We congratulate our 8th graders who will be having their graduation ceremony after the 4pm Mass this weekend. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to help educate these young men & women and to have passed on to them the treasures of our Catholic faith. Whatever success they find in their life after graduation can be credited, at least in part, to their teachers and to all who contribute to our parish school. We pray that God may bless their plans and endeavors, and hope that they will bless the world they will live and work in.
This weekend the Diocese asks us to have our second in-pew appeal for Catholic Charities. This will be done briefly, but it is intended for those who may not have been here when we had our first appeal back in February. What is also special about this appeal is the $100,000 Matching Challenge Grant which doubles the impact you can make with your contribution. Any new, increased or additional gifts received in the special in-pew envelopes or donated online at www.catholiccommunity.org/challenge will be MATCHED up to $100,000. So if you have not yet made a pledge (one time only or monthly), please consider doing so for the good of the many people who are helped through the work of Catholic Charities.
My thanks to the members of our Finance Council who met with me this week to review our financial status and to make recommendations as to how we can be good stewards of your generous contributions. We are especially grateful to those who have chosen to make their contributions online through our website (www.leothegreat.org/WeShare). We're glad that this has provided a convenient way for us to no longer have to use checks or cash or to remember to bring our envelopes each week. We also discussed our summer projects such as more parking lot repairs, more windows replaced in the rectory, the repair of the cracked arches on the church, and a new floor in the Parish Center. I am in the process of talking to a Facilities Manager from the Diocese who will assist me in the process of replacing our church & rectory boiler. And we are investing more of our savings so that we can continue to grow our capital improvement funds. Our maintenance crew is also set to begin our summer work of grass-cutting, mulching, cleaning the school and many, many more little projects that always need attention. Whether these people are part of the planners or part of the work involved in keeping our property clean and in good order, I am grateful for how much they contribute to the good stewardship of our finances and property.
Next Sunday, May 28th, we will continue to watch the video series from Bishop Robert Barron which we began during Lent. We will meet for about one hour beginning at 9am in the Parish Center. In this video, Bishop Barron explains the words, gestures and teachings of the Church's Eucharist. Don't miss it!