 A Message From Rev. Richard Mangini
Dear Friends in Christ,
Since coming to St. Bonaventure as Pastor in 1996, I have witnessed a dynamic faith community filled with devoted, caring people. Worship, outreach, and ministry are alive through the spirit of the dedicated parishioners who make St. Bonaventure a true community of Catholic faith.
This is also a place that has been on an extraordinary journey for the past nine years. Knowing that our portables were past their prime and needed to be replaced, a group of dedicated parishioners along with an architect, developed a Master Plan for the property. The centerpiece of this plan was to be a K-8 parochial school. However, both the City of
Concord and the Town of Clayton, along with some of our neighbors, forced us to make many costly revisions to the plans and required that we incur other major expenses. These included the installation of two traffic lights on Clayton Road, a new entrance to the church property, and a new transformer, before we could move forward with a school. They were also going to require a multi-million dollar Sound Wall around the entire property. Before getting to the point of building the Sound Wall, the Diocese asked the parish to re-examine the viability of a new parochial school in the area. In recent years, the number of school-aged children has declined. Other area schools are no longer filled to capacity, and the days of long waiting lists are over. These changes in demographics made us realize that a parochial school was no longer a viable option.
However, we still are in desperate need of new classrooms and meeting space to replace our decrepit portables. Because of the dire condition of these portables, replacing them must be our top priority now. The portables will be coming down after Bible Camp this summer. This will leave us without enough meeting space for Religious Education, Adult Education, and all of the other ministries that use the portables now, until we can build a replacement for them.
Fortunately, with the property upgrades/improvements that we were required to make in the last few years, we have already gotten approval for revised building plans. These plans include a new Education Center and the necessary expansion and redesign of parking lot areas to accommodate new construction.
The revised plans also include a new Ministry Resource Center. With so many ministries and programs, we have staff and volunteers scattered everywhere (sometimes anywhere they can find), at times trying to minister to and counsel parishioners in public or shared space. A new Ministry Resource Center would greatly enhance our ability to serve parishioners and to provide an environment and facilities for staff and volunteers that is conducive to collaboration and service. I personally feel very strongly about the need for such a facility.
We must now move forward with faith and determination to complete this building project. Therefore, we are immediately launching a capital campaign with a minimum goal of $3.1 million for the new Education Center and Parking Lot Areas, and a challenge goal of an additional $1.1 million for the new Ministry Resource Center (see Project Costs).
While I know that many of you have already given generously toward the previous building project and subsequent property upgrades, it will take all of us to complete this revised project through, what I intend to be, the last capital campaign here for many years to come. Every member of St. Bonaventure will be asked to make a meaningful pledge to this campaign. Of course, in order to raise significant dollars, everyone will be challenged to give sacrificially above and beyond their regular support. That is why I am asking you to give prayerful consideration to one of the gift plans listed in this brochure.
Our campaign is called Forward in Faith, Completing Our Journey because we, as a parish family, must move forward in faith as we strive to complete the journey that this building project, with all of its challenges and changes, has taken us on for the past several years. It is through faith that we will continue to strengthen and grow as a parish community.
I invite you to help us complete this journey together, and I am grateful to you for your prayerful and financial support.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Richard Mangini, Pastor
|
