Saint Luke Catholic Church
1606 Blanding Blvd.
Middleburg, FL 32068
(904) 282-0439
St. Luke Link
Link @stlukesparish.org
Volume 15, Issue 1
Back to School 2020
PASTOR
Rev.
Andy Blaszkowski
PAROCHIAL VICAR
Rev.
Jaisemon Xaviour
DEACONS
Deacon
Steve Arnold
MISSIONARY SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY
Sr. Danuta Kujalowicz, Superior
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of
salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick.
At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with
steadfast faith.
You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need.
We are certain that you will provide, so that,
as you did at Cana of Galilee,
joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus
tells us:
He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to
bring us,
through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection.
Amen.
We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test
– and deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed
Virgin.
-Pope Francis, a prayer to Our Lady, Health of the Sick, to
implore her protection during the Covid-19 coronavirus
pandemic.
Page 2
Pastor’s Corner
Ever since the outbreak of the
COVID-19 pandemic back in March lives of each one of us were
affected. From the rising number of people who were infected, to
many others who lost their lives, to the stop of public worship,
closed schools and businesses, social lockdown and
distancing, to mandatory facial
covers. The list could go on and on but all of us have found
ourselves in the middle of this situation driven by fear, lack of
clarity and
understanding. Each one of us tried to figure a way how to
handle this new way of life.
For us at the parish, we closely followed the instruction of the
Governor and our Bishop. It was extremely hard to face the
empty
church day after day and week after week. We also made some
decisions to respond to this situation with messages of hope, to
communicate with you that we are alive and your parish, in spite of
all the regulations and requirements, remains at your
service to provide the source of
strength through the power of the Eucharist we celebrated daily
and the Word of God we offered you regularly. I am most grateful
for your generous response,
participation, and sacrificial support especially during these
challenging times. We should be proud to belong and to make St.
Luke Parish our faith community.
During these challenging pandemic times, as a nation we
experienced acts of social unrest that brought its attention to the
current crisis of racism. We as Catholic-Christians
stand united with conviction that any act of racism is a sin and
cannot be tolerated, since we are all created
in the image and likeness of God. We are all brothers and
sisters in the holy name of Jesus! I find it unfortunate to see
that many in the name of tomorrow want to cancel history by
toppling and desecrating monuments and statues, churches and sacred
images of Jesus, Mary, and the saints. If the primary interest of
this change is ensuring civil rights and to overcome every form
of
division, precisely we need to return to the book of history and
read and to reflect once again upon the peaceful witness of the one
of the greatest Civil Right Leaders of all time- Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., and sing with him with one voice of all the American
people, “And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring,
when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every
state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all
of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles,
Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in
the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
In our response to the latest in regard to the pandemic, we have
some good news to share. After months of
construction, we blessed and
dedicated our Bell Tower/Gift Shop project. I am most grateful
for everyone who offered support for the successful completion of
the project that will assist and serve us in such wonderful and
meaningful ways.
Annunciation Catholic School, under the new leadership of Mr.
Eiswert, the principal, works diligently to be ready to welcome
students and parents with dedicated teachers to a new school year.
We work daily to
develop re-entry plans that allow for flexibility in a very
fluid situation
St. Luke Link
and transparency for families. Our plans prioritize the health
and safety of our students, faculty, and staff while remaining true
to our beliefs and values related to educating the whole child.
I also want to commend our St. Luke Child Care Center, under
the
leadership of Amy Roberts, the
director. The dedication of the entire SLCCC team allowed them
to stay open throughout the entire time
during the pandemic serving the needs of parents who for the
most part were considered to be essential workers who assisted
others during the pandemic. They implemented policies, protocols
and guidelines to keep everyone safe and healthy.
Thank you for your extraordinary commitment and dedication.
Now as we continue on the journey of faith and life, let’s look
for opportunities to grow in faith and our relationship with the
Lord.
Masses are open to the public as well as we offer them daily on
the livestream. I sure miss many of you who cannot join us in
person but be assured of our prayers. I kindly ask you to continue
your prayerful and financial support of the parish as we need to
continue with our mission to proclaim the Good News of Jesus
Christ.
On behalf of Fr. Xavior, Dn. Steve, Missionary Sisters of the
Holy Family, and the entire parish staff, I wish you a blessed end
of summer and assurance of our prayerful
support.
