Dear Parishioners and Friends,
It is just one week from our celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Clare Gallery in the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry. We will be having a wonderful tour of the liturgical art in the church created by our own Steve Balkun right after the 4:00 Mass on Saturday, September 30th, followed by a concert provided by Gabe Löfvall and our Music Ministers in the Franciscan Center. There will also be the raffle drawing of original small works of art created by 22 artists from over the past 20 years. I hope you will join us for this wonderful opportunity to celebrate our community’s artistic legacy.
I would like to bring you up to date on our parish’s financial picture. We have been trying very hard to lower our operating expenses while increasing our operating income. This has been a slow process, but I hope that over time it will yield more positive results. Still, we continue to run annual budget deficits, and the special second collections for heating, air conditioning and other needs were instituted to help fill the gap. For all the financial numbers, please review them here.
Thus, we decided to hold a raffle drawing for dinner and two tickets to the Andrea Bocelli concert at the XL Center on December 9th. Tickets will go on sale starting October 1st and the drawing will be held on Sunday, November 12th. Tickets will be $10 each, and you will be able to purchase them at the door of the church on weekends, in the parish office, or online. I know that many of you are fans of Mr. Bocelli, so I hope you will either purchase on your own or take tickets to sell to your friends and neighbors! It’s all for a good cause – keeping St. Patrick-St. Anthony Parish alive and well!
Blessings on your week ahead!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.Pastor
