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On this great Solemnity of Pentecost, I thought that I would start something
new for the Sunday Bulletin. My thought is to write an article called, “Remarks
from Father Rick”. In this article I would like to talk about something that is
going on in the parish and maybe offer more of an explanation to what is
happening in a specific ministry. While something may be clear in my mind, it
may not be in yours. And the reality is that sometimes the busy-ness of what we
“do” does not always give us a chance to really communicate what is going on in
the parish. So, I hope this article gives some clarity to communication.
Something I feel I need to address is the subject of the “Old Church”. As you
know (I hope), we are in the process of raising funds for a renovation project.
The final goal is to have the “Old Church” renovated into our Parish Center,
with the old worship space being a new banquet hall. Before I address the goal
of having a renovated space for a new Parish Center, I would like to explain
the re-roofing that is taking place.
You may have noticed that the “Old Church” has a new roof on it and that the
Rectory is being re-roofed also. This re-roofing is being paid for through
Catholic Mutual, our Diocesan insurance provider. If you remember, Branson
suffered a severe hailstorm a year ago. The damage to our buildings was not as
severe as other properties in our area and so we have waited for the necessary
repairs until now.
While the re-roofing was taking place on the “Old Church”, I requested that the
old steeple be removed. It is being saved and I am sure our Garden Ministry
would enjoy using it in some of their landscaping projects around the parish
grounds. I decided to have the steeple removed so that no confusion would exist
as to where the Church is located. A steeple denotes a “church building” and
our goal is to convert that space into a Parish Center. So, from now on, let us
become familiar with this new term, the Parish Center.
Next week, I want to address the Parish Council's desire in having a Parish
Center and what it will happen in this new space.
Much thanks for your time in pondering these remarks!
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