A Lenten Invitation to Care for our Parish Home
Dear Parishioner,
Over the past eight months, it has been an amazing blessing to serve as your pastor here at Saint Eleanor. I am deeply grateful for your warm welcome and for the vibrant spirit of faith, generosity, and trust that thrives in our parish. Together, we continue the mission entrusted to us by Jesus.
As part of my responsibility, I have been working closely with our Finance Council to better learn and understand the practical needs of our parish. Together, we have identified several significant priorities that require immediate attention:
- Deferred maintenance projects are essential to the safety, functionality, upkeep, and long-term care of our parish campus. These needs were not included in our current operating budget, yet most are time-sensitive and cannot be delayed
- A notable deficit in Sunday collections due to snowstorms (Dec. 13-14; Jan. 17-18; and Jan. 25) has left a considerable gap in parish income.
The total cost of high-priority items is $111,500.00. (See below).
Lent is a season that calls us to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving – a time to renew our trust in the Lord and our commitment to one another. In that spirit, I invite you to participate in our Lenten Appeal to help us meet these important needs. This appeal is not about obligation, but about shared stewardship and love for the parish we call home.
I ask you to prayerfully consider how you might support this effort, according to your ability and in whatever way God leads you. Every gift, no matter the size, is meaningful, and all contributions will go directly to these necessary needs. Any surplus will be held in reserve for the prospective installation of a new audio system for the Church.
To make a gift please use the enclosed envelope that was sent to homes and deposit it in the basket on Sunday, click the link below or scan the QR Code:
Most of all, I ask your prayers for our parish, our shared mission, and for our listening to God’s call.
Thank you for your dedication to our amazing parish, and your trust. May this Lenten Season draw us closer to Christ and to one another.
Gratefully in Christ,
Msgr. J. Brian Bransfield
Pastor
Critical Deferred Maintenance Projects:
- Repairs and drain work for our parking lots: $25,800.00.
- New fire alarm system for the Church and the parish office buildings: $18,000.00.
- Outside lighting to illuminate a section of our parish roadway that intersects two critical crosswalks: $8,300.00.
- Painting the Sacristy, Music Room, and Machinery Room: $7,000.00.
- Installation of stair railings on either side of the main altar: $2,500.00
- Two defibrillators, with child paddles, one for Vianney Hall and one for Kateri Hall: $2,400.
- Snow removal costs that have exceeded our current budget: $10,400.00.
- Preventative removal of dead trees and removal of fallen trees (With so many beautiful woods around our campus we are probably the only Church in the Archdiocese that needs a separate budget line for trees!): $5,000.00.
- Other miscellaneous deferred maintenance for security, operations, and special cleaning: $9,400.00.
Deficit in Sunday Collections due to Snowstorms:
- Snow affected attendance at Mass, which impacted three separate Sunday Collections (Dec. 13-14; Jan. 17-18; and January 25) for a total of $22,700 in decreased donations compared to proximate Sundays.
