Crescent Family Feast

I’m looking forward to a wonderful celebratory and unifying event in Crescent Parishes toward the end of May, a first beginning of the summer celebration. Offered with the suggestion and coordination of our Beacons of Light Pathways Planning Team (PPT) Crescent Parishes will have a grand, five-parish potluck meal on Sunday May 21, at St. Saviour. Please see the bulletin announcement for more information, where suggested types of dishes are listed according to parish. I hope you plan on attending!

Nativity Parish Festival
Nativity Parishioners please be aware that we are having difficulty finding leadership for this year’s festival. Lack of leadership will put the possibility of a festival in jeopardy. While there are many people to help and even some new people, a strong team of leaders with a high level of commitment is essential for a successful festival. If you are interested in helping to lead, please call the parish office, give me a call on my cell phone, the emergency number on page two of the bulletin, or contact a pastoral council or finance committee member.
 
Stephen Ministry
Shortly after arriving at our parishes, I was joyful to discover that our Crescent Parishes have a Stephen Ministry, based out of the Church of the Resurrection. Please see the Stephen Ministry contribution to the bulletin

Valuing Crescent Parishes Assets
This past week, pastoral councils were apprised of the fact that, following St. John Pastoral Council’s recommendation, Crescent Parishes will be working with a commercial realtor to value our buildings and grounds. Mark Radojitz, a commercial realtor in Cincinnati, who worked directly for the archdiocese years ago has been a great blessing to pastors for decades. Mark’s experience and knowledge are unparalleled because he has experience not only as a commercial realtor, but more importantly with the process of buying and selling property in a diocese. He has helped countless parishes monetize property and buildings. For example, when St. Joseph School in Wapakoneta closed about a decade and a half ago, a hundred and fifty-year old school, he assisted us with a three-year process of selling portions of the property and then, just as I left the Petersburg assignment, the school building itself. In addition to his extensive experience, as a third party, Mark will help us to objectively look at our buildings and grounds, adding lots of “out of the box” possibilities. To be clear, Mark is not an appraiser. Therefore, we won’t be spending large sums of money to have our properties appraised. Rather, Mark will offer us invaluable information about valuing our properties, even ranking them in categories which will help us to think wisely about Crescent Parishes’ future, when we will be one parish.

The Horse’s Mouth
As Beacons of Light evolves around us, please pray about communication. One of the great works of the Devil, who has the title “The Father of Lies,” is that misinformation will be a part of our experience. Also please pray that we will not read too much into what is or isn’t communicated, making assumptions, especially when the assumptions are negative, judgmental or downright destructive. Gossip is a continual temptation and does not serve the truth or the Kingdom of Jesus, who is “the way, the truth and the life.” One of my and Crescent Parish leaders’ goals is to try to communicate well. We have a leadership team, a communications director and a great staff to help. However, since, we have a lot of balls in the air in our parishes, it is likely that communication will fall short at times. Sometimes, issues simply take time to evolve or resolve and there is no news to report. Therefore, please, if you have an important question, think it through and get to the best person possible for an answer. Please don’t assume and don’t trust gossip! Thanks to those who make it a weekly value to read the bulletin, which I value highly as a means of communication.

Tool Time
I’d appreciate being blessed by half a dozen volunteers, men or even women who have their own Sawzall or acetylene torch setup and aren’t afraid to use them! Over the past year, St. Saviour Rectory has transitioned from its antiquated and massive air conditioning system to split units. Thanks to the generosity of St. Saviour parishioners whose generous giving allowed for this important transition. Once the freon is professionally evacuated, we will set out to dismantle the sizable and heavy compressor and cooling tower, taking it to a scrap yard. In the rectory/ grounds five-year master plan in my mind, a small patio would be a welcome addition to where the cooling tower now stands! If you can help with some “deconstruction” over the next months, please call a parish office and leave you name and phone number!

Sincerely and with Love in Christ,
Fr. Pat