Volunteers are needed to help with the mobile food pantry on Tuesday, September 7 from 5:15 pm to 7:00 pm. Individuals are also needed to help with Supper Club on Tuesday, September 14 from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

If you are interested in volunteering please contact AJ at 913-4415 or email at setteraj@gmail.com

The food and clothing pantry is in need of children’s and men’s clothing. Donations are accepted Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Need to arrange a special drop-off time? Contact AJ at 913-4415.

We remember in a special way the many members of the St. Alphonsus Parish community who designated our capital campaign to receive memorial contributions in their name:

George Amar
Walter Barnowski
Gordon Bueche
Maureen Bueche
Paul Chatel
Jay Demeester,
George Dewey
Leona Douthett
Helen Evans
Terrance Farrey
Marguerite Firlik
Howard Grile
Austina Gruszka
Blaze Gruszka
Robert Hay
Alphonsus Hillary
James Holmes
David Holtzlander
Stanley Jarosz
Martha Jason
Fred Kamp
Deana Kamsickas
Jerome Kamsickas
Mary Kozminski
Patricia Merdzinski
Roger Miller
Patrick O’Brien
Lucy O’Rourke
Al Pack
Lucille Page
Roger Papke
Steve Pokora
Fr. Turk Rooney, C.Ss.R.
Henry Rosloniec
Stella Spetoskey
Robert Stratford
Bob Taylor
Suzanne Tobin
Irene Walenga
Mary Weed
Byron Zeilbeck
Jacqueline Zmudka

The other day I walked out of the back door of the Rectory and there was this group of blue flowers, wide open pointing towards the sun. When I returned a few hours later all of this blue carpet of flowers was gone. Disappeared! As the Rectory blocked the sun, they has re-entered the pods from which they had sprung.

The sunflowers I understood because I had heard of the flowers propensity to follow the sun and I had witnessed this phenomenon. To me, the blue flowers were a great mystery. Other than their magnificent blue color, I know nothing else which presents such a great quandary.

The people of Jesus’ time must have felt the same way. God promised the Israelites a Messiah, but God never fully revealed who or what it would be. They understood all that they saw Christ do, marveled at it and probably even questioned it as to the authority that Christ had. The mundane they could understand, but the spiritual confused them because they did not know who Christ really was.

In certain occasions they were confused by Christ’s power and authority because they did not have the wherewithal to understand Christ. They were expecting a person of authority like a powerful soldier or a dominating ruler. Where could a carpenter’s son get such gifts?

All of my life, I have studied Christ’s life, his actions and his power but never have I fully understood it. It is in faith that I accept our Messiah. It is through our trust in God our Father, and the hope of our life to come that I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. God promised, God fulfilled, and our lives are now based on hope, hope of the spiritual life and the journey to come.

Blessings, Fr. Denis

As we approach the end of August, I get the feeling that summer is coming to an end. That feeling is surely personal but maybe it hits home a bit with you as well. On the one hand, it makes me kind of sad for all the things that I had planned and yet haven’t done. But, on the other hand, I am happy with all that I did accomplish and am so expectant of the things to come.

As a child and then a teenager, I always dreaded the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. I enjoyed the adenture and challenge of learning and being reunited with classmates, but highly disliked the rigidness of being in a classroom while the weather outside was so wonderfully warm and inviting. I wanted to learn and to grow and to be somebody, but I wanted it my way and some how the end of summer was telling me I had to do it someone elses way.

The end of summer, of anything, reminds us of how very human we are. It reminds us of how dependent we are on others and of things we have surrounded ourselves with – both good and bad things. The end of summer also means the beginning of a new time. A time when all is possible again, the mistakes forgotten and the possiblities renewed. The realization that although I didn’t get to do this or that, I can still do this and that. I then begin to look forward at all the wonderfull things that are just around the corner and the fretting of what wasn’t gets lost in the anticipation of newer and hopefully, better things the new season is bringing.

Yes, summer is waning and school and other activities are calling. Life goes on and with it, the challenges beckon us to embrace the living of each day as fully and faithfully as possible. As I hope to embrace the new with faith, I hope that each of you may embrace and be embraced by the faith as well. Have a great end of summer and an even greater beginning of all that comes next.

May God bless the St. Alphonsus family!

Fr. Andy

On behalf of our many volunteers, I am happy to provide you with this update on our campaign status. As you know, we have seen several important improvements take place in recent years through this parish-wide effort.

We should all be very proud of the vital work that has been done to our church building. This includes a new roof, exterior window repairs, tuckpointing to seal the building exterior, new tower roofs, a new lightning protection system, and rebuilt wing walls framing our church entrance. While not all these repairs are visible, they are crucial to maintaining our beautiful spiritual home. In addition, we have received many positive remarks for installation of the much-needed audio amplification system that allows those with hearing impairment to fully participate in liturgies.

Plus, we have completed a few important improvements to the Parish Center—including the painting and refreshing of our cafeteria, and renovation of the restrooms serving the cafeteria.

You will soon be seeing a next round of improvements. We are pleased to announce that the following projects are funded and scheduled for initiation.

This fall we will begin significant work on our grounds and access ways. This will include development of the circle drive that will help unify our campus. This new drive is essential to our master plan to make barrier-free access to all parish facilities a reality. As part of this same project, we will repair our sidewalks and improve the ramps and steps surrounding the church. This work will give an appealing new look to our campus, while providing safer and more accessible entry to our church.

This fall we will also conduct important work on our Parish Center. This includes upgrading our outdated electrical service, as well as a range of needed maintenance and improvements to the Lafayette Street wing—involving installing roof drains, skylights, and new utility meters. This work has three benefits today. First, it provides needed support to protect and ensure the usability of an aging facility. Second, it prepares us to turn over the eastern part of this wing to a new long-term tenant, Catherine’s Health Center. Third, it completes initial improvements that are important to the next stage of our plan—for example, we need to redo the electrical system in this building now so that we can install and operate an elevator in the Parish Center in 2011; and the Lafayette wing improvements are needed to allow us to relocate the Food and Clothing Pantry in the future.

The new projects just described involve about 20 weeks from start to finish. Our goal is to get them initiated in September, so that work is completed early in the new year. This timing will generally coincide with the relocation of Catherine’s Health Center. As you know, the Catherine’s Health Center renovation and move is being funded through a separate, and successful, campaign headed by that organization.

By early next year, we will have a new look and greater vibrancy through work on the grounds and walks surrounding our church as well as through the rebirth of our Lafayette Street wing.

On a lesser but timely note, you will see some overdue tree trimming take place around our parish grounds in the first half of September.

We have more to announce. Through your generosity, we have raised enough money to support two additional projects that will begin in 2011.

One involves creating a new entrance on the west side of the Parish Center. This will be accessible from the circle drive, and will lead to a new elevator. This project also involves new restrooms in needed areas of the building, as well as kitchen improvements. We anticipate this project happening in spring.

The second 2011 project involves improvements to our church interior. As you know, we have made exterior repairs that keep water and wind from damaging our interior, and we need to proceed with repairing and refreshing our walls. This maintenance and painting will take place in the fall of next year.

The projects I have just identified have been made possible by the efforts of everyone in this parish community. We know that all are supporting this campaign with their prayers and encouragement, and that over 550 individuals and families have already given or pledged their support. Through these contributions, together with moneys from our Foundation and Endowment and from special fundraisers such as Auction, we have campaign resources totaling nearly two million dollars. This is a remarkable achievement—especially in a time of such economic distress.

As additional moneys are raised, we will schedule other projects in our master plan. First among these items is the relocation of the Food and Clothing Pantry to the remaining space in the Lafayette Street wing. We would love to be in position to conduct this project in 2011, although we are not yet able to make this commitment financially.

The information I am reading to you now is available on our parish website, along with additional content about the capital campaign. We appreciate your patience in listening to this update, and your understanding regarding the reality that identifying the best way to proceed with the next projects in our master plan has taken time and effort, and has involved altering the sequence of activities that we had projected last year.

Most of all, we appreciate your continued support for this campaign, and your confidence and participation in helping connect legacy to future at St. Alphonsus Parish.

Fr. Denis Ryan, C.Ss.R.

Completed Projects and Upcoming Schedule

A parish of our size requires the help of many people. When you look around at a parish picnic, it becomes very evident that those gathered, by giving generously of their time and talent to staff the various parish organizations, make the parish “click”.  The presence of the parishioners just enjoying themselves and one another shows their commitment and willingness  to be there for one another and to be active participants in the Parish Family.

To me, the Parish Picnic is a reflection of the life of the parish family day in and day out, year in and year out.  Have a great time and hope to see you there!

Fr. Bernie Carlin, C.Ss.R.

Sincerely, Aaron L. Meszaros, C.Ss.R.