Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,
As some of you may be returning from summer vacations, I thought it would be helpful to give a general update on what’s happening at the parish. People sometimes ask me if things are slow during the summer at St. Martin’s. Only if you focus on the hours between 11pm-5am are things slow here at any time of the year.
As far as our parish plant:
Thank you for your generosity in our second collection this past weekend for the repair of one of our church’s A/C units! It may cost us up to $18,000 for a new compressor, so I continue to ask for your assistance in raising that money.
At the school, we have also ordered a new chiller for our air conditioning system, which costs us $90,000.
We prioritize the safety of our children and staff in the school building, and so we are planning a major redesign of the school lobby, which will greatly enhance the security around the main entrance of the school. Although we don’t have a hard and fast timeline on the construction project, it will be completed in the course of the next year.
I have invited some structural engineers to look at the Fr. Meyer House so we can determine if it is possible to restore it, and if so, if it is financially feasible to do so.
I’m excited to soon install a new mural of the Holy Spirit at the top of the wall over the main arch of the church. It will be a beautiful reminder of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our midst while we celebrate of the sacraments.
New radiator covers are being installed next week over the old radiators in the parish hall. The last project to embark on in the parish is the parish hall kitchen, which I hope to revamp in some fashion this year.
I’m pleased that for the first time since I have been at the parish, we will run a parish Ministry Fair in the Fall. On Sunday, October 23, I invite you to prayerfully discern how God is calling you to more actively participate in the life of our parish. As other parishes are also experiencing, the pandemic has left many areas of parish life in need of revamping and strengthening. We are asking all of our ministries to promote and recruit new members during our Ministry Fair. More information on the Ministry Fair will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.
I look forward to our St. Martin’s School faculty and children soon returning to the campus. We also have religious education registration for all children between 1st and 8th grade at the main office between 10:00am and 4:30pm from Monday through Friday. Registration for religious education classes closes on September 13.
Of course, there is much more to report, but that can wait for another week. Enjoy the remaining weeks of summer!
In Christ,
Fr. Dave