With prayers,
Fr. Andy
Volume 15, Issue 1Page 3
Stewards in Action!
Our Stewards have been busy donating their time, talent and
treasure, from helping out at the Food Distribution each month, to
supporting as Ushers and providing the spiritual music that we
continue to enjoy each week, as well as pitching in with general
maintenance support of our beautiful church and its surroundings.
True Stewards contributing freely and lovingly.
The Stewardship Committee is seeking new members to help spread
the message of
living the daily Stewardship Way of Life. Creative minds are
always welcome. If
interested in learning more, please contact George Cox at (904)
[email protected].
589-7863, or
Page 4St. Luke Link
Family Faith Formation
“Parentshave
thefirst
Luke Catholic Church works in partnership with families to
responsibility for the education of their children. They bear
witness to this responsibility first by creating a
form the faith of our young parishioners. Our school-aged Faith
Formation programs are
Indeed, home is often referred to as the “domestic Church”
homewhere
tenderness,
meanttostrengthenand
because what is learned in
forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and
disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for
education in the virtues.”
-(Catechism of the Catholic Church 2223)
Recognizing that parents are the first and best educators of
their children in matters of faith, St.
build upon the faith formation that occurs within
families. Parents are called by God to be both teachers and
examples of faith.
The religious education of our children begins at home because
it is at home that they learn about life and love.
Church will be internalized only
if it is lived at
home. Being a parent can be a daunting task, even in the best of
situations. In today’s society, a parent must deal with many
challengessuchas consumerism, technology, the media, and many other
issues. This year, we have been faced withtheuniquesituation
presented by the Corona Virus. Beginningschoolyear 2020/2021, we
will begin to use the Christ in Us textbook and online component
here at St. LukeCatholicChurchfor children in grades K-7. This
program has been developed by William H. Sadlier, Inc. and is a
robust program option. Each registered student will receive a
textbook and online program access. In-person classes are
tentatively scheduled for one Sunday a month from 9:40- 10:45 and
will be held at Annunciation Catholic School. In addition, we will
have a family session scheduled one Wednesday evening a month, and
these sessions will be held in the parish hall. Dates and times are
still tentative as of the date of this article and are
subjecttochangeasthe restrictions related to Covid-19 continue to
evolve.
Volume 15, Issue 1Page 5
Sacramental Preparation at St. Luke: First Sacraments
Sacraments are NOT something we get. They are an encounter with
Christ. The primary goal of sacramental catechesis is the formation
and transformation of the person as they prepare to receive a
sacrament.
experience of God's love and forgiveness. It shows them that
just as God is One, God dreams that we might all be one as
well--one with each other and one with God. God's will is that all
people will be reconciled with one another and with God.What an
extraordinary gift! In the
instituted the Eucharist, the gift of his Body and Blood that
perpetuates his sacrifice on the Cross through the ages. He
entrusts to the Church the memorial of his death and resurrection
in this Sacrament: a sign of unity and a bond of charity. When the
Church celebrates
FirstReconciliationandFirst
Sacrament of Reconciliation,
the
Eucharist,it
Eucharist:
each child together with the
commemoratesChrist's
Preparingchildrenforthe
whole faith community meets
Passover
and the sacrifice
offered once and for all on the cross. The Eucharist makes God's
saving actions in Jesus Christ ever present for every age of the
Church.
A candidate for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist
must:
-be baptized in the Catholic Faith
-be in
the 2nd grade or
above
-have 1 year of prior
Sacrament of Reconciliation allows us to show them that God is
love and, in mercy, He is always ready to forgive, no matter what
the wrong. It assures them that God already knows the secrets of
our hearts, but sometimes we need to name these aloud in order to
prepare our hearts to renew the
the Risen Christ who reveals the Father's mercy and renews our
life in the Spirit, by inviting us to recall our Baptism and
leading us to complete communion with Christ and the Church in the
Eucharist.
At the Last Supper, Jesus
preparation in a religious education, Catholic home school, or
Catholic school program prior to the immediate preparation process
and currently enrolled in Family Faith Formation, Catholic home
school, or Catholic school program
-participate in the immediate preparation process and complete
all program requirements
Page 6St. Luke Link
Sacramental Preparation: Confirmation
A candidate for Confirmation must:
-be baptized in the Catholic faith;
-be in the 8th grade or above
(Registration for all Family FaithFormation programs can be
found online atwww.stlukesparish.org. For more information on all
of St. Luke Catholic Church Family Formation programs, please
contact the Family Faith Formation Office at:904-282-0439 ext.
