Lent 2005 Newsletter

THE NEW PASTOR

    Some have asked me about the process that the Archdiocese uses to pick new pastors, so I will briefly try to explain the best I can.

    First let me say that I am leaving the parish because my two terms are up, not because I choose to. Typically pastors are assigned for a six-year term, after an evaluation done by parish leadership he may stay an additional six-year term, which I did. Then he must be transferred to another parish. The only exception to this is if he is over the age of 65, the he may remain until he is 70. So in any given year there are several pastors up for reassignment.

    Several months before assignments are made by the Archbishop, the director of the personnel board, Deacon Brian Karley, will meet with the parish leadership staff and the parish council. He will inquire as to the life of the parish, what it's strengths and growth areas are and make a two page "thumbnail sketch". This will be distributed to the priests of the Archdiocese to see if anyone is interested in coming to the parish. They will then make a formal application stating why they want to go to a certain parish, how they see their gifts fitting into the needs of a community.

    The priest personnel board will then meet and consider the several parishes that are open and those who applied for them to make the best fit possible for all concerned. They will make recommendations to the Archbishop who has the final say, and who has been kept apprised all along the process. Sometimes the board will identify a certain priest and go directly to him and ask him to consider going to a certain parish (as happened to me when I came here).

    There is one other thing to consider about this process. There was a time when there were enough priests for all the parishes, that is no longer the case. As you well know by now there are not near enough priests for each parish to have its own pastor, so there are many parishes sharing pastors and there are deacons and other lay people assigned to parishes as Pastoral Administrators with priests visiting several parishes for the sacraments over the course of a week.

    The Archdiocese finds itself in very difficult circumstances this year. We have had several pastors fall ill, die, or leave the active ministry. Therefore even the projections made in the recent past are not holding true. There are some areas of the diocese experiencing a crisis that will not be easily addressed in the short term. So please pray for the personnel board and the difficult work they do over the next few months. In parish council meetings we regularly pray for the new pastor who will be assigned here. Pray and believe that God will send the right person here to lead this parish into the future (I am sure of it!).

    The process takes as long as it takes eand I always remind people that it is like getting marbles into holes, sometimes there is some last minute rolling around.

    The assignments are generally made public in late spring and the moves take place on Wednesday, June 22, 2005.

    Change is inevitable. God is always faithful!

~ Fr. Joe

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CAPITAL CAMPAIGN PROGRESS

    St. Francis of Assisi officially kicked off the "If Walls Could Talk" Capital Campaign at the parish Christmas wine and cheese event on December 11^th. The goal of the campaign is $ 2,000,000 and all funds raised will go toward a variety of maintenance and upgrade projects throughout the parish.

    You have given generously already, so the parish has been able to begin some of the essential projects. During a previous inspection, it was determined that the brick around the SFA campus required substantial tuck-pointing. (Brick can develop voids, cracks, crumbling mortar, or uneven areas of mortar from settling or foundation problems. Separations between brick and mortar can allow air and water to leak through gaps in the wall. Repairing cracked mortar is called tuck-pointing.)Tuck-pointing has begun and while you may not notice this improvement, but it is certainly one of the most important maintenance needs of the buildings.

    Replacement windows also are a vital need for St. Francis. Installation of the replacement windows through out the parish began on December 20^th. Again a detail you might not notice, but one that will exponentially increase energy efficiency and lower our monthly heating and cooling bills.

    There are some projects, however, you have probably noticed or will begin noticing very soon. The St. Francis of Assisi school looks magnificent with its freshly painted walls and new school entrance steps. The new carpeting in the parish hall brightened up the hallway and new signage on the campus will help the parish be more welcoming to its visitors.

    Other projects will be completed as funds from the campaign are collected. To date, $ 650,000 has been raised. Please remember to complete your pledge card and give as generously as you can to ensure the vitality of our parish. As always, please feel free to contact the parish office if you have any questions about the Capital Campaign.

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GIFTS

    The 12 Days of Christmas 2004 Price List published by various newspapers around the country was noteworthy. The cost to give a loved one all the items during the 12 days of Christmas reached $ 66,334, up 1.6% over last year. In 2003, the increase was 19%. Purchasing each item only once would cost $ 17,297. The most expensive items have to do with skilled labor - ladies dancing, lords-a-leaping, drummers drumming with turtle doves and French hens being a little more affordable.

    It is not so difficult to relate the items in the song to more practical things  - lords-a-leaping being Fr. Joe or any of the parish staff answering a call of someone in need, drummers drumming being the music in church or music performed by our school children, ladies dancing being teachers on their way to class to inspire young minds. There are also of course, the things that never really make it into songs  -  boilers, utility bills, roof repairs, etc.

    Our community continues to be strong and a vital part of the Highlands. The challenges we face as a community are no different than the ones our families face in everyday life.

    As the new year begins, let us remember to give from the heart in thanks for all we have been given, giving is better than recieving and stewardship is more than just money.

    ~ Kathy Ridge
Administration Committee

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Holy Week Schedule 2004

Passion (Palm) Sunday

Sunday, March 20^th

Regular Sunday Mass schedule

Procession from courtyard at 11:30 Mass

Chrism Mass

Tuesday, March 22^nd, 7:00 P.M

The Cathedral of the Assumption

Holy Thursday

Thursday, March 24^th

Celebration of the Lord's Supper and Washing of the Feet, 7:00 P.M.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 10:00 P.M.

Good Friday

Friday, March 25^th

Stations of the Cross, 1:00 P.M.
Veneration of the Cross and Passion Reading, 7:00 P.M.
Tenebrae, 10:00 P.M.

Easter Vigil

Saturday, March 26^th, 8:30 P.M.
Beginning in the courtyard

Easter Sunday

Sunday, March 27^th
Regular Mass schedule

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