Capitol Campaign
Fr. Francis Di Spigno, OFM,
Pastor
Toward the end of his life, St. Francis gave a wonderful admonition to his followers in the 13th Century. It is also quite
relevant to us today. As he lay dying, he said, “The Lord has taught me what was mine to do, may He teach you what is yours to do.”
Over the past 4 ½ years, I have been sharing with you that our buildings and infrastructure need great repair. As you know, buildings take a beating on Long Beach Island. The wind is relentless. The salt water that surrounds us has a way of getting into the air and eating away at everything metal. The flooding has now become the norm rather than the exception. Years of the Mother Nature’s punishment and little preventative maintenance has led us to where we are now. It quickly became very clear to me “what is ours to do” if we want St. Francis of Assisi Parish and Center to continue to be an anchor to the community on LBI and Southern Ocean County.
We have addressed the issues that had the potential to be life threatening. Now we need to address the issues that are not as serious but over the long term would be just as serious. With four churches, the Center, Friary and Convent, there are a lot of issues to be addressed. We have handicap ramps that need to be replaced, major repointing work to be done on all four of our brick buildings, and the lifting of the tile floor in the Brant Beach church is a great concern to me. These are just a few of the issues on the list.
There are other projects that I would like to include while we are doing such major repairs. For example, the bathrooms in the church halls in Beach Haven, Brant Beach, and Surf City are over 60 years old. The wooden doors, with dead bolt locks, neither keep the cold air out in the winter nor the air-conditioned air in during the summer. I also believe that a lobby at the south transept entrance and exit to St. Francis Church would be a great addition. When those winds come barreling up from the south and someone opens the door the bulletins go flying and everyone gets a chill. A new lobby with a more accessible entrance is also on the wish list for the parish upgrades.
Over the past few years, we have become much more
financially stable. Part of that stability comes from the
parish endowment that was created when we sold some of our properties. The original intention of that endowment was to assure the sustainability of the parish, especially when we needed to address major projects and repairs. It is to that end that the Parish Finance Council and I agree that we must not touch the principal of that endowment for these repairs but to begin the process of a potential capitol campaign.
In the coming days, we will begin a pre-campaign study that will help us to determine how to move forward. On the suggestion and recommendation of the Parish Finance Council, we have engaged Ruotolo Associates to facilitate the
pre-campaign study. Ruotolo Associates Inc. of Ridgewood, New Jersey, is a national firm with 45 years of experience working with Catholic churches.
The study will assist us in determining the best plan of
action to proceed with the proposed projects. Every parish family will have an opportunity to participate in the
pre-campaign study. Ruotolo Associates will be conducting personal interviews, focus groups, and a survey to gather your thoughts and feedback. I encourage everyone to participate when called upon – your opinions are very important to us as we look to the future. A high participation rate is extremely important in determining the next steps. The study will begin in June. This weekend’s bulletin insert is a FAQ page on the pre-campaign study and Ruotolo Associates. We hope this will help you better understand the methodology and timetable for this process.
I want to thank you in advance for your help during this pre-campaign study. This will be a great help to us to
determine how to accomplish “what is our ours to do.”
I will continue to share information with you and keep you posted as the study progresses.
Peace and All Good.
Fr. Francis Di Spigno, OFM
Pastor
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