Dear Parish Family, 
As we move deeper into our Easter season, we have some exciting initiatives and news in today's bulletin with updates on the new St. Mary's rectory build and sponsorship items and Parish Council nominations. Read on!
 
New St. Mary Rectory Update and Sponsorships
I announced in the March 3 bulletin that we have chosen Payne & Payne to build the new rectory at St. Mary Parish. Since then, Payne & Payne has been conducting site and soil surveys and working with me to finalize design options for the build. The new rectory will have four suites to make space for a Pastor, Parochial Vicar, retired priest, and a seminarian or guest priest. The new rectory will be built on the southeast plot of land where the old convent used to be, on the corner of North St. and the south school drive. You may have seen that area staked and utility lines flagged this past month. I will share the final design and construction costs once this information becomes available. Visit https://stmarychardon.org/new-rectory-project for more details and updates.
  
While the construction of the new rectory is already fully funded through the generosity of St. Mary parishioners and the future sale of the current St. Mary rectory, I invite you to consider some wonderful rectory sponsorship opportunities that will help cover some ancillary costs of the rectory beyond construction. Whether it's sponsoring a stained-glass window, dedicating a room, or having an inscription on a chapel prayer plaque in honor or in memory of a loved one, there are many opportunities through these sponsorships to further your family's legacy and support our priests serving at St. Patrick's. Please reach out to me if you would like to meet to discuss various sponsorships and gifts. Sponsorships are limited and will be given on a first come first served basis, so please don't wait to let me know if you are interested. Thank you for your support and prayers for this exciting rectory build!
 
Parish Council and Finance Council Recruitment
Please read the notifications below on Parish Council and Finance Council to learn more about what these Councils do for our parish, and how you or a fellow parishioner you know might be called to serve on one of the Councils. Our Parish Council will be engaged in a nomination process over the next few weeks. I also look forward to hearing if you or a parishioner you know with the requisite skills would have an interest in serving on Finance Council.
 
Parish Council Nominations
Parish Council is a consultative body to the Pastor on major parish initiatives and parish planning. Members are representative of the various ages and ministries at the parish, are active parishioners, and are supportive of the faith and morals of the Catholic Church. We will have nomination forms available the weekend of April 20-21 for two weeks in the pews and near the suggestion box at the back of church. If selected for membership, the nominee would commit to serving on Parish Council for three years, attend 6 Wednesday evening meetings each year, be responsive to email communications, and maintain confidentiality. If interested in serving on Parish Council, please prayerfully consider nominating yourself or asking a fellow parishioner if you could nominate him or her.  As Pastor, I will make the final determination of Parish Council appointments after considering the recommendations of Parish Council members for which nominees would best represent the interests of the parish.
 
Finance Council Interest
Finance Council is a consultative body advising the Pastor regarding the administration of parish temporal goods. Members are reputable and qualified persons from the parish community, active in parish life and supportive of the faith and morals of the Catholic Church, chosen based on demonstrable skills or expertise in business management and finance, law, accounting, engineering, construction, education, and related professional fields. Finance Council members serve three-year terms which are renewable based on the discretion of the Pastor. If interested in serving on Finance Council, please prayerfully consider reaching out to me to discuss membership. Finance Council members commit to attending 4 Wednesday evening meetings annually, being responsive to email communications, and maintaining confidentiality.

I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow