St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal

Building Faith Hand in Hand

 

 

Construction Update

Many things have been happening in the church construction since our last written update. We are happy to announce that the long awaited replacement tiles for the roof have arrived and are being installed this week. The sidewalks and parking lots have been poured and the big fences surrounding the site are down to make way for landscaping which will begin later this month. On May 21^st between 11am and 1pm, the cross which was blessed in March will be placed atop the bell tower and a beautiful statue of St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal will be installed behind the sign wall facing 9^th Avenue. The upper stained glass windows have been installed depicting the sun rising in the east, the moon and stars in the west, St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal to the south and a Celtic cross to the north. If you drive by in the evenings you can see the windows illuminated by interior work lights. Inside, tile has been laid in the restrooms and painting of the interior walls and installation of wood trim is well underway. Bases for the shrines of St. Catherine Labouré and San Juan Diego are being constructed and overhead lights are appearing. Each day brings new things and the building is definitely beginning to take on a special presence. If you are walking near the site, please be careful to stay away from the construction areas. Don’t be alarmed if you hear the air conditioners running either – they are keeping the interior at the proper humidity and temperature for the installations going on during the days.

 

Book of Memories and Tree of Life

All who give to the campaign will be remembered in our Book of Memories and those with gifts $5,000 and above on leaves of our Tree of Life. We will soon be forwarding names to the publisher for the Book of Memories. In the next few weeks, we will again publish the list of names to verify for spelling. Please review the list and let us know if you find an error or have given and do not see your name. It is not too late to give and be included in the first run of pages for the book. Tree of Life participants will be contacted via mail to confirm wording for their leaf.

 

 

Donations needed for Landscaping

We are blessed to have a landscape architect offering his talents to guide us in beautifying the property around the new church. To keep our costs as low as possible, we are looking for donations of palms that can be transplanted from the area as an alternative to purchasing. If you have palm trees in your yard or business you would like to donate, please contact the parish office at 948-8448 and we arrange for a member of the landscape team to come by and assess the plants to see if they are the proper variety and size for our needs.

Capital Campaign

I have taken opportunity the past few weekends to update you on the financial status of our Equal Sacrifice building campaign. Although our pledges now exceed $5,000,000 with over $4,500,000 paid to date, I encourage those who have not completed their pledges to do so as soon as possible. To date we have been able to make all of our monthly payments to the contractor and various vendors without borrowing any money against our approved loan from the Archdiocese. In these final months, bills will be much larger and we hope to continue our good stewardship in the same manner. If you find you need to adjust your payment schedule or feel you cannot fulfill your obligation, please contact me to discuss.

 

Equal Sacrifice Bracelets are still available! If you have given but not received your blue bracelet, or maybe misplaced yours, please stop by the office and pick one up. And please - Remember to wear your bracelet at Mass!

 

Matching Fund Reminder

As a reminder, in 2008, a matching challenge was issued up for all new pledges and pledge increases paid up to $1,000,000. There is still time to participate in this match and double your intention! Forms for pledges are found at the entrance of the Church. Please complete and return to the parish office as soon as possible. A reminder that the funds are only matched as paid, so the sooner you fulfill your increased pledge, the sooner we receive the match funds!

 

 

Stewardship

As stewards, we are called to return with an increase the gifts of time, talent and treasure given to us by God. This obligation is not to be the burden of a few, but equally shared in sacrifice by all members of the community. We are truly blessed that more than 900 families have responded with pledges and gifts to the Building Fund thus far, but we still have a way to go to achieve our goal of 100% participation from our registered families. It is never to late to make your commitment. If you have not taken the opportunity to make a contribution or pledge to the campaign, I ask you to prayerfully do so now. In these final months, expenses will begin to deplete our fund and new pledges and contributions are critical to the success of our effort as a parish community. Every gift or pledge makes a difference, no matter the amount.

Building Fund Can Bank return boxes are in the entrance to the Church. Please remember to return your can as soon as possible when it is filled. Here is where we are so far:

 

Cans distributed: 700 Cans returned: 187

 

Amount received:    $5,095.21!

We have more empty cans available in the Church and at the parish office. We will continue to count and post them to your account as they are returned. Congratulations to all who accepted our Lenten challenge and let’s keep it going!

 

Peace and Blessings,