Dear Fellow Parishioners,

A little bit of everything:

Just as we are breathing a sigh of relief from our recent heat wave, we are beginning to see the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Milton, hot on the heels of Helene. As soon as the debris from Helene had been stacked up in front of houses, that same debris (and more) was re-spread by Milton. In images now familiar to us, people returned to houses full of not only murky water and a lifetime of ruined possessions and memories, at least one resident returned to find a huge crocodile in his kitchen. Even those with insurance plus family and friends to help them will need a long time to get on the road to recovery. Sadly there are some who will face all this more-or-less alone.

Any day, I’m expecting to receive a message from the Chancery for a nationwide second collection to help those who suffered these terrible storms. When I know, we will do it.

Due to the regional fires and then COVID-19, our parish experienced a several-year drought in weddings. We even had a few couples who needed to re-schedule twice – once after the fires, and then again after COVID. It was a real double-whammy. Now, the weddings are coming back in full force. Calls from couples seem to come in streaks, and I took several calls this week. Some of them are requesting weddings in 2026. I must confess (non-sacramentally, of course!) that it can seem strange to commit oneself to being somewhere at a specific time and place two years in the future.

Finally, I would like to thank you for the uptick in the plate collection this past weekend. It’s a very nice start to what will be a longer-term project. We will be placing the Annual Ministries Appeal envelopes in the pews and vestibule of the church, for your convenience. Last year, when we did that, some industrious but naughty person removed the envelopes, threw some of them out, and piled up the remainder in the back of the church. I pray this doesn’t happen again this year, as printed materials and the employee time needed to distribute them are expensive. We must come much closer to reaching our AMA goal (we are $18,000 short) to avoid making up the shortfall with the plate collection plus what is effectively a 9% penalty.

Finally, and in a related matter, we are studying more options for receiving offertory and other contributions. The reason is simple: we are rapidly moving to a cashless society. Today, according to the Federal Reserve and Gallup polls, 60% of people “seldom” or “never” make purchases with cash, as opposed to only 32% five years ago. Many people seldom or never write personal checks anymore. More and more people rely on Venmo or PayPal to make purchases with Smart Phones. Others tap their credit cards on the terminals. I’ve even seen a few ads for men’s wallets that have no place for cash – only cards. We need to find more ways to accommodate you, our parishioners, in these matters, while showing our gratitude for your generous support in whatever way you wish to provide it.

Blessings,
Fr. Bill Donahue