August 24, 2023
Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. John’s,
Summer Projects at St. John’s
In addition to the many opportunities to “Gather to Witness” the presence of Christ this summer at SJB, we completed many important projects that support our ministries. This year we completed the following:
- Restriped the east and west parking lots
- Rebuilt the brick planters near Door 1 off the west parking lot
- Replaced the rectory driveway
- Resurfaced the Welcome Desk work surface
- Replaced the Welcome Desk carpet
- Replaced the ceiling tiles in St. Paul Plaza
- Painted the school cafeteria
- Installed three new exterior security cameras on the north side of the school building
- Replaced several sidewalk sections (in process)
- Landscaping around the campus, including new mulch and rock in several locations
- Put the finishing touches on the chapel renovation project, including network wiring for a streaming camera
- Replaced two sets of exterior doors at the school (the flagpole and gym doors)
- Several upgrades in the Youth Room: carpet, paint, door, and flooring in the east room
- Planted 17 trees in our cemetery
- Installed new landscaping curbing in the cemetery
These improvements were in addition to regular ongoing summer maintenance such as cleaning light fixtures, adding outlets, replacing fire repression heads, and a wide variety of cleaning and ongoing maintenance projects. Funding for these projects was from our own maintenance budget for the more routine improvements and our capital reserves for some of the bigger items. We also received grant money for the Youth Room upgrades and school door replacement, in addition to 2022 Wish List gifts for the cemetery trees, landscape curbing, and the school doors. And, the Chapel of the Angels renovation was funded through the generosity of St. John’s parishioners and friends who provided memorial gifts and other contributions, including a special grant for LED lighting to improve energy efficiency in our space. It has been a busy summer, filled with God’s blessings and the generosity of so many people, for which the parish is grateful!
Fiscal Year End: June 30, 2023
Watch a near future bulletin for a financial report on the fiscal year that just ended. Preliminary reports reveal that St. John the Baptist had a strong year financially. Our overall net of revenue over expense (church, school, and preschool) was budgeted to be zero but we ended the year net positive. The year-end financial report will have more commentary and analysis. Thank you all for your generosity to our church and school!
Communal Burial of Cremated Remains
A significant ministry offering of St. John the Baptist Cemetery this year is the offer to bury cremated remains in a communal grave. We are accepting requests for the burial of cremated remains of persons who passed away prior to July 1, 2022 in a communal vault with a committal service by Fr. Paul Shovelain at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 14, 2023. There is no cost to participate in this burial. Contact Mark Dittman, Director of Business Operations, for more information at dittmanm@stjohnnyb.org or 651-633-8333, ext. 1215.
Thank you all for your reliance on prayer, your willingness to grow, and your generous spirit!
Mark Dittman
St. John’s Director of Business Operations