Summer Hours and Good News

I must say I felt torn by the recommendation of the Parish Leadership Team (PLT) that we have summer hours.  Let me explain.
I have always tried to be a hard worker.  I regard the ability and desire to work hard as one of my greatest gifts from the Lord Jesus.  However, I also know that a person’s greatest gifts taken to an extreme, can also be their greatest weaknesses. 

Parish staff members work especially hard from late August until the beginning of June.  This is particularly true for ministerial staff, who work evenings and weekends to accomplish the ministry of Jesus in parish life.
 
Once mid-June hits, however, the demands of parish ministry diminish.  One approach is to continue to demand that staff members put in as many hours, knowing that there simply is not the same amount of ministry that needs to be accomplished.
 
The other approach is to recognize the lull in ministry and give staff members a bit of time off, comp time if you will, or perhaps a perk.  The idea being that the sweetness of a little summer time-off will diminish the bitterness of working extra hours during most of the months of the ministry year.

Please pray for our staff members.  Truly, I have never had such an outstanding, professional, and dedicated staff in the twenty-two years of being a pastor and even before that as an associate…and that is saying a lot, because I have been blessed to be with some wonderful staff!

Thanks to Crescent parishioners for noting that on Fridays only our central office is open. That office is no more than ten minutes from our other offices.
 
Please see the following article from Nativity Pastoral Council member, Mark Boyle about happenings at Nativity Church.  Thanks to Mark for contributing this messages of good news!           
 
Sincerely and with Love in Christ,
Fr. Pat
 
Music and the Power Of Connections

By Mark Boyle, Nativity Parish Council

Nativity has been blessed by a dynamic music ministry for many years. A significant factor in that ministry has been Julie Spangler’s generous contributions of her time and incredible talent.

When I first joined Nativity’s Pastoral Council almost a year ago, I saw comments from our then Music Director, Thomas Franklin, indicating that it may be time to replace the piano. I approached Thomas and asked if there was a way to upgrade to a grand piano that would work in the choir space. He lit up with excitement; encouraging me with the comment that if we secured a grand piano, he would find a way to make it work, and Julie would “make it sing.”

Fast forward to this Spring, when my sister-in-law, Michele Mariscalco, connected with a lifelong friend from her days at Alter High School, Katie Donahue Schneble. Katie asked Michele if she knew anyone interested in the baby grand that her mother had played. Michele mentioned the piano to my wife, Marie, and we were off and running.

Katie is the daughter of Peter and Eileen Donahue. They passed away, Peter in 2016 and Eileen in late 2023. The Donahues were devout Catholics, being charter members at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Kettering and attending since 1960, when the family moved to Dayton. It was important to the Donahue’s to send all their five children to Catholic schools. The Donahue Family was beloved in the Dayton community, especially for their passionate support of their Church and Catholic schools, with a special affection for St. Charles, Alter High School, the University of Dayton, and the University of Notre Dame. When Katie heard the possibility of the piano going to a Catholic Church, she was excited, knowing how much her mother would have appreciated the prospect of supporting the music ministry in a Catholic Church.

I approached Fr. Pat and Julie about the possibility of securing the piano for Nativity. Both were very receptive, but we all recognized that the space at Nativity presented some challenges. After exploring options and recognizing that final placement in the Church may be an evolutionary process, Fr. Pat agreed to bring the piano to the floor adjacent to the choir space.

I am personally grateful to Fr. Pat and Julie for their support. We are all very appreciative of the Donahue Family, especially Peter and Eileen’s four surviving children, Katie, Patrick, John, and Mark, who through this generous donation have made this opportunity for more beautiful music possible.
 
Mark Boyle