Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Folks,

The first Sunday in October is the week we traditionally target to share the Fiscal Y ear Report with parishioners. Thank you Elaine, for your work in getting it ready for the bulletin!

If you look at the very bottom line of the income statement, you’ll notice, we spent $2 million more than we brought in. I bet that got your attention! But don’t worry—this is expected. We just dedicated the approximately $6 million expansion of our parish school! W e’ve been saving for years to make this possible. That’s why previous years showed positive net income—as we were intentionally saving in advance so we could build what we can afford.

I also want to highlight the net operating surplus of $560k. This shows that even while construction was underway, we kept our operating expenditures below our regular revenue. Our ability to do this consistently over many years is a big reason why we’ve been confident in our ability to fund projects already completed, currently underway, and in development.

The balance sheet portion of the report shows our assets and liabilities. This section may interest those who love accounting, but fundamentally, it reflects our assets (cash, restricted savings, even buildings!) and liabilities. One unusual number you’ll see is ‘unrestricted net assets’ of -$440k. Sometimes this would reflect loans or debt, but in our case, it means that most of the money for the school expansion is temporarily restricted—it was donated for a specific purpose and can only be used for that purpose. You’ll see the corresponding ‘temporarily restricted assets’ listed at $1.146 million.

Let me also give you a few bonus stats:

• 77 people became Catholic through the OCIA program

• 41 already-Catholic adults were confirmed

• (If you saw the Easter Vigil photos, now you know why the line of folks receiving sacraments stretched

across almost the entire Expo Center—and this year’s class looks even larger!)

• 64 weddings were celebrated

• 54 funerals were held—curiously, the exact same number as the year before

• 368 people were anointed with the Sacrament of the Sick

• (Though I must confess I don’t always record every one when folks grab me after Mass—so the real number

is likely even higher!)

The annual report lists 6,939 families in the parish as of July 1st—and with recent RE registrations, we may have cleared 7,000! Oh my!

Have a blessed October, and thank you for helping make this parish so faith-filled, growing, and vibrant!

Pax,

Father John Mosimann

Parish Life Weekend will be NOT be happening today, Saturday September 27 due to inclimate weather.

Sunday September 28 the weather looks good, so we will be having Parish Life Weekend after ALL SUNDAY MASSES AT ST MARY. EXCEPT 7pm.

 

Dear Folks,

Why is the baptismal font in the vestibule??

It’s part of the work to expand the platform where the priests now sit. Once Jesus was returned to the center of the church, we began plans to replace the cabinetry that previously held the tabernacle with seating for servers. That work was completed last month. (And everyone who asked about it said, “Oh, I didn’t notice a difference.”) That’s the goal—to keep your eyes on Jesus!

The next step is to make the seating for the priest, deacon, and servers more spacious and safe. Currently, the chairs are precariously close to the stairs. Enlarging the platform will bring the church into more symmetrical uniformity and will also make things safer for clergy and servers during Mass.

To do this, we need to slightly move the baptismal font forward, and build up a wall and platform that will be well-anchored and secure. This is why the baptismal font has been temporarily relocated to the narthex. It should be returning to its place—hopefully—within days of your reading this.

Honestly, the goal is that these changes be subtle improvements, mostly unnoticed by the average Sunday Mass attendee.

Oh yeah… Parish Life Weekend!

If you’re reading this in church, I exhort you to stop by one of the ministry tables this weekend. Our ability to accomplish the great works of the Lord depends on each of us generously lending a hand.

pax et bonum,

Father John Mosimann

Dear Folks,

“Who do you say that I am?”

Our theme this year, is a bit of riddle: those words are spoken by Jesus, but how do they change when they are
spoken by the Church, or the Pope, or a priest, or your spouse, or the elderly, or the sick and lame?

Every ministry and everyone serving in any capacity needs to ask this question as well? When we serve, it is Our
Lord who is serving through us:

By the grace of God, this parish is alive! And we just finished an amazing parish picnic last weekend! So many
families, celebrating and rejoicing to see the new school. Our little scavenger hunt booklets?? 1,100 were used to
guide folks through the new spaces!! That alone is a resounding success!!

But I’ll also share that this observation at the end: when the picnic was shutting down, it fell to people who had
already been serving all day to sweep the cafeteria and wipe down tables! I was so convicted of this that I grabbed
some cloths to help wipe down tables, and more folks stepped up!

My point is that we all can help in some ways. Everyone. And when we do so, it is our Lord who strengthens and
gives success to the work of our hands.

Next week’s Parish Life Weekend is a chance for you to allow the Lord to work through you:
• T o cook or serve a meal to the hungry,
• T o usher at Mass,
• T o teach the faith in RE students,
• T o mentor youth at workcamp,
• T o visit the lonly in nursing homes,
• T o give joy to children at the homeless shelter!

And please say a Hail Mary for everyone who has been an instrument of grace for you to know and be served by
Jesus.

Thank you and God Bless you!!

pax et bonum,

Father John Mosimann