117.)-have 1 year of prior
preparation in a religious education, Catholic home school, or
Catholic school program prior to the
immediate preparation process and currently enrolled in Family
Faith Formation, Catholic home school, or Catholic school
program;
-participate in the immediate preparation process and
complete all program requirements.
Volume 15, Issue 1
Sacramental Preparation at St. Luke: Baptism
Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as children of
God; we become members of the mystical body of Christ, are
incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission:
"Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the
word." (CCC: 1213)
Parents seeking baptism for their infants and children up until
the
Page 7
Parents are asked to call the parish office at 904-282-0439 ext.
117 to make their desire
age of seven should be registered
fortheir
child’sBaptism
members of the parish and are encouraged to begin preparation
for this sacrament during pregnancy. Children who are seven and
older will participate in our RCIA-children program.
known and to begin the preparation process.
Information about
registering at the parish can also be provided at this time.
Rite Of Catholic Initiation of Adults: RCIA
St. Luke Catholic Church invites you to explore Christianity and
the Catholic Faith.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and RCIA
adapted for Children (RCIA-C) are for those inquiring about
Christianity and becoming members of the Catholic Church,
regardless of background.
All are welcome!
· Join us as we learn about the beliefs of the apostles, the
Creed of our faith.
· Discover the Sacraments and God’s graces that they bring to
our lives.
· Explore God’s Commandments and how they promote peace,
fellowship and charity.
· Learn how one enters into Prayer and the prayers of the
Church.
We are planning for classes to start in mid-August 2020. For
additional information, please contact our RCIA coordinator, Jon
Ayres, at [email protected] or call 904-282-0439, ext.
120.
Page 8Newsletter Title
Knights of Columbus Council 10626 St. Luke Parish
active participation in numerous activities and programs. We are
key
education, support a Seminarian &
MilitaryChaplainFund,seize
All Catholic men of St. Luke Parish please consider this a
personal invitation to join the Knights of Columbus (K of C). The
Knights are Men of Action, with the Blessed Mother Mary and the
Rosary as our shield! We are always seeking and performing works of
charity, supporting all religious vocations, providing continuous
support for children’s Catholic education, promoting all
initiatives in support of Respect Life, enriching prayer life as a
solid foundation for spiritual growth, and taking many more
opportunities to serve others just as Jesus taught us.
Year after year the Knights of Columbus’ presence at St. Luke
Catholic Church and in our Clay County community is evident by
our
members of all liturgical ministries; instrumental to the
success of our Annual Festival; logistical support for monthly food
distribution by picking up Waste Not Want Not food donations;
sponsors of Annunciation Scholarship Fund Dinner; sponsors of a
monthly K of C Men’s Prayer Breakfast; and meal providers for local
high schools, Vacation Bible School, Sacrament classes, and CYM/
Fraternus. The list goes on and on!
The list of “action items” is really much larger than stated in
the last paragraph. The best part of the Knightsof
Columbus is we do not view anything as a “To Do List;”
everything we do is with fellowship and unconditional love. Behind
each K of C action there is a person or organization in need: feed
the hungry, support for Catholic
opportunity to evangelize students andjointogetherwith
parishioners and “Dream” to make St. Luke the best Catholic Church
it can be.
Please join us to continue to make a positive impact on the
world, contact Bob Donnellon (904-616-3773) for application and for
answers to any questions about Knights of Columbus.
Annunciation Catholic School
One positive result of the social distancing and quarantine due
to the Coronavirus pandemic is more time spent close to home,
getting to know our neighbors a little better. Since Annunciation
and St. Luke are “neighbors,” I thought you might like to get to
know us a little better!
Our longest-serving teacher at Annunciation is Mrs. Tara Kenney.
She has been with us for 22 years! Tara teaches kindergarten, and
her three children attend Annunciation. She and her husband Chris
are St. Luke parishioners, so you may have even celebrated Mass in
Tara’s pew!
Now for some less-familiar faces! These teachers are new to
Annunciation this year. Please join me and the entire Annunciation
staff in welcoming them to our Church family.
