Pastor’s Desk ~ September 1, 2024

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

I’m happy to inform you that the re-gilding and re-painting of the facade of the main entrance of the church has been completed. Some time ago, Ruby Newman, the local craftswoman who has been with our interior and exterior church renewal projects for over 3 decades, said that this would be the last project she would complete outside of her studio. (Understandably, as there is a time in life when no one wants to climb on scaffolding a story high.) Applying gold leaf is a dying art, something I knew next to nothing until I saw Ruby at work. The gold leaf comes in little bound tablets, like gold Post-It notes. The pages are pressed with a special tool on the intended surface. The sheets are unbelievably thin, and a tablet of little sheets the size of a 3″x5″ index card were enough to complete the entire project. It is surprisingly economical due to the relatively small amounts gold used, and the fact that the sheets were bought years ago. If you haven’t already done so, take a long look at the main entrance of the church.

The second bit of good news is that the plaza fountain will be reactivated, ideally within the next couple of weeks. It was turned off some time ago due to repeated acts of mischief – i.e., putting detergent in the water and creating cascades of suds. That doesn’t sound like a big deal without knowing that the soap is considered an environmental hazard and cannot be hosed off into the gutter and down a storm drain. They must be shoveled by hand off of the plaza and sidewalks, then removed and treated. It’s like shoveling fog, and it takes hours. It was happening more and more often until I decided to turn off the fountain for awhile, with the intent of breaking the cycle long enough to send the merry pranksters off to practice their deviltry elsewhere. In the meantime, the drought came, and it seemed sensible to keep it off a bit longer. The waterworks will go on very soon, The underwater fountain lights will take a bit longer, but will be repaired as well.

Speaking of pranks, during one of the heatwaves a couple of weeks ago, I left the driver’s side window of my car open overnight. During that night, somebody drove by and threw a raw egg into my car, which had to be professionally cleaned and detailed. I’ve since learned that there are even worse pranksters. In Ireland, some gangs will drive down busy city streets, pull up alongside a car with an open window, and throw in a live rat.

On the more serious side, our parish finance committee has met during the summer. During that time, we have discovered that due largely to increased expenses, our parish is facing a large and growing budget deficit. A primary culprit is insurance. As you may have noticed in your household budgets, the cost of insurance of all kinds is rising significantly. Because of our large facilities, insurance is already high. Mike Marovich and I had a private meeting with the diocesan financial officer and made a successful argument for a reduced assessment.

Finally, I would like to make an appeal for the 2024-25 Annual Ministries Appeal. This annual appeal is almost entirely for lay ministries at the regional or diocesan levels, that parishes cannot normally afford on their own, such as support offices for diocesan services, insurance and risk management, Safe Environment enforcement, religious education, legal services, etc. These are provided almost entirely by lay people to the laity of the diocese. As you know, I hesitate to appeal for funds, but I am making an exception. Our AMA goal for 2024 is $51,400. (At $26,000, we’re half-way to our goal.) Any amount earned beyond the goal is refunded to the parish. Any amount by which we fall short of the goal will be billed to the parish, with a 9% markup. This is an especially important year to meet or exceed our goal.

I wish you all a restful and safe Labor Day Weekend.

Fr. Bill Donahue