4^th ANNUAL

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL
 

The weekend of January 30-31, after all the Masses, both Saturday and Sunday, the Altar Society invites everyone in the parish to the lower hall to savor a hearty bowl of soup (your choice of two kinds) with bread, and to spend some time with your fellow parishioners. Adult donation - $5, children under 12 - $2. Proceeds go to the Altar Society operating fund for 2016 and to purchase needed items for the Church.

HELP WITH CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
 

Next Sunday, January 10^th, is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord and the end of the Christmas Season. We will be taking down our Christmas decorations after the 12:00 Mass next Sunday. Helpers would be very much appreciated. The more helpers we have, the quicker the work will be finished.

SINGERS WANTED
 

We are always looking for additional voices to sing in our Parish choir at the 10:00 Mass on Sunday. If you have sung in a group before, if you are familiar with singing in harmony, please join our Parish Choir. Rehearsals are at 9:30am, before the 10:00 Mass.

     We are also looking for soloists and accompanists for our 5:30 and 12:00 English Masses. If you are interested or have any questions, contact our parish music director, Roma Bandza. Join in and make 2016 a year of music and song!

WINTER AT ST. CASIMIR’S
 

So far this winter, we have been fortunate that we have not had much snow at all and the temperatures have been unseasonably mild. As Clevelanders, we know that the weather can change very quickly. Though we do a good job of keeping the snow plowed and the ice melted, we still urge everyone to use care when on our property. Also, we ask for your help when it is snowing on Saturday evenings or Sunday morning during Mass times. At all our entrances are snow shovels and containers of ice melting chemicals. If the entrances have ice or snow on them, if you are able please push the snow away from the doors and spread some of the chemicals on the ice. Your fellow parishioners will appreciate your care and concern.

     For our older members, please remember that cold and snowy weather can be dangerous. Though we appreciate your presence and participation at Mass, please don’t take unnecessary risks trying to come to Mass.

     Finally, our most expensive utility is natural gas which heats our buildings. Our winter gas bills run in the thousands of dollars each month. Though our major tenants pay a large portion of the gas bill, we still are responsible for the Church, Rectory and Hope House utilities which can be several thousand dollars each month. We ask that those who are able to increase their donations during the winter months, use the “Special Heating” envelope monthly, and please make regular contributions to the parish.

     If we all do our part, winter will not be a hardship for any of us. And remember, Spring is only three months away.

Each week, when I write the bulletin, I list the Offertory collection amounts along with other monies that come in the collection basket: Repair Fund, Heat Fund, and Second Collections. The total amount collected, minus the second collections, is then subtracted from $4,500.00 which is what we can expect to bring in the collection basket to operate the Church, and the remaining figure is our weekly deficit (or surplus). That number is added to the cumulative total to come up with the deficit for the fiscal year which begin July 1, 2015.

     This week is the first time this fiscal year that we are showing a surplus in both the weekly collection and what we have collected since July 1^st. This has not happened very often since we became St. Casimir Parish. Not only is this a reflection of our good stewardship of the money you give us, but it is also a testament of your financial commitment to our parish.

     A lot has happened over the past few years here at St. Casimir’s. We were able to lease out our school building to a responsible tenant and we have a school on our campus again. The money realized from lease payments goes to pay back our loan of $226,500 from the diocese ($3,775/month for five years), save for future repairs, and subsidize our parish operations.

     Our next challenge is to raise the necessary funds to begin making repairs to our parking lots and the main entrance to the Church and Rectory buildings. So far we have raised $20,000 of the $100,000 that we will need for the project. I thank the Finance Council members for their commitment to the parish in offering me sound advice and watching over our funds. I thank the Pastoral Council for their sharing ideas and concerns for our parish, but most of all, I thank all of you who regularly support the parish with your financial contributions and your volunteer service. Without you, there would be no St. Casimir’s Parish today.

                                                                             God Bless! Fr. Joe Bacevice