Aug 11, 2022

Greetings,

When next you need to contact the rectory, it may seem different. Jennifer Jones, who has been at the front desk for the past eighteen and a half years will be leaving. For many years, it was most likely her voice you first heard on the phone or her face that greeted you at the front door. She is also one of the few persons on the parish staff that was here from before my tenure as pastor. It certainly will be a change in the feel of the parish!

I would like to publicly thank Jennifer for all of her efforts on behalf of St. Sebastian Parish over the years and also to wish her blessings in the future. Please offer a prayer for her as she decides what adventures she will be tackling next. God bless you, Jennifer.

IN OTHER NEWS:

PROJECTS:  I neglected to tell you a couple of updates around the parish in last week’s bulletin. There is an underground room connected to the school in the courtyard beneath the concrete walkway. It largely contains equipment for the running of the school. A leak had developed in the ceiling and no amount of patching seemed to do the trick. Fortunately, someone finally came up with an idea that seems to be working! So, workers have been in the courtyard working away.

The air conditioning at the rectory went kaput! It was so antiquated that the repairman informed us that it was illegal to repair it! There were two separate systems and they went down within weeks of each other after long outlasting their expected lifetime. Fortunately, that has been rectified.

Also, more security lockdown mechanisms have been added to the remaining school doors. This week should have seen new concrete being poured at the entrance to Byrider Hall. I also just approved funds for new windows on the south side of Byrider which we hope will be installed soon and at the quoted bid, since most recently the price of glass has shot up 40%!

All this can be done because your generosity. Thank you to everyone who donates to the parish in any way. I know you have many demands on your bank account, but your investment in your parish does so much good far beyond our parish grounds. Please know of my prayers for you. Together we make our parish a true lighthouse to our part of the world. God bless you!

RECTORY:  The last of the seminarians moved out on Monday, Fr. Bozek is away for the month and as you know there is no longer a dog in the rectory. So, for the first time since I was assigned to St. Sebastian, it is just me in the rectory (well, most of the time) and some houseplants. There will be visiting priests for confessions and hopefully Sunday Masses most of the time during the month of August, but not always, so confession lines might be a little lengthy on particular days this month.

EVENTS:  On August 21, the St. Sebastian Knights of Columbus will be having their Golf outing. The next Theology on the Rocks is coming up Monday, the 22nd of August. The Christopher James Consilio Memorial Events are around the corner on August 26 and 27.

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck