SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, MAY 10, 2026

Over the past decade or so, I have come to appreciate Psalm 55. In the first few lines of this Psalm we read, "with all my troubles I cannot rest". I began to appreciate this prayer when I was provincial minister, major superior of our Capuchin Province. It seemed in those days that problems followed problems. I tried my best to entrust my cares to God. Later in Psalm 55 we read, "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you".

What are my cares and troubles now? Overall things are going well at Saint John's and Holy Redeemer, but for each of my church communities, there are troubles and cares. At Holy Redeemer, I have to worry about our school enrollment. At Saint John's, there are money worries. Please read here about our financial woes at Saint John's.

Capital Project: Upon my arrival in August 2022, I learned that 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. At first the estimates were that this project would cost $900,000. Since then the architects and project manager have studied the problems and have now concluded that the project will cost more than $2 Million, a sum we simply cannot afford.

Our capital campaign has been successful, actually more than I expected. Here is a report as of May 1:

Ordinary donations: $373,820
Large donations: $825,000
Historic Preservation Fund: $50,000
All cash received plus pledges: $1,248,820

Of the money received, $500,000 came from one donor, a friend of mine and a parishioner of Holy Redeemer. He has never visited Saint John's, but has made an amazing donation. All together, the other Holy Redeemer parishioners have donated well over $100,000. $200,000 came from an estate, money not actually given for the Capital Campaign. Our Saint John's parishioners and friends have made sacrificial donations for which I am grateful.

Despite all of these generous donations, we are still far from having the money needed to do this project. I have asked our architects and project manager to look at the project to bring down the cost. There are some ideas emerging, but I am still concerned about this project. Our team is considering not replacing the deteriorating deck, but filling in the basement below the deck so that the deck is supported from below. This may save several hundred thousand dollars. We have to do something because Saint John's can't survive without electricity and air conditioning, especially electricity.

What can we do if we can’t raise the money?

Saint John's Historic Preservation Fund

This fund was set up to assure that we can make repairs necessary to keep our church beautiful and well maintained. I am amazed that this fund has grown to $635,506. We have made repairs that could have been covered by this fund, but we have not used the fund, but were able to pay for repairs from current income. We did withdraw $50,000 as the initial seed money for our capital campaign. This Fund is available to pay for the shortfall in our capital campaign. I had hoped that we would not need this money, but it seems that we will need some of it, if not all. Also, we are expecting several hundred thousand dollars from another estate. The problem with tapping our Historic Preservation Fund and the expected estate is that Saint John's won't have a reserve to fall back on in the days to come.

Saint John's Parish Debt

Let's not forget that Saint John's also has a significant debt. Some years ago and for several years, Saint John's could not pay its insurance bills to the Archdiocese and had to borrow from the Archdiocese. Moreover, around 2008, Saint John's borrowed money to repair its bell towers. In the past several years, we have paid down our debt quite a lot, from well over $1 Million to now $651,072. During fiscal year 2024-25, we paid $50,000. We have to keep paying this debt until it is paid off, but there is no pressure to pay it all soon.

Recent Bills

Of course, we spend money for staff, repairs, utilities and all the rest to keep Saint John's open. Here are some recent bills, just to illustrate the cost of operating our church:

Heat for the month of April: $6,239
Monthly rent paid to Connelly Center: $2,617
Cost to turn on the AC for the summer: $2,150
Supplies (trash bags, paper towels, etc): $1,367
Hiring an electrician for planned PECO outages: $6,700

Despite all this, we are able to pay all of our current bills, including salaries, from our annual donations and weddings. Our weddings are a beautiful ministry to young Catholics and are an investment in the future of the Church, but they also bring in about $130,000-$140,000 each year. Without weddings, Saint John's could not survive.

Most of our parishioners are already generous. We do need money to keep Saint John's alive and vibrant, but I know that many of those reading these words are already doing all that they can. Of course, if you can do more, please help. And please pray. I do believe Psalm 55, that God really will bear our burdens and help us in our need.

Brother Luke will soon be Father Luke

Brother Luke was approved for ordination to the priesthood on June 6 in Pittsburgh. All are invited to travel to attend. Brother Luke will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving at Saint John's on Sunday, June 14 at 10:30 AM with a reception to follow. Brother Luke has been a wonderful addition to our Saint John's community this past year. We wish him every blessing as he begins his ministry as a Catholic priest. I am also happy to announce that Brother Luke has been assigned to St. John's parish.

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