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• of mind and heart

  My Dear People,
       The heart of parish life is the spiritual care of our parish family members.  But there are the temporal issues of a parish which include the buildings and grounds of the parish.  There are some important property issues of our parishes to report to you.
       Christ the Good Shepherd:  After various interest in the St. Andrew’s Church property, several serious offers are now on the table.  A purchase agreement has been signed and we are proceeding to get the Church and school buildings ready for sale.  In particular, this entails removal of the stained-glass windows and the Stations of the Cross.  Any sale of Church property calls for the removal of any items of Catholic significance.  This is done so that these items never end up in a place of profane use.  The potential of the property being sold for Christian use would allow for art of Christian significance to remain.  We are still working out these details. The removal of the items that we know must be removed will begin within a few weeks.  We proceed cautiously, but hopeful that this sale will go through in a timely manner.
       St. John Paul II:  Our parish has received a serious offer on the sale of the St. John the Baptist Church Rectory.  Up until a couple months ago we were renting this property out.  If all continues to go well, we should have the sale of this property finalized within the next few weeks. 
       The Church Renovation Project continues to proceed forward with plans to have the two bathrooms done this fall.  As the Renovation Committee works to finalize the overall plan for updating the Worship area of our Church, our architect has called for us to take an overall look at the roof and parking lots as part of a master plan.  This has proved timely as three times over the past six weeks we have had wind/rain storms where rainwater has come into the Church in numerous places from the front to the back of the Church.  Buckets had to be placed in numerous places and in other places the water just ran down the walls. We are now in the process of having a feasibility study to re-roof the Church.  The study will reveal the various problematic areas and propose solutions.  We will then evaluate the solutions and proceed with addressing our roofing issues, including having the Church re-roofed.  A good roof is of primary importance before proceeding in renovating the Worship area of our Church.
       Both Parishes:  Various sidewalk and entrance areas of our Churches and parish buildings have been and will continue to be worked on over the next several weeks.  The goal is to address any safety and accessible issues of our sidewalks and entrances.  We are in the process of finalizing bids to address these issues.  Secondly, we are finalizing bids for the removal of overgrown trees and shrubs on both Church properties.  We will probably not get the properties re-landscaped this fall, but we will get the properties ready for re-landscaping next spring.        
      Finally, and most importantly, I express sincere gratitude to you for your continued financial support of our parishes which allows us to accomplish these projects.  Special thanks to the various parishioners who volunteer and give of their time and talents to care for our properties and people on leadership committees who assist in making these decisions and getting this work done.  Thank you to Hank Messing who steadily works to accomplish these projects.  I pray that God bless each and every one of you for the blessings you bring to our Parishes.
                                                                                Fr. Bill
  
  MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE UPCOMING ANOINTING OF THE SICK MASSES.
  There will be two weekday Masses in September with the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.  The two dates and locations are as follows:
  Wednesday, September 22, 1:00 p.m. at St. John Paul II Parish.
  Thursday, September 30, 1:00 p.m. at Christ the Good Shepherd Parish.
  Fr. Raj and Fr. Bill will be at each of these Masses to pray, anoint, and bless anyone who is in need of healing of mind, body, and soul.  People will be seated every other pew and people will stay in their pews, where they will receive the Anointing and Communion.  Everyone in need of healing, be it mind or body, mental, emotional, or spiritual, is encouraged to come.  Everyone is invited to attend and to unite in prayer for all who are in need of healing.  So mark your calendars and plan to be there.
  
  CHRIST MISSION APPEAL 2020-2021 IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE.  Here is a final report:
  St. John Paul II Parish received $35,993 in cash & pledges towards its goal of $40,929. This results in a deficit of $4,936.  Our parish will pay off the remining balance over the next three months out of our Sunday and Holy Day Collections. 
  Christ the Good Shepherd Parish received $61,240.91 in cash & pledges towards its goal of $58,191. This results in a surplus of $3,049.91.  Once all of the pledges are paid, our parish will receive this surplus.  We will use it for the various property projects underway.
  Above all, “thank you” to everyone who donated to the Christ Mission Appeal.  So much good work happens for our parish and across the Diocese through your generosity.  God bless you!
  Planning ahead…Christ Mission Appeal 2021-2022 will begin in October.