Mrs. Alexandra Morrow will be teaching 5th grade. She has a
Masters Degree in Education and has been an elementary school
teacher for 7 years, most recently at Discovery Oaks. She has 2
little ones at the St. Luke Child Care Center.
Mrs. Laura Cabrera joins us as our music teacher. She is
certified in Orff and has taught at Holy Family Catholic School,
St.
Joseph Catholic School, and Bishop Snyder High School. Laura’s 2
children will also be attending Annunciation in the fall.
Another new face is Ms. Cassidy Rydell who will teach in our VPK
program. She has been an active St. Luke parishioner, especially
with the Vacation Bible School program.
We are looking forward to another neighborly year with the
fabulous support of our St. Luke parishioners!
Steve Eiswert
Volume 15, Issue 1Page 9
Ladies Auxiliary
Bored? Like to join a small group without a whole lot of work?
Join the Ladies Auxiliary! We work along with the Knights of
Columbus when they need help, but mostly, we are a group all of our
own. Want to know who hosts the Mother-Daughter Tea? That’s us. How
about decorating the hall for Christmas? That’s us as well! Oh, and
what about those beautiful corsages for Mother’s Day. Yes, that is
the Ladies Auxiliary, too. And
that’s just the start of our story. Any monies collected is used
for gifts for the church, members of the church in need, and to
support other groups which are in line with our church, such as
Rachel’s Vineyard. Our ladies range in age from the 20’s to the
70’s. We have a whole lot of comradery and we enjoy getting
together once a month for an hour and a half. This year has been a
little different, so our Mother- Daughter event has been
cancelled. Though, we are hoping the rest of the year goes
smoothly. If you are interested in our group, please contact Mary
Neal (president) 401-323-9374 or MarleneHorne(vice president)
904-553-9807.
Greeters and Ushers
You Are Needed!
Greeters and Ushers
Are you returning to Mass? Wondering where you can help or
belong? Come join our Liturgical Ministries. Greeters welcomes the
parishioners and assists the ushers where needed. Ushers, escorts
parishioners to pews, collects the offertory, and guides
parishioners to communion and exiting the church. With the lectors
and Eucharistic
Ministers being limited each Mass, this is a wonderful way for
you to participate in the Mass. Mass can’t flow properly without
your help. Please contact Marcia Vigue at [email protected] or
you may contact the church directly.
Prayer Blanket Ministry
The Prayer Blanket Ministry meets the 2nd Thursday of each
month. Volunteers cut the fringe on the fleece fabric and match up
pockets and rosaries to go with each blanket. The blankets are then
blessed with the intention of covering the needy recipient with
prayers. Currently we are on hold because of the virus but we
normally have around 10-15 members help out with this ministry and
most of our
blankets go to St. Vincent Hospital here in Clay County. We are
always looking for new members, if this sounds rewarding to you,
please consider joining us! It’s a wonderful group and provides
great fellowship! No talent required!!!!
We had the blankets blessed recently at a weekday morning Mass
and gave out about 10 of them afterwards to different
parishioners.
Please contact me or the office for a blanket at anytime.
Cathie Donnellon 904-806-0904 or
[email protected]
Page 10St. Luke Link
Fiscal Year 2020 Financial Update from the Finance Council
Below is a summary of our finances through the close of the
Fourth Quarter Fiscal Year 2020, which ended on June 30, 2020.
We ended the Fiscal Year with a deficit of $36,635.32, which is
quite remarkable considering the effect of the Corona virus
pandemic. Of note, offertory collections were $65,645.00 below a
very conservative budget, but thankfully we had a very successful
Fall festival which produced a profit of
$70,016. Our primary income drivers – Offertory and Debt
Reduction came in at 94.9% of budget, and our total expenses came
in at 93.38% of budget after an aggressive cost control effort.
Cash wise we are in decent shape. We have $352,803 in savings at
the diocese, $59,162 in our maintenance savings account at the
diocese, and $233,246 in our growth fund checking and savings
accounts.
Thank you for your generosity, support and making St. Luke your
home. Please continue your financial support as a sign of our
mutual responsibility to provide the resources needed for us to
fulfill our parish mission. May God Bless You.
