Weekly THIS AND THAT for November 8, 2009: A New Sign for Our Entrance

This and That:
A New Sign for Our Entrance


It was a young husband and parishioner who came to me with the idea of doing something in gratitude to God for his mother and father-in-law. He and his wife had discussed it and thought is was a great idea. As always I was “all ears,” first that a husband would make such a dramatic offer to express his fondness for his in-laws and second that he was thinking of his parish as the recipient of such a gift. It turned out that he and his wife wanted to donate a new sign with manually changeable letters for the entrance to our campus. For him it was a very tangible and effective way that we could share the good news of our parish and Catholic school with the greater community that passes by our doors every day. To the gift for the sign I was also able to generate some donations to cover the installation, brick and wrought ironwork that would surround the sign and thus integrate it with the rest of the buildings and courtyard of the campus.

The next step, of course, was getting feedback from the respective collegial bodies of the parish. In this regard, the concept was taken to Pastoral Council, Finance Committee, and Parish Corporators and received support from all quarters, especially since the entire cost would be covered by specific donations and no monies would come out of the operating budget, capital campaign funds, or “Paying Down the Debt” weekly green envelopes.

I am grateful to the Facilities Committee and to Doug Kennedy, our parishioner and Civil Engineer, for overseeing the design and construction. The White Construction Company has been hired to do the work. As the diagram clearly shows, the sign has changeable letters and allows for four lines of lettering. It is double-sided and illuminated from within. It will be a wonderful way to keep the community up-to-date regarding functions that are going on, as well as to have statements of general interest. The way the numbers are cut in the first line allows us to easily post either summer or winter Mass schedules. Individual ministries, parish groups, or committees may request an announcement which will all be handled through Elaine Hagner, our Parish Administrator.

The sign was ordered earlier this month and is scheduled for delivery in early November. Once installed, the brick and ironwork will be added. Won’t it be nice to announce Thanksgiving Greetings and our Christmas Schedule and to welcome all to our services?

Finally, our special thanks go to our young husband and wife who wanted to honor his in-laws and her parents in such a significant way. The impact of your generosity will go a long way in getting what is going on at Our Lady of Grace out to passersby.

Fondly,
Father Nicholas