature in Chicago this past Tuesday was 80 degrees while we enjoyed a relatively cool 75 degree morning. This heat wave is slowly working its way eastward toward the New England states. While I feel for those sweating it out in areas not used to experiencing such temperatures, at least they are getting a brief taste of what we deal with for months on end in the summer.
After weeks of delays, the parking lot project is now complete. I am confident that you are pleased with the end result. The new traffic flow seems to be much more efficient and the parking lot itself looks brand new. Several parishioners commented to Fr. John with positive remarks following Mass this past weekend. Obviously, this is only a temporary fix and we will have to install new asphalt at some point in the future. By re-sealing, we have added many more years to the life of our existing parking lot. Ironically, we are once again in a stretch of dry weather now that work is completed.
Since I am talking about the parking lot, we are also in the process of repairing the lighting in the north parking lot behind the Claussen Family Center (CFC.) If you have ever visited this lot after dark, you surely have noticed that adequate lighting it very difficult to come by. We are trying to save the existing bollard fixtures by replacing ballasts and changing the lighting to a more efficient bulb. Even when the fixtures were new and working well, the lighting was marginal at best. We hope this temporary fix will brighten the CFC parking lot.
The Paniccia Prayer Garden is an absolute masterpiece and the benches and Stations of the Cross have yet to arrive. The installation of landscaping is now complete and looks so much better than I ever envisioned. Due to the fact that we were able to install the landscaping very early in the growing season, we will have nearly four more months for the shrubs to mature. I would like to commend Hector with Melendez Landscape, Inc. for taking the extra time to pick out the best shrubs that he could find. We really hit the jackpot and when you see the end result, I am sure you will agree. The private serene environment which I have alluded to since day one is actually taking shape. The confederate jasmine has already started its course of weaving its way through the lattice around the gazebo. I am not sure how fast it grows, but after only five days it is well on its way to filling in the holes. The Podocarpus shrubs which surround the perimeter of the Prayer Garden are massive and have already taken the shape of a hedge due to their extreme girth. Installation of irrigation has been completed and has been fine tuned to ensure that we don’t lose any of our plantings. Electrical installation continues for the next several weeks. The electric was somewhat complex as each Station of the Cross requires power in order to illuminate at night. The installation of the water feature will begin this coming week. As a reminder, St. Francis of Assisi (who has already arrived) will be perched atop this waterfall feature in the center of the garden creating a dramatic effect. I have included pictures of the landscaping as well as a crude aerial from the roof of the PLC.
If you have ever driven down the service road from the Claussen Center to the Church, you may have noticed the incredibly unsightly air conditioning units located immediately outside of the west entrance of the church. We are going to plant a very mature Ficus hedge around the air conditioning pad to block the view of these units and create a much more aesthetically pleasing environment. The new hedge should be installed by this weekend.
Have you read the latest edition of the Florida Catholic? Father Patrick Conroy, son of our very own Ruth Conroy, was sworn in as the chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives in late May. Fr. Conroy is only the second Catholic in House history to be named chaplain. Congratulations to Fr. Conroy and congratulations to Ruth for raising such a fine son. The information may be located in the July 15th Florida Catholic, page 13.
As a reminder, there are still two benches remaining for purchase. Th
ese benches will be located immediately in front of the church and may be engraved, honoring or memorializing a loved one. The cost to purchase a bench is $3,000.00. The benches are solid granite and are very attractive. If you are interested in purchasing either of these two remaining benches, please contact me at 566.1678.
Due to the recent rain, our Memorial Garden looks better than ever. We continue to make enhancements to the landscaping and the new memorial granite benches will be arriving in the next couple of months. If you are interested in purchasing a space in our garden at a mere fraction of the cost elsewhere, please contact me at your earliest convenience to setup an appointment. The all inclusive price is $1,200.00 and includes the opening, closing, urn, headstone and plaque.
