On Monday morning, Fr. Mahoney and I were able to commiserate together. His Green Bay Packers and our New England Patriots football seasons ended on Sunday! Now we look forward to pitchers and catchers reporting for Red Sox Spring Training in February. But the state of the Red Sox roster is uncertain! However, we continue to root for the PC Friars, the Boston Bruins, and OLM CAL Basketball!
Also, on Monday, we heard from more parishioners that their monthly budget envelopes have not yet arrived. This is a problem for many area parishes as they report the same thing. Every year after Christmas, this postal delivery problem arises. The budget envelopes have been sent out and should have arrived. However, there is a delay in the delivery, and the U.S. Postal System is the culprit, not OLM or the budget envelope company! So, if you still need to receive your budget envelopes, inform your mail carrier and notify the local postmaster. Since the U.S. Postal System is a federal agency, I urge you to call Congressman Magaziner to seek assistance.
The low total for the Building and Grounds Collection last week reflects the problem. There were few envelopes in the second collection. This is because many parishioners didn’t have the Building and Grounds envelope. If you do not have a budget envelope, you can place a check or use a plain envelope and write your name, address, and budget number on both. Then place them in the collection baskets or in the safe in the vestibule.
You might also consider giving online through Parish Giving. It is easy, safe, and secure and assures the fiscal stability of the weekly collection. We currently have 190 families using the Parish Giving and about 795 who use the regular budget envelopes. You can set it up by clicking the Parish Giving link on our parish webpage. The Monthly Building and Grounds Collection defrays maintenance costs and funds many unforeseen projects that routinely arise. Last week a pump in our Church Boiler gave out, and the new part costs $2,500! Thankfully Paul Anderson, our Physical Plant Director, can install the part himself. We are always grateful for his great work at OLM.
Monday also brought some good news to OLM! Our long-awaited new church doors are scheduled to be installed this week. After long delays with the manufacturer and other supply chain issues, the doors are now here in Rhode Island and ready for installation. There are a total of 18 doors to be replaced in both the Church and Rectory. The doors are made of mahogany wood and were made by Cleary Millwork of Troy, New York, a leading door manufacturer for New York and New England founded in 1939. The Chirico Construction Company in Warwick is preparing the doors for installation and will install them. The architect for the entire project is Mark Saccoccio of Saccoccio & Associates. Also, two OLM Parishioners, John Rocchio of Rocchio Construction and Bob Manocchia, who retired from the Gilbane Construction, have volunteered to help oversee the project along with Paul Anderson.
The project is funded by the Grateful for God’s Providence Capital Campaign. I thank you for your generous support of the campaign. As you know, the doors are nearly sixty years old and do not work very well. The new doors will match and have a beautiful design, and the main church doors will have beautiful stained glass, as do the current doors. This project is long in coming, and we await its completion with joyful anticipation.
As we fix our church boiler, I am reminded of the Keep the Heat On Assistance Program. It is a great work of our Diocese initiated by Bishop Tobin. Over the years, it has given millions of dollars to help thousands of people afford their heat in the cold winter. I hope we can aid this great charity with our OLM Outreach. Any monies collected in January for OLM Outreach will go to the Keep the Heat On Program. If you want to help, make a check payable to OLM and write KTHO in the check memo or envelope. Thank you for being so supportive of this commendable charity.
Mark your calendar for the OLM School Open House on Sunday, January 29th. Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless!