Friday, September 25, 2009
Another Remodel Update
There is some good news and bad news. The flooring in the dining room and kitchen are well under way, and the master bathroom is 90% done. That's the good news. The bad news is that the funds donated for the project are almost all spent. That means everything will come to a halt until more donations come in. If you would like to tour the parish house to see what is needed, just let me know. The parish, in general is struggling as are many parishes. So, I do not want anyone to move their general donations from the parish to this project. Intead, if you wish to help with the parish house renovation, please consider it over and above your commitment to the church.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
"Remodel Update"
Dear Parishioners,
If you have driven, walked, jogged, or buzzed by the parish house, you will have noticed a whole lot of activity going on. Finally after two months of inactivity, the project has begun and much has been accomplished. All of this activity has been made possible through your generous donations.
Thus far the master shower, sink, and counter have been resurfaced and new hardware, plumbing, and electrical installed or upgraded. Most all of the carpet and other flooring has been removed. The washing machine and dryer are now in the appropriate location: the utility room instead of a closet in the center of the house. One fireplace has been removed (there were two). The electrical plugs throughout the house have been upgraded to three-prong outlets and GFCI’s (think safety plugs) in
stalled in the bathrooms. Some lighting has been replaced or added. The cinder block walls have been sheet-rocked. Eventually these surfaces will need to be textured and painted.
The kitchen is next (seen at right). At this point, I am cooking out of my little trailer, because the entire kitchen has been pulled apart for the remodel. It’s like camping! Gracie, my dog, and I each have one chair upon which we can sit without getting carpenter’s dust all over us. Black is a precarious color to wear in this environment as you can imagine. At this time, the countertops are being raised to the standard height, reconfigured and resurfaced, the hood over the range will be vented correctly, the plumbing will be upgraded, and the cabinets will be reconditioned. Once this has been done, the duct work throughout the house will need to be cleaned and the floors resurfaced.
It has been wonderful to see the house brought up to new standards. Parishioners with particular business/construction expertise have been involved. Other things that need to be seriously looked at include the replacing, reconditioning, and or reconfiguring the furnace and upgrading the windows to increase energy efficiency (these will pay for themselves in
short order).
As you know, this all takes money, and your wonderful donations have been very encouraging to me. Amidst all this, the parish has been struggling financially. So it is important that you know that this project has been paid for exclusively outside of our normal operating budget and is independent of your weekly donations for the ongoing ministries of the parish. As we start to look towards the end of this project, we estimate that we will run short of funds to complete it. It has been a “pay as you go” type of project. No funds have been or will be diverted from the normal operating expenses to complete it. Instead, I look to you to consider helping, once again, to bring closure to this remodel. Any donations you wish to make should be done independently of your normal stewardship to the parish. Please consider coming to the parish office to make a donation to the “rectory remodel.”
Again, thank you for all your support and prayers.
Sincerely,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor
If you have driven, walked, jogged, or buzzed by the parish house, you will have noticed a whole lot of activity going on. Finally after two months of inactivity, the project has begun and much has been accomplished. All of this activity has been made possible through your generous donations.
Thus far the master shower, sink, and counter have been resurfaced and new hardware, plumbing, and electrical installed or upgraded. Most all of the carpet and other flooring has been removed. The washing machine and dryer are now in the appropriate location: the utility room instead of a closet in the center of the house. One fireplace has been removed (there were two). The electrical plugs throughout the house have been upgraded to three-prong outlets and GFCI’s (think safety plugs) in
stalled in the bathrooms. Some lighting has been replaced or added. The cinder block walls have been sheet-rocked. Eventually these surfaces will need to be textured and painted.The kitchen is next (seen at right). At this point, I am cooking out of my little trailer, because the entire kitchen has been pulled apart for the remodel. It’s like camping! Gracie, my dog, and I each have one chair upon which we can sit without getting carpenter’s dust all over us. Black is a precarious color to wear in this environment as you can imagine. At this time, the countertops are being raised to the standard height, reconfigured and resurfaced, the hood over the range will be vented correctly, the plumbing will be upgraded, and the cabinets will be reconditioned. Once this has been done, the duct work throughout the house will need to be cleaned and the floors resurfaced.
It has been wonderful to see the house brought up to new standards. Parishioners with particular business/construction expertise have been involved. Other things that need to be seriously looked at include the replacing, reconditioning, and or reconfiguring the furnace and upgrading the windows to increase energy efficiency (these will pay for themselves in
short order).As you know, this all takes money, and your wonderful donations have been very encouraging to me. Amidst all this, the parish has been struggling financially. So it is important that you know that this project has been paid for exclusively outside of our normal operating budget and is independent of your weekly donations for the ongoing ministries of the parish. As we start to look towards the end of this project, we estimate that we will run short of funds to complete it. It has been a “pay as you go” type of project. No funds have been or will be diverted from the normal operating expenses to complete it. Instead, I look to you to consider helping, once again, to bring closure to this remodel. Any donations you wish to make should be done independently of your normal stewardship to the parish. Please consider coming to the parish office to make a donation to the “rectory remodel.”
Again, thank you for all your support and prayers.
Sincerely,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor
Sunday, September 13, 2009
You Showed Us How Precious Life Is
Dear Parishioners,
School has come at last, and with it the hustling and bustling of school and the start up of all our other varied ministries here at St. Anne’s. In addition, this past Tuesday, we said goodbye to one of our precious alumni, Amanda Reyes, whose funeral we celebrated. She is a reminder to all of us of the incredible preciousness that God brings to us and how delicate life is. I was proud to be able to participate in the Mass and thankful that Msgr. Moys was able to preside. The celebration was an amazing outpouring of love by the whole community. These are the moments that remind me of what we are all about.
We all know how precious life is, yet we get so distracted by the details of our own lives. Amanda’s death, while very tragic, has once again reminded me to pay attention to the people we love in our lives. She has reminded me that our young people are capable of so many wonderful things. Even though she had long since moved on from our school, she would frequent our halls and offer her assistance to the children, many of whom she may not have even known.
Our teens are among the most vulnerable people in our community. Adolescence is a time of questioning, discovery, trial, success, and failure. With each challenge, our young people are being shaped. What kind of teens do you want to help shape? Amanda become the young lady that she was through her faith and the example of the special people in her lives. You can honor the legacy of Amanda by recognizing the young people in your midst, offering them help, and praising them whenever possible. Your faith-filled love for them is exactly what they need. Thank you, Amanda, for the gift of yourself and the example you set for us all. Short was your time here on Earth. But great was the love you showed us all. May the Saints and Angels come to meet you in heaven. May they take you to the throne of our Lord. May you see our God face to face and know the joy of the Kingdom forever. Goodbye Amanda. You are loved!
Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor
School has come at last, and with it the hustling and bustling of school and the start up of all our other varied ministries here at St. Anne’s. In addition, this past Tuesday, we said goodbye to one of our precious alumni, Amanda Reyes, whose funeral we celebrated. She is a reminder to all of us of the incredible preciousness that God brings to us and how delicate life is. I was proud to be able to participate in the Mass and thankful that Msgr. Moys was able to preside. The celebration was an amazing outpouring of love by the whole community. These are the moments that remind me of what we are all about.
We all know how precious life is, yet we get so distracted by the details of our own lives. Amanda’s death, while very tragic, has once again reminded me to pay attention to the people we love in our lives. She has reminded me that our young people are capable of so many wonderful things. Even though she had long since moved on from our school, she would frequent our halls and offer her assistance to the children, many of whom she may not have even known.
