Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have much for which to be grateful to our Lord. My first year at Sacred Heart has been filled with blessings and gifts from God. Many of you have made the extra effort to support our parish with additional donations during these challenging times. I am deeply grateful for your generosity.

I am writing to you today to ask for your support of the 2021 Grand Annual Appeal.
As we continue to move forward and grow as a community of faith, we do need your further financial support. Your gift to the Grand Annual traditionally has been directed to a major project. Last year, the funds (we raised $28,600) from the Grand Annual Appeal were directed to replacing the heating system and hot water tank in the rectory and replacing the burner in the church furnace to switch to gas for greater efficiency. I am happy to report that these projects were successfully completed, however, due to unexpected expenses, we weren’t able to complete all the projects as originally planned.

One of the main concerns that has been raised to me since I started my pastoral ministry a year ago, is the audio quality of the sound system in the church. I have been told me that it's difficult to hear and understand clearly what is said or read from the altar or the pulpit. As a result, the main goal of this year’s appeal will be replacing the mixer, speakers, amplifiers, microphones, and buffers in the church.

In addition, we would still like to complete last year’s repairs and address a few new structural issues that will ensure that the parish can continue to maintain its physical plant and infrastructure. In particular: repair/maintain the exterior handicap ramp to the rear of the church; repair the stairs from the parking lot to the lower level of the churchyard; replace the cracked floor by the side door to hall on Paris Street; replace a few windows panes in the parish hall so that they can be opened. Currently, all window panes are sealed and they cannot be opened to get fresh air inside the parish hall.

The weekend of October 30thand 31stmarks the kick-off of our Grand Annual Appeal. I’m asking for a total of $43,000 to cover these costs. If each family contributes $300, we would fulfill our financial goal to meet the needs of our aging parish. Understanding the contribution necessary per family and the unique circumstances of all, I ask that we pray on what our own maximum contribution could be to support our faith community. Contributions can be made at once, monthly, or quarterly. You can drop your contribution in the collection box, drop it in the mail, or donate online using the form below.

God has blessed us richly with the gift of a wonderful community of faith. Like donors of the past, who built our church, so too we need your help and financial support to grow toward tomorrow. I sincerely thank you for your willingness to accept the calling to sustain the life and work of Sacred Heart Parish.

Your servant in Christ
Fr. Paolo Cumin   FSCB
Parish Administrator