It’s hard to believe that I have been your pastor here at St. Pius for almost three years. In some ways, it seems like I just arrived and yet in many ways, because of the incredible welcoming spirit, kindness and thoughtfulness of so many members of our parish family, it seems like I have been here for much longer. You continue to inspire me with your faithfulness in loving and serving the Lord. I am writing today to update you on some parish plans and to ask for your generosity in support of a new initiative this summer here at St. Pius, a “Grand Annual Appeal.”
As you may know, Bingo was discontinued in the parish late last year. This development has been a positive one for the parish, as it frees up space and availability of the Parish Life Center (PLC) to focus on a variety of programs and events to enrich our faith and our parish family. However, it makes it necessary for us to add a new source of revenue. We have decided that, as many parishes already do, it is time for us to add a yearly Grand Annual Appeal that will take place each summer.
Gifts to the Grand Annual Appeal will help maintain our beautiful church so it can remain a welcoming, comfortable place for us to worship and feel Christ’s love. Our parish campus is very beautiful, but also very large, and requires constant maintenance and upkeep. Every year, we plan a variety of necessary projects. Since my arrival, we have replaced the roof and the shingles on the rectory and parish offices, and on the Religious Ed Building. We have also replaced the roof on the PLC, and hope to replace its shingles in the near future. We hope to have our solar panel project on these three buildings up and running by next summer. This summer we will be replacing the tile floor in the Religious Education building. We continue to replace the old, worn out chairs in the parish hall. We also have the paving of the church parking lots on our radar for the not-too-distant future.
While the Cape is known as a beautiful summer destination, our year-round parishioners, summer residents and seasonal visitors are all important to our family of faith. St. Pius X Parish would not be the warm, welcoming home it is without you. While attendance soars during these beautiful summer months, we must remember that St. Pius is in operation 365 days per year with expenditures every season – and with winter often comes some of our largest and most unexpected expenses.
Please know that I am kicking off our first Grand Annual Appeal by personally donating a $500 gift. I ask you today to please join me in being as generous as you are able in donating to our Grand Annual Appeal. No parish can excel or grow into a bright future without the love and support of all its parish families. I pray that every one of our households will participate in some way with a gift or pledge, because together we can accomplish great things in Christ, who makes all things new and all things possible. The more of us who give, the easier it is to lift the load. I know I can count on your support.
For your convenience, I have enclosed a contribution card and an envelope that can be returned in the collection basket at church or in the mail. Please make your check payable to St. Pius X Parish and write Grand Annual Appeal on the memo. You can also make a secure online donation to the Grand Annual Appeal below.
Pope John Paul II referred to a parish as a “family of families.” I am so grateful that God has led me to this beautiful and blessed St. Pius X Parish family. Thank you for your prayerful consideration of this request.