Next Sunday: Twenty Fourth  Sunday in Ordinary Time      Celebrant:  Fr. Tharp       

I offer apology that this article may not be as up to date as usual.  The deadline for copy to the printers is eleven days prior the published Sunday.

Demolition of the Old Convent at St. Ann

Before the old rectory at St. Ann was renovated into the parish office building, the parish offices were housed in the old parish convent.  The decision to move the parish offices to the renovated space in the rectory building was necessitated by the failure of the heating system in the convent.  The hot water system functioned with pipes running through the walls of the convent to convectors.  Virtually all the piping had deteriorated and was leaking inside the walls.  Only about 33% of the building was used for offices.  Another 33% are storage garages dedicated to parish maintenance storage as well as festival storage.  The final 33% is the second floor of the convent consisting of multiple small nun cells (bedrooms each the size of a closet) with a bathroom in-between.  This was the sleeping area for the religious sisters.  It has been abandoned and unlivable since the nuns left teaching at St. Ann.  To replace all the piping and install a new hot water boiler would cost around three quarters of a million dollars.  The windows are all non-functional with sever leaks. The roof would have had to be replaced for hundreds of thousands of dollars.  The electrical system was antiquated.  Much of the plumbing is non-functional.   A forced air system could not be used as there is no ducting.  By analogy, the convent was like paying maintenance for a ten foot bed ton and a half truck when all you needed was a two seat economy car to commute to work. 

We examined the possibility of renting the building to an eleemosynary group, but the best scenario rent versus maintenance numbers showed the rent would be less than half the projected cost of maintenance.  As my property manager at the Archdiocese used to tell me, “Buildings eat while they sleep.”  The problem is that the parish has been paying the cost to feed it, or said another way has been deferring maintenance, that is failing to feed it as it was starving to death. 

The Archdiocese is self-insured for property and casualty.  The Archdiocese buys essentially high deductible reinsurance as a stop-loss measure.  As these reinsurers see abandoned buildings like the old convent on their list of our assets, St. Ann became less of a good risk.  Thus, about a year ago, the Archdiocese offered to pay St. Ann the cost of demolition in order to eliminate the risk.  Parish Council has approved every step of the process.  The City of Hamilton has now issued the proper permits.  Demolition is scheduled to begin the day after Labor Day.  It should be completed in or around six weeks.  Please bear with us through the inconvenience. 

Please remember that for St. Ann as a partner with Sacred Heart in the new parish family of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, this removal of an unused abandoned building makes the St. Ann campus far more efficient.  The fact that the Archdiocese is willing to pay the bill to make our operation more efficient tells me that the experts foresee a bright future for both the St. Ann and Sacred Heart campuses as we move to complete the Beacons of Light process and form one parish in two locations.  I know it sounds simplistic, but it is a “win…win for everybody.”  

Beacons of Light: Phase Three:  “Culture”

The next step in the Beacons process is to identify and lift up the various cultural adaptations that have evolved in each unique parish and determine how these can be incorporated into and maintained for the combined “Family of Parishes.”  More to come!

DO NOT FALL FOR SCAMS!!!!

I keep running this article because there are new scams everyday

Remember I NEVER solicit funds, donations, favors, or any request of any kind over the telephone, text, email, carrier pigeon, drone, etc.   NEVER!  Do not allow yourself to be taken in by scammers.  Even if they have my recorded voice, be assured it is computer generated fake!  It is not me!!!  

Reminder for volunteers who work with or around children

Please be aware that failure to register with and complete the requirements of Safe Parish will result in your inability to continue to work with or around children in any parish and/or school setting.  We have been informed by the Archdiocese that there can be NO EXCEPTIONS.

Live Streaming for Precept Masses

Please remember to access the Sacred Heart / St. Ann Pastoral Region You Tube site by clicking on the following link:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVLLqbEY5hKWinwz069MVcg

Reflection on Scripture:

Today’s gospel tells the delightful story of Jesus healing the deaf man.  But what teaching can be derived from the story?   As is always the case, Jesus is not showing off when he performs the miracle.  Jesus is showing us what the first reading implies, namely that if we see with the eyes of faith; we have vision.  If we hear with ears atoned to faith in Jesus, we understand truth.  Like a child staring through binoculars given to him by his father; God gives us the power to comprehend eternity.  And we find eternity in Jesus Christ. 

But remember that our vested interests may cloud the lens.  Thus, we must surrender to God’s gift of faith to clear the fog of self-interest from our vision.  Clarity happens when we abandon personal convenience in favor of accepting God’s way.  Otherwise, we are using God’s gift of vision in a way that resembles looking through the binoculars backwards.  The secular world may encourage us to look through the binoculars of faith backwards!  They say, “It’s fun!”  Their reversal of God’s view makes Heaven look far….far away. 

NEXT SUNDAY  Twenty Fourth  Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 50:4c-9a

Jas 2:14-18

Mk 8:27-35

Theme:  Can a human really think as God thinks?