From the Pastor’s desk— September 29, 2024

      

Dear Parishioners,

Last week I wrote about the updates to the rectory. This week I’d like to follow up with a few additional comments. First, thank you to those who have encouraged me in the work on the rectory and offered help in various ways. Thank you also to those who expressed your concerns so we could talk about them. I’m happy to say that thanks to conversations spurred on by last week’s bulletin, we may be getting a lower cost on the HVAC system.

After this gratitude on the current project, I’d like to say a word about how this project came about and the approach we’ve taken to the work. Initially, the Bishop Rice thought the diocese would buy Villa Claret. Instead, He decided it would be better to invest in the current rectory. We agreed that the parishioners here have taken good care of the house, but after no active priest living there for 12 years, it needed more help than usual. Water damage, broken furniture and aging appliances all included. In the end, the bishop offered to hire a single contractor to manage the interior’s update – more than we could afford ourselves. On our side, I agreed with our finance council to take on the smaller individual parts where we would have more freedom to work within our skills and budget (hvac, windows, exterior paint, masonry, etc). The council believed that we could raise the money for the parish’s part, and we could find what we didn’t raise in the parish bank account. It was our hope that the project would be adopted by those who saw its value.

This leads to a word about financial transparency. I want to apologize if anyone was caught by surprise unhappily. I want to give you my commitment to being transparent with finances. That’s why I chose to be clear with dollars and details last week. This was an unusual situation of need at my arrival. Still, I consulted with the necessary people in the diocese and the parish on every decision along the way. I want you to know that your contributions to the church are appreciated and used well. Thank you for all your generosity toward this parish and the great love you have for your priests, me included.

     

   

           

 

             

  

Fr. Joseph