Congratulations! We are debt free! As of the end of July the Catholic Community of St. Jude made its final payment on the money that was borrowed from the Diocese of Lansing in 2017 to construct our new offices, classrooms, music room, elevator, chapel, and gathering space.
Our thanks to everyone who has been participating in our Witness to Hope Campaign. Thanks to you, over the past four-and-a-half years, we raised almost $1,670,00 for our new facilities and supported the mission of the diocese with just over $467,000. That is outstanding! Thanks to Fr. Bob, our parish leaders, the parish Building Committee, our parish staff, and all our Witness to Hope donors, our parish and its members are stepping into the future with wonderful facilities.
But there is more good news! We are in a great position to do even more. We have another six months to our Witness to Hope Campaign. Every additional dollar that comes into Witness to Hope comes back to our parish to be used for further facility improvements. Things like repairing our Baptismal Font, perhaps installing a new church sound and projection system, and addressing our aging parking lot.
With this is mind, I would like to encourage everyone to continue to pay on their campaign pledges. If you have fulfilled your pledge or, perhaps, never made a pledge, and would like to make an additional gift to the parish, please do! You may do so by going to https://donate.dioceseoflansing.org/WTH/witness-to-hope-donations, or contacting Laurie, at our (new) parish offices.
I have been enjoying my new office. I am looking forward to growing in faith with you and all our families as we begin the new school year. I, again, thank you for your Witness to Hope gifts, your ongoing donations to the parish, and everything you do as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ in the Catholic Community of St. Jude.
-Fr. Dave