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The deadline for each bulletin column is usually Wednesday. That means that we submit the bulletin for the coming weekend (May 10-11) on Wednesday, May 7, the day of the opening of the Conclave to elect our new Pope. It is likely that by the time you read this column, we will have a new Pope. Habemus Papam! And it is possible, probably unlikely, that the Conclave is still in process and that we are still waiting for a Pope.

The Cardinals who gather to elect the Pope all have the best interests of the Church in their hearts and all pray for a wise and holy Pope. Yet they don’t all agree on which man should be Pope. Jesus established the office of Pope when he entrusted Peter with the “keys of the kingdom”, declaring that what Peter bound on earth would be bound in heaven and what Peter loosed on earth would be loosed in heaven. It was the plan of God that the leadership of the Church be entrusted to one man. The Pope is the successor of Peter.

Jesus promised that the Church would endure to the end of time, that the gates of hell would never prevail against the Church. The Church is protected by God.

Yet the Church exists in time. It is subject to the vagaries of human history and sin. Church leaders sometimes fail. And outside forces attack the Church. Yet the Church continues its mission.

The Cardinals who elect the Pope are human beings. They sin and they repent. They are wise and foolish and they have honest differences of opinion. God works with our humanity to shepherd and protect the Church.

Jesus entrusts the Pope with incredible responsibility and He also give the Pope the grace of the office of the papacy. A good Catholic respects the Pope and seeks wisdom in the Pope’s teaching.

As I write today, I don’t know who the Pope will be. But I do know that he will be the successor of Peter and I also know that I will give to him respect and obedience.

Saint John’s May Crowning

May is the month of Mary. We will hold a May crowning and procession on Mother’s Day, May 11, after the 10:30 Mass. Plan on joining with our parish family to honor the Mother of God and to seek her intercession.

Capital Campaign Report

Saint John Church must make essential repairs to our electrical system, upper church air conditioning and deteriorating patio which houses our mechanical systems. Saint John’s can’t function without these systems. Please see our website for more information on our capital campaign.

As of April 28

• Ordinary donations: $214,124
• Pledges: $31,000 
• Total: $245,124
  total (ordinary donations and pledges). 
• Large donations: $675,000 
• Cash already received (excluding pledges): $889,124
• All cash received plus pledges: $920,124 

This is a difficult time in our capital campaign in that most donors already made large and small donations and so new donations are coming in slowly. Our project is going to cost more than $1,000,000. The latest estimates are that the cost will be $1,400,000, much more than we anticipated. We still need everyone to make a generous and sacrificial donation.

I am also turning my attention to the project itself and am meeting with advisors, architects and engineers. Given the success of our campaign (we still need your help!), I hope that we can do the project in the late summer or more likely, the Fall of this year.

This week ...

From the Pastor' Desk