I feel truly blessed to have served as your pastor here at St. Pius X Parish for almost four years now. I deeply appreciate the incredible welcoming spirit, kindness and thoughtfulness of so many members of our parish family. You have helped St. Pius to truly become home for me. You also inspire me with your faithfulness in serving the Lord in so many beautiful and varied ways. I am writing today to update you on some recent, as well as planned projects here at the parish, and to appeal for your help. The loss of Bingo two years ago freed up space in the Parish Life Center (PLC) for more parish programs and events. Last year, we launched our first Grand Annual Appeal to generate additional revenue. Its success showed that parishioners, as a whole, welcomed these developments.
I am writing today to ask for your generosity once again, in support of our SECOND Parish Grand Annual Appeal. Last year, donations to our first Grand Annual Appeal helped us fund essential projects at our parish, enhancing it as an attractive, efficient and welcoming environment. The appeal helped replace roofs on the Rectory, Religious Education Building, and PLC in preparation for our solar panel project. More recently the entire exterior of the PLC was renovated with all the degrading shingles, windows and trim, including the outside columns, being replaced with Cedar Impressions, Andersen Windows, and AZEK trim.
Our solar panel project will help reduce energy costs and promote environmental stewardship. We also replaced the tile floor on the upstairs level of the Religious Ed Building, and replaced all the worn-out chairs in the PLC.
We are currently assessing improvements to our parish parking lots, and hope to renovate the bathrooms in the PLC. While the Cape is a beautiful summer destination, our year-round parishioners, summer residents, and seasonal visitors are all important to our community. St. Pius thrives because of EVERYONE’S presence. Although attendance increases during the summer, please remember that St. Pius operates year-round, and has significant expenses in every season. In fact, winter brings its own set of expenses, not the least of which is heating our several large buildings and plowing / salting our vast parking lots.
Once again, I will kick off our second Grand Annual Appeal with a $500 personal donation. Please join me in being as generous as you are able in donating to this year’s appeal. Our parish will thrive, and has a very bright future, thanks to the love and support of all its households and families. I pray that each of our households will participate, to some degree, with a gift or a pledge to this appeal 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 hope and trust that I can count on your support. I am so grateful that God has led me to walk with you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, and to be part of this blessed St. Pius X Parish family.
Thank you so much for your prayerful consideration of this request.