This postcard was mailed to all registered households on July 21, 2023.

If you did not receive one, please call the parish office at 323-6272 x1 to update your mailing address.
Additional copies can be found in the gathering space of the church.

This postcard was mailed to all registered households at the beginning of July.

If you did not receive one, please call the parish office at 323-6272 x1 to update your mailing address.
Additional copies can be found in the gathering space of the church.

This information was shared by Fr. David in the June 11, 2023 edition of the bulletin.

Dear Parishioners,

Since my arrival at St. Francis, I have been working closely with the finance committee to assess the financial needs of the parish and implement changes that are in the best interest of the parish, and which will continue to move us forward with our goal of a parish center.

I have recognized for years, not just here at St. Francis but in previous parishes, that I could greatly benefit from the support of a business/operations manager. Parishes throughout the country have recognized these benefits and have gone in this direction. Having a business/operations manager, who directly reports to me, overseeing the day-to-day business operations will greatly assist me in fulfilling my responsibilities as Pastor of the parish. This will enable me to both guide and direct your spiritual health and wellbeing, as well as attending to the growth of our community as we look to build a parish center.

With this goal in mind, I asked the finance committee to prepare two budgets for the fiscal year 2023-2024. One budget was prepared with the same line items as last year. The other budget included the following changes: the addition of a part-time business/operations manager, a full-time director of religious education, and transitioning to a part-time maintenance person with the out-sourcing of lawn care.

Review of these two budgets made it clear that these desired changes in positions are feasible, will decrease our expenses, and enable me to better care for our parish. I am therefore implementing these changes effective June 30.

Due to this restructuring, the facilities manager’s position is being eliminated. I want to thank Tom Curto, III for the support he provided to get us to this next phase in the life of the parish. I’m sure you will join me in wishing him the best in his next endeavor.

At this time, I also want to acknowledge and thank Tom Curto, Jr. for his many years of dedication and loyal service to the parish. I am very grateful for his love and commitment.

I am blessed to be your Pastor and to have so many individuals who so generously give of their time and talent.

In God’s great love,

Fr. David

This invitation was recently mailed to all of our members. Please share it with family and friends.

This update was recently mailed to all of our members.

Here is the letter recently sent to all registered members of the parish from the finance committee.

Click here for the November 2022 Financial letter and report

Fr. David shared the following information at all the Masses the weekend of September 10 & 11.

Survey Results & Next Steps

I’d like to take a few minutes to review the results of the Social Center Survey and talk about our next steps.

• 96% of the survey respondents said they would like to move forward with a new Social Center.
• The biggest concern shared by everyone is the cost and the affordability.
• A great deal of ideas and information was provided which will help direct the Building Committee as they begin the process of developing a plan for a new Social Center that will serve our current parish needs and, in the years to come.

This is great news and provides us with a goal to work towards as a community. It also means that there are steps we can take now to make our new Social Center a reality.

1. As in all things, we must ask God to be at the center of this project, for through Him all things are possible.

• I would ask each of us to pray the following prayer daily.

Heavenly Father, You are the Architect and Creator of all things Holy,
hear our prayers for our new Social Center.
Send forth Your Spirit that we may humbly be guided by Your Divine Will.
Touch our hearts with true generosity to raise up a space
for our community to encounter You outside of Mass,
to provide opportunities to walk with each other in faith,
and to draw others into relationship with You.
We ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen

2. A strong fiscal foundation for this project is very important.

• The Finance Committee is currently working to re-assess our parish budget to get our fiscal house in order. This past year, we incurred many large and unexpected expenses which included: roof repairs, a boiler replacement, and some major air conditioning expenses, just to name a few. As a result, we are operating with a deficit.
• In the next few weeks, they will be sharing what we need to do as a community to get our finances on track for the year ahead and to position us to support a new Social Center.

3. A vision for the new Social Center can be researched and developed.

• In the next month or so, I will be establishing a Building Committee from the long list of people who expressed an interest in being part of this process.
• This group will then begin the process of assessing the needs of the various parish groups and ministries.
• Equally important will be consulting people who possess knowledge and skills that will give insight to the needs and requirements of specific spaces.
• This group will also be tasked with envisioning the future needs of the parish, so that the new Social Center will enable us to grow.

4. We can begin funding this project.

• Based on the incredible effort put forth by the community at our recent Tag Sale, I am encouraged that we can do great things when we work together for a common goal.
• In the next month or so, I will be establishing a Fundraising Committee from the list of people who expressed an interest in being part of this process.
• I will encourage them to get creative and consider a variety of ideas to help us reach our still-to-be-determined financial goal.
• And I would once again remind you of how important it is to continue making monthly contributions to our Building Fund. Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us closer to making the new Social Center a reality.

As a parish, we have much work ahead of us to reach the desired goal of building a new Social Center that will better serve the needs of our community. I am encouraged by the survey responses, and I believe that together we can do this.  

____________

Dear Parishioners and Friends -

In my last communication, I asked you to prayerfully consider the current needs of our parish, think about the activities that are on hold due to space constraints, imagine the possibilities for our community going forward and to please continue your monthly giving to our building fund.

These considerations are crucial, as we look to move forward to making our new social center a reality. With this in mind, several Focus Group Sessions will be held to explore the possibilities.

Focus Group Sessions will be held in the Church.

Wednesday, July 20 - 5:30 PM

Sunday, July 24 - Following the 8 AM Mass

Sunday, July 24 - Following the 10:30 AM Mass

Each session will last about an hour and will be facilitated to maximize everyone’s time and the sharing of information and ideas.

I hope you will make time to attend one of these sessions. Your input is needed in determining what this new structure will include and if we have the financial support to move forward with this next phase of building up our parish community.

As I shared before, this is so much bigger than just building a new social center. This is about creating space to encounter Christ outside of Mass, providing opportunities to walk with each other in faith, and draw others into relationship with Our Lord.

This is a great adventure and I hope you desire to be part of it.

In God’s great love -
Fr. David