Please remember to support the Catholic Faith Appeal. We have dipped below where we were at this same time last year and I am getting more than a little concerned. If you are able, please consider making a donation the CFA. Thank you in advance for your generous consideration.
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.
July 15, 2011
As of this past Wednesday, the parking lot resealing project was still not complete. We did receive a brief respite from the rainy weather this past weekend while crews were not working. Unfortunately, mother nature picked up right where she left off at the beginning of the week. Only the parking area immediately in front of the church remains to be completed. I am extremely confident that we will have the job completed in time for the 3:00 p.m. vigil Mass this Saturday. Thank you for your patience while we dodge thunderstorms to create a more functional and aesthetically pleasing parking lot.
June 30th marked the end of our fiscal year (2010/2011) and I must say that in the face of extremely difficult economic times, we weathered the storm fairly well. I am still waiting on several documents in order to completely close the books for the fiscal year, however, as it stands now we performed slightly better this fiscal year than last. I will publish financial statements in an upcoming bulletin so that you may see the strides we have made over the past twelve months.
The Paniccia Prayer Garden is really beginning to come to life. Installation of landscaping began this past week with the largest trees and shrubs being planted first. Rather than planting smaller trees, we opted for more mature varieties, and I am confident that this was a great decision. I can assure you that this Prayer Garden is going to be a showpiece for the parish and an example for the entire Diocese of Venice. You may glance through the construction fence at the massive plantings of Ligustrum, Italian Cypress, Pink Tabebuia, Oak and many more. The centerpiece of the garden will be a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, which will be elevated on a water feature. Following on the theme of Assisi, we will install a massive nine foot panoramic mosaic of the commune which will be located on the northern end of the garden. The inclusion of Italian Cypress Trees really gives the feel of actually being in the Umbria region of Italy. The Men’s Club purchased a beautiful wall fountain which has been relocated to the interior of the gazebo at the main entrance to the garden. The fountain will have a backdrop of lattice and confederate jasmine creating a magnificent visual. Installation of irrigation and electrical conduit took place this past Monday. Installation of ancillary landscaping also began this past week and will continue through this coming week. There will be a total of 33 different varieties of plantings in the garden creating a lush and serene environment. I am extremely proud of this project and excited to see it come to fruition. I would like to thank everyone who came forward to purchase a Station of the Cross or a bench so that we could make this garden a reality.
As a reminder, there are still two benches remaining for purchase. These benches will be located immediately in front of the church and may be engraved, honoring or memorializing a loved one. The cost to purchase a bench is $3,000.00. The benches are solid granite and are very attractive. If you are interested in purchasing either of these two remaining benches, please contact me at 566-1678.
Believe it or not, this weekend marks the 7th anniversary of “Scott’s Corner.” That means that this is approximately my 350th edition, give or take a few. What began as a recommendation to me by one of our volunteers has turned out to be quite a functional way to convey pertinent information to our parish family. As you may attest, communication is the single most important component of any successful operation. Whether it is a business or a church, lack of communication is a recipe for failure. I do my very best to keep everyone up to date on the happenings within the parish. I truly enjoy writing my weekly column and I am hopeful that you enjoy reading what I write.
I feel it safe to say that we have now settled into the summer doldrums even though summer just began a few weeks ago. Attendance has substantially tapered off and contributions to the CFA have also decreased dramatically. We are still in decent shape due to the early outpouring of generosity through the first six months of the campaign. As I stated last week, let us strive to not just meet our goal this year, but rather substantially exceed our goal. Thank you in advance for your continued support of the Catholic Faith Appeal.
Saturday, July 16th marks the 23rd anniversary of ordination to priesthood of Bishop Frank Dewane. Please join us in wishing the Bishop many more happy and fruitful years of priesthood, and pray that Almighty God will abundantly bless his spiritual leadership of the Diocese of Venice in Florida.
Thank you so much for supporting St. John the Evangelist.
July 8, 2011
