July 31, 2008

I want to express my thoughts on the results of our Feasibility Study. Before I comment, I want to thank each and every one of you for your time and thoughtfulness spent participating in this study. I am deeply impressed and inspired by your love and loyalty to the Parish of St. Joseph as your spiritual home and family. I also want to acknowledge the very generous time and effort the facilities committee has given in service to our Parish.

The study reveals to us that we have solid and strong parish support for the renovation of the convent and especially to meet the needs of the Church regarding a new and updated sound system and lighting. The report assures us that we are a “normal” parish able to meet the financial challenge to raise approximately three times our annual giving, $1.75 million, with a challenge goal of $2.0 million.

Based on your support, the facilities committee is currently re-working the scope of those projects to fit within the projected capital campaign capacity. The remaining projects will be considered at some future date.

I perceived from the study that there is still sadness, a “woundedness,” that lingers in our parish regarding the closing of the school. Some feel the loss of the school has contributed to a diminishment of the parish. We do still support Catholic Education in our neighboring Catholic Schools; last year, 23 children from 16 St. Joseph families benefited from our K-8 tuition assistance program. Additionally, many parishioners were previously engaged in a visioning process to help establish our new parish identity without a school. We are still renewing that process of seeking light and participation. To further its implementation, some areas of the liturgy, faith formation, the maintenance for our buildings, communication and finance have already been activated. To re-seed a parish identity does take time to cultivate and mature. Your feedback is always important to us as we continue to allow the Holy Spirit to shape and breathe life into our parish.

Encouraged by the above facts, we might ask the question, what is next? The process needs not only our enthusiasm and support, it also requires Archdiocesan approval. Approval for the capital campaign may come as early as this next spring or more likely fall of 2009. Timing is dependent on internal conditions within and around our parish as well as the Archbishop and his new policies on capital campaigns.

We are looking forward to moving ahead. There has been no capital campaign in the recent history of our parish (not since 1956) and we need to prepare ourselves to meet the needs of a “changing” parish in the 21st Century. I invite you to reflect upon the verse that is on our prayer cards. “Unless the Lord builds the House, he who labors, labors in vain…Psalm 127.” Both the building of a house (renovation of the Parish buildings) and the development of the parish family are connected. Building is more than new lighting or renovated parish offices. It also has to do with the spiritual renovation of our personal relationship with Christ and His Church. In the eyes of the world, all this is a daunting challenge. In the eyes of those who believe, we are being invited to be re-founded. In the rock of Christ, we too will be “renewed and renovated” in Word and Sacrament.

Thank you for your time in reading this letter. May your remaining summer be blessed.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Gerald Dvorak
Pastor

P.S. For those who wish to see results specific to the individual projects initially proposed, please contact Scottie Bahr or Martha Krawczak in the parish office for a copy of those results.