Dear Community of Saint Joseph’s;

 

Thanks to your great generosity we are about to begin our pew project!

 

When you come to mass in the next few weeks you will notice a section of pews missing.  Each group of pews will be stripped of old varnish, refinished and refitted with new stain resistant seat padding. The padding will not only be more comfortable but will assist us in the acoustics of the building.   This project will take approximately four to six weeks in order to restore the entirety of our pews including the choir loft, Adoration Chapel and the freestanding pews in the back of the church.  

 

When we began getting bids from various vendors for this project, the company we choose gave us a bid of  $67,836.  We then began our pledge drive for the Annual Bishop’s Appeal and not only met our diocesan goal of $47,900 but also raised an additional $56,889 to refinish the pews.  After several negotiations the refinishing company adjusted their bid to $58,606. Because St. Joseph’s is still in the process of receiving monthly pledges, we are confident the remaining $1717 will be received.   Thanks to you and your support and care of Saint Joseph’s Church we were not only able to assist the Bishop in his ministries but also pay for the care of our church seating. 

 

So the only cloud in our horizon was the fact that our church roof has a leaking skylight.  This is never a good thing and always needs to be repaired as quickly as possible and certainly with great haste when our refinished pews are being installed. So after lengthy and complicated exploration with a variety of organizations and individuals we have hired a company to repair our skylights so that they are watertight. You may have noticed the lift outside the church as they rise up to the top of the church roof and inch-by-inch repair and clean the skylight windows.

 

Naturally this was not a part of our original budget and so I have decided to take the money from our parish Perlino Fund.  This fund was a financial gift given to Saint Joseph’s almost three years ago for education, outreach and support and maintenance of our church building.  I am grateful to Perlino family for giving us this gift that enables us to protect our church when needed. 

 

Once again my thanks for you continued support and generosity.  May God bless us as we gather at Saint Joseph’s to sing, to be transformed, to reach out and to change.  May we as a community always be willing to protect this beautiful and sacred place where we are changed into the image and likeness of God.

 

 

Father Matt Pennington

Pastor