My Dear Parish Family:

Being a good neighbor is important! Our parish church must also be a good neighbor. This does not mean only Fr. Dan and myself, but all of you! We cannot block the driveways of our neighbors! I know parking is difficult, but we must remember to be good neighbors. How would you feel if someone blocked your driveway? People from our parish community have said to me, “I’m only running in to light a candle!” or “I’m only going to say a quick prayer!” No! This is not okay! Being in Church is not an excuse for blocking someone’s property or parking illegally. I will expect that you will get a ticket and, in fact, I will call the police on anyone parking illegally or blocking someone’s property! You are not able to double park in front of Church! Again, I will have your car ticketed or towed away! You may be annoyed with this paragraph or think I am joking, but it is not fair to our neighbors and blocking the street by double parking is dangerous on a number of levels! In addition, I am the one who receives the countless complaints from our neighbors regarding blocked driveways. So, please let us all be good neighbors!

In addition to being a good neighbor outside of Church, it is also nice to think about the other members of the parish community. Each Sunday before leaving the Mass you attend, please take a moment to replace the missalette and/or music books to the rack or placed neatly in a pile at the end of the pew. Kindly take with you any copies of the bulletin or other papers you may have brought with you. If all of us clean up after ourselves each week, the Church will be clean and neat for our fellow parishioners as they come into the Church for Mass. It will only take a few seconds if all of us help in- stead of the time it takes our sacristans and other volun- teers to clean up in between Masses. Thank you!

As I continue to plan for the future and the long range plan for our parish community, I remain aware that paint is beginning to peel from the ceiling of the Church as well as the back walls of the statues of the Sacred Heart and St. Benedict. As I believe I have mentioned this in an earlier Pastor’s column, we cannot afford to do this work right now. I am concerned for your Church and will con- tinue to seek ways in which we can pay for these repairs. Please continue to pray for the parish as we continue to move forward.

One last thought: Our daily Mass schedule presently is two daily Masses. I am seriously considering reducing the parish to one daily Mass in the next few months. As I continue to think and pray about this action, I am asking all of the members of the parish to also pray for a good and right decision to be made by me. I will keep the parish apprised of this change when and if it happens.

Until next week, peace and prayers! St. Benedict, pray for us. Servant of God, Terence Cardinal Cooke, pray for us.