THE ANNUAL FUND DRIVE IS BEGINNING

                This Tuesday, August 25th, we celebrate the Feast of St. Louis, King of France. St. Louis is most noted for his service to the people of God, especially the poor. He is also well known for protecting and preserving the sacred Holy Land sites that recall the life of Jesus.

                This weekend we celebrate our faith life inspired by St. Louis with our annual picnic. We join together as a faith community to celebrate our blessings and strengthen our commitment to serving the people of God in our community.

                At this time of year we also begin our Annual Fund Drive which helps us to continue our ministry to the people of God in our community and to preserve our Holy Site. Our church is now 130 years old. This historic site was built after a devastating fire that ruined the previous church building. In order to continue our presence in the community our present church edifice was built. However, it was discovered in a recent meeting of the Finance/Restoration Committee that nothing was done over the years to protect us from another devastating fire. This year the Finance/Restoration Committee decided we could no longer wait to address this pressing concern. A complete fire protection system was installed during the month of May and it was decided that we would dedicate the Annual Fund Drive this year to that project.

                Other smaller projects will also be supported by this Annual Fund Drive. Some have already been completed and others are in progress. We have repainted the Main Street wall of the church and refinished the front doors of the church on Main Street and have made repairs to the rectory exterior. We are in the process of repairing two of the windows on the Edward Street side of the church which are now about 130 years old. We will be working on the stairwell that leads to the sacristy and sealing and striping the parking lot very soon.

                Thanks to your generosity in the past we have been able to maintain our beautiful Gothic Grandeur. With your generous support we will continue to be able to keep everything in good repair.

                The Annual Fund Drive mailing has gone out and we await your response and thank you for your generous support.