INCOME
06/2020
Year to Date 07/2019-
06/2020
Total Budget
Percentage of Budget
OFFERTORY COLLECTIONS
$90,270.56
$952,354.95
$1,018,000.00
93.55%
TAX EXEMPT BUILDING FUND COLLECTION
$12,529.36
$126,408.46
$119,000.00
106.23%
BAZAARS, AUCTIONS, AND EN-
TERTAINMENT
$0.00
$205,947.56
$150,000.00
137.30%
FISH FRY INCOME
$0.00
$3,472.00
$5,000.00
69.44%
INTEREST AND DIVIDENDS
$1,232.48
$9,474.96
$0.00
NON-PAROCHIAL COLLECTION (DIOCESAN)
$1,099.00
$17,744.60
$0.00
PAMPHLETS, VOTIVE STANDS, REL. GOODS
$0.00
$5,085.09
$142,000.00
3.58%
RENTS
$250.00
$2,750.00
$4,000.00
68.75%
FAMILY FAITH PROGRAM FEES
$150.00
$20,152.85
$33,200.00
60.70%
YOUTH GROUP
$0.00
$8,888.75
$15,000.00
59.26%
STIPENDS
$350.00
$5,582.00
$7,000.00
79.74%
FLOWERS
$50.00
$3,994.00
$8,600.00
46.44%
OTHER MINISTRY INCOME
-$733.05
$7,025.00
$6,000.00
117.08%
PARISH OUTREACH INCOME
-$2,875.91
$23,930.18
$26,800.00
89.29%
DONATIONS FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE
$0.00
$3,520.49
$0.00
TOTAL INCOME
$102,322.44
$1,396,330.89
$1,534,600.00
90.99%
EXPENDITURES
SALARIES- RESIDENT CLERGY
$5,183.08
$68,440.04
$67,380.00
101.57%
Clergy Benefits
$0.00
$2,150.00
$3,000.00
71.67%
MASS STIPEND EXPENSE
$260.00
$6,107.00
$7,000.00
87.24%
PRIEST PENSION/HOUSING EXPENSE
$0.00
$24,300.00
$24,300.00
100.00%
PRIEST HEALTH INSURANCE EXPENSE
$1,560.32
$15,042.94
$18,200.00
82.65%
EXTRA CLERGY
$0.00
$1,388.55
$3,000.00
46.29%
LITURGY PERSONNEL
$5,443.12
$70,678.62
$65,000.00
108.74%
PARISH SALARIES
$22,747.74
$309,055.68
$300,000.00
103.02%
PARISH PENSION EXPENSE
$1,606.09
$20,591.34
$23,000.00
89.53%
PARISH HEALTH INSURANCE EXPENSE
$1,906.91
$8,670.76
$4,000.00
216.77%
PARISH UNEMPLOYMENT EXPENSE
$0.00
$1,400.00
$1,000.00
140.00%
PAMPHLETS, VOTIVE STANDS, AND REL. GOODS
$1,981.96
$6,860.05
$87,000.00
7.89%
REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE
$4,363.62
$68,239.04
$80,000.00
85.30%
ELECTRICITY/ WATER/ FUEL
$3,261.22
$44,316.56
$49,223.00
90.03%
INSURANCE EXPENSE-PROP & CAS/ WORK
$0.00
$56,208.92
$60,000.00
93.68%
TELEPHONE AND TECHNOLOGY
$664.34
$14,113.08
$10,730.00
131.53%
AUTO EXPENSE
-$118.21
$291.51
$0.00
SOCIAL MINISTRY
$0.00
$10,139.24
$15,000.00
67.59%
FAMILY FAITH PROGRAM
$453.71
$26,216.47
$41,500.00
63.17%
FOOD EXPENSE
$2,527.03
$25,371.52
$23,000.00
110.31%
BAZAAR AND OTHER FUNDRAISERS
$0.00
$0.00
$84,600.00
0.00%
BAZAAR & OTHER FUNDRAISERS EX- PENSE
$30,458.00
$135,932.43
$0.00
FISH FRY EXPENSE
-$403.20
$3,037.52
$4,000.00
75.94%
ST. LUKE'S FEAST DAY & PICNIC EX- PENSE
$0.00
$761.03
$1,000.00
76.10%
INTEREST PAID
$736.52
$17,227.71
$19,527.00
88.23%
MORTGAGE PRINCIPAL PAYMENT
$4,686.41
$112,253.66
$100,708.00
111.46%
RENTS AND EQUIPMENT LEASES
$409.84
$5,548.10
$5,000.00
110.96%
PARISH SHARING PAYMENTS
$9,661.45
$138,835.81
$160,000.00
86.77%
NON-PAROCHIAL COLLECTIONS
$0.00
$15,453.60
$0.00
TRANSFERS TO THE PARISH SCHOOL
$7,780.18
$95,862.16
$111,292.00
86.14%
SCHOOL EXPENSES PAID BY PARISH
$0.00
$1,787.73
$0.00
MISCELLANEOUS
$35.28
$35.28
$2,000.00
1.76%
ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS
