Welcome, Saint John the Apostle
Dear Parishioners of St. John the Apostle Parish,
I am happy to take this time to write you with both gratitude and a plea for your participation in parish life with time, talent and treasure. Hopefully, with the recent publication of our Annual Parish Report, you have been able to see that financially we are doing well. We are able to pay the bills. Our buildings are in good shape and in no need of capital improvements. Your participation has also helped us routinely reach the target for our Diocesan Annual Appeal. We try to keep our expenses reasonable and our staff is good at stretching the dollar.
Still, the faithful stewardship of God’s gifts to us requires a periodic assessment, both personal and communal. So the question presents itself: How are we doing with our call to holiness, our Catholic mission and our responsibility to evangelize?
Under this scrutiny, there is a need for our three parishes to grow in outreach and services for an increase of faith and Catholic practices. We are not immune to the influences around us. The practice of the Catholic faith suffers under the pressure of the secular world. National and local Mass attendance is on the decline. Catholic Identity and the sense of belonging to the Church is in need of strengthening. Volunteerism and leadership among the faithful is becoming more difficult to pass on to the younger generations. The ability to defend our Catholic beliefs and actions needs to grow in an environment where even words like “love” and “hate” are misunderstood and misused all around us.
With the combined efforts of three parishes, we should be able to accomplish great things. I am asking all parishioners to please take the time to read our message and to embrace our vision for the future of our parish. Please take a moment to reflect as a family on how you can assist us in achieving our vision. I welcome your responses of generosity and prayers!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Woodrow Pace