Our teens are among the most vulnerable people in our community. Adolescence is a time of questioning, discovery, trial, success, and failure. With each challenge, our young people are being shaped. What kind of teens do you want to help shape? Amanda become the young lady that she was through her faith and the example of the special people in her lives. You can honor the legacy of Amanda by recognizing the young people in your midst, offering them help, and praising them whenever possible. Your faith-filled love for them is exactly what they need. Thank you, Amanda, for the gift of yourself and the example you set for us all. Short was your time here on Earth. But great was the love you showed us all. May the Saints and Angels come to meet you in heaven. May they take you to the throne of our Lord. May you see our God face to face and know the joy of the Kingdom forever. Goodbye Amanda. You are loved!
Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
"Communicate. Communicate. Communicate."
Dear Parishioners,
For many, the summer has ended as school has begun. That means our ministries are also in the process of beginning as well. In the course of my Listening Sessions, people have made it clear that they wish for more communication in order to know what is going on in the various ministries and how to get involved. There are many ways we will be trying to meet that desire.
First way we will try to increase our communication is the weekly bulletin. Starting last week and going forward, it has doubled in size in order allow for more information about more ministries to be published. Secondly, our parish has a Facebook and Twitter page whereby people with computers can get the latest information and have conversations about their lives and faith. Also, I have been working up a draft for a new version of our web page where these tools and others can be easily reached. All staff now have a consistent e-mail address which should make it easier to contact any of us. Our e-mail addresses now begin with the first letter of our first name followed by their full last name and end with our church internet name. For example, my new e-mail is wholtzinger@stannechurch.com. The only exception to that rule is our office where the address is office@stannechurch.com. We will eventually put all this information on the cover of our bulletin.
In the coming weeks, I will offer a summary in the bulletin about the common themes I heard in the Listening Sessions. I will also be meeting with the Pastoral Council to reflect on these themes and how they resonate with our Parish Mission Statement and Pastoral Plan making changes if needed. Overall, the Listening Sessions were very positive and reflected an amazing amount of love, dedication, and participation on the part of parishioners in the varied ministries of the parish.
I look forward to the days ahead, and again ask your patience if somethings take a while to implement. Any changes can cause stress. I ask that you continually send to prayer the activities of our parish and especially the staff who are central to so many of these ministries. We may not always agree about how to accomplish something, but with greater communication, we will more likely be able to more fully understand our differences as well as commonalities. I pledge to do my best to communicate as much as possible with charity. I ask you to do the same.
Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor
For many, the summer has ended as school has begun. That means our ministries are also in the process of beginning as well. In the course of my Listening Sessions, people have made it clear that they wish for more communication in order to know what is going on in the various ministries and how to get involved. There are many ways we will be trying to meet that desire.
First way we will try to increase our communication is the weekly bulletin. Starting last week and going forward, it has doubled in size in order allow for more information about more ministries to be published. Secondly, our parish has a Facebook and Twitter page whereby people with computers can get the latest information and have conversations about their lives and faith. Also, I have been working up a draft for a new version of our web page where these tools and others can be easily reached. All staff now have a consistent e-mail address which should make it easier to contact any of us. Our e-mail addresses now begin with the first letter of our first name followed by their full last name and end with our church internet name. For example, my new e-mail is wholtzinger@stannechurch.com. The only exception to that rule is our office where the address is office@stannechurch.com. We will eventually put all this information on the cover of our bulletin.
In the coming weeks, I will offer a summary in the bulletin about the common themes I heard in the Listening Sessions. I will also be meeting with the Pastoral Council to reflect on these themes and how they resonate with our Parish Mission Statement and Pastoral Plan making changes if needed. Overall, the Listening Sessions were very positive and reflected an amazing amount of love, dedication, and participation on the part of parishioners in the varied ministries of the parish.
I look forward to the days ahead, and again ask your patience if somethings take a while to implement. Any changes can cause stress. I ask that you continually send to prayer the activities of our parish and especially the staff who are central to so many of these ministries. We may not always agree about how to accomplish something, but with greater communication, we will more likely be able to more fully understand our differences as well as commonalities. I pledge to do my best to communicate as much as possible with charity. I ask you to do the same.
Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor
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