$0.00
$0.00
$2,000.00
0.00%
LITURGICAL SUPPLIES
$426.92
$17,568.80
$18,000.00
97.60%
YOUTH GROUP EXPENSES
$700.00
$8,371.29
$24,000.00
34.88%
FLOWER EXPENSE
$114.82
$8,303.28
$8,500.00
97.69%
DUES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
$0.00
$90.00
$100.00
90.00%
LEGAL AND PROFESSIONAL FEES
-$12.60
$2,481.90
$2,500.00
99.28%
BANK SERVICE CHARGES
$412.59
$4,627.94
$3,300.00
140.24%
PAYROLL TAX EXPENSE
$2,167.80
$27,378.23
$29,000.00
94.41%
OFFICE SUPPLIES AND POSTAGE
$867.08
$23,060.02
$22,500.00
102.49%
REAL ESTATE TAX EXPENSE
$0.00
$328.40
$2,900.00
11.32%
LAITY STIPEND EXPENSE
$0.00
$3,840.00
$3,840.00
100.00%
OTHER MINISTRY EXPENSES
$1,095.95
$12,456.65
$16,050.00
77.61%
PARISH OUTREACH EXPENSES
$3,310.18
$18,143.35
$31,450.00
57.69%
DEPRECIATION EXPENSE
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
TOTAL EXPENDITURES
$114,288.15
$1,432,966.21
$1,534,600.00
93.38%
-$11,965.71
-$36,635.32
Page 12St. Luke Link
Building & Facility
The Building and Facility group has continued to work on
projects during the shutdown due to the Corona Virus. Volunteers
relocated shot clocks in the gym; the seat on the golf cart was
rebuilt along with other maintenance. Generators at the rectory
were serviced and readied if needed during hurricane season.
Several members participated in the removal of old downspout piping
and replaced it with a larger size to allow better drainage of
rainwater. Social distancing was, of course, observed as groups
worked.
New members are always welcome.
Contact Johnny Moak at 904-607-6059 or [email protected].
Lectors
Lectors are called to serve and proclaim the Word of God. The
lector ministry is where people can read the Sacred Scripture that
has been given to us so long ago. Through the readings it speaks to
the heart of the congregation and helps them to live the Word in
their daily lives. The Sacred Scripture is the Living Word of God
that, as lectors, we get to proclaim in Mass. When reading, having
a strong, clear voice allows the congregation to take in the
readings and implement them into their life fully. Also, we help
reveal God to others through the message we read. We are called by
God and have the Holy Spirit come upon us to serve the Church. That
is the true beauty of the ministry—-to
proclaim the message to others so they can live the life God
calls us to live.
Contact Alyssa Burnsed at 904-635-4246 or
[email protected] for more information.
Community Kitchen
Due to COVID-19, the Community Kitchen served its last meal of
the year in March as To Go only. Our meals are served in
association with The Kitchen of Clay County and at present there
has been no date set for resuming the program. Members will be
notified and a notice put in the bulletin when we are allowed to
begin serving again.
New members are always welcome. Contact Joyce Moak at
904-504-8312 or [email protected].
Come Home!
Have you been away from the Church?
Have you stopped attending Mass?
Have you missed out on the benefits of the Sacraments?
Please, come home!
We welcome you back!
Here are ways to return:
· Attend Sunday Mass (5:00pm Saturday, 8:15 and 11:00am
Sunday)
· Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Saturday
3:30pm– 4:45 pm or any time by appointment)
· Contact Father Andy with any questions at 282-0439x111 or
email: [email protected]
· Get your questions about the faith answered by attending one
of our Parish programs
· or by checking out this website:
www.catholicscomehome.org
Volume 15, Issue 1Page 13
A Message from the Pastor’s Advisory Team (PAT)
Greetings Fellow Parishioners,
I pray that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. It is
hard to believe that we have been living with
the Cross, Fr. Andy’s weekly message, the Parish Corner, and the
weekly bulletin. Additionally, we reached out to parishioners in an
effort to stay connected and learn how we could help.
Guatemala. Making face masks for clergy, parishioners, and
others in the community. Work done remotely.
· Building&Facilitiesministry:
and adjusting to the Covid-19
All of this required a great deal of effort,
Continue to
work on several
pandemic for almost six months now.
Back in March, when the Covid – 19 shut down was first put into
effect at St. Luke, it was a rather stunning event. There was no
precedent for this situation. There was no forewarning that a total
shut down would occur, and there was not a “shut down” plan. All of
society was in the same situation. In an instant everything just
stopped, and no one was prepared for that. St. Luke is a very
vibrant parish with close to 50 ministries. There are often
multiple events and meetings going on every day. It was very
alarming when suddenly there was nothing, and with no idea of what
the future looked like.
and our clergy and office staff did a remarkable job tirelessly
putting this together on a continual basis.
Then in May came the good news allowing the reopening of the
church for mass.Again, an unprecedented situation. Several meetings
took place and many iterations of the protocol and procedure to
allow parishioners safely back into the church were developed and
examined until one was reached that seemed satisfactory. At the
time it was very strange that reservations were necessary to access
the church for mass. Then the logistics of how to manage the
reservations, set up seating that was compliant with social
distancing, along with creating protocols for entering, seating,
communion, and exit all had to be established.After the church
projects repairing and improving the parish campus.
· American Heritage Girls: Holding virtual meetings that allow
girls to finish badges and earn next rank. Held end of year awards
ceremony.
· Liturgical ministries: Altar servers, greeters, lectors,
ushers, and the music ministry continue to support all liturgical
events.
· Stewardship Committee: Producing the annual stewardship
report.
· Festival Committee: Held several meetings. Have developed
several options to safely put on the fall festival. The course of
the virus over the next month will determine if this event takes
place, and if so, how it with be implemented.
These are just a few instances of how our parish has persevered
and continued
opening plan was finalized, teams of
to help others by
doing God’s work
I think we all thought and hoped
that the shut-down would last a couple or three weeks, and then
everything would come back to normal. When it was apparent that was
not going to happen, an action plan needed to be quickly developed.
At that time, we were in the middle of Lent--Holy Week and Easter
were right around the corner. Therefore, a meeting was called that
included St. Luke clergy, office staff, pastor advisory team
members, and members of our Dynamic parish team. Fortunately, the
technology was already in place to live stream the masses, and it
was decided electronic communication was the primary way to stay
connected to the parishioners. In addition to live streaming the
mass and other liturgical events such as Divine Mercy Chaplet and
Adoration, a series of videos and live streams were produced and
made available on the parish web site or emailed to parishioners,
including Stations of
volunteers for each mass had to be built
to implement and manage the plan. Much thanks to all who
assisted in this endeavor.
Another occurrence during this difficult time that we are happy
to report on is that many other areas of the church remained
active. Many of our ministries continued their good work supporting
the parish and community. Here are some examples:
· Outreach: Since March has held six drive through food
drives.
· Rosary makers: Since March have made over 2111 rosaries that
are distributed nationwide. Work has been done remotely at members
houses.
· Blanket makers: Over 50 blankets done remotely ready for
distribution.
· CCW: Making pillowcase dresses that will go in boxes of joy as
Christmas presents for children in
during these difficult times. There are more. My apologies to
those that I have unintentionally omitted.
Moving forward, with the Lord’s help, we feel prepared to adapt
to challenges as they occur. The PAT is currently calling all
registered parishioners to give you a personal update on parish
activities and offer spiritual support. The PAT is also working
with all ministries to determine the best and safest way to resume
meetings and possibly other activities on the parish campus. Our
main priority is to reach out to our parishioners, keep you
connected to Jesus Christ and the church, and reassure you that our
parish and church family care about you and are here to offer
support. The entire Pastor’s Advisory Team prays for your safety
and health.
May God Bless you. In Christ,
George Ferfecki, PAT Chairman
