November 1

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

For any of us who have achieved a certain age in life, we know that our bodies change as time goes by. Maybe not so quick to get out of chairs or waking up and discovering aches and pains that weren’t there the night before, or the ever-fun experience of tweaking a muscle just by moving in a certain way; all wonderful things to discover as we get older. Well, the same aging process happens with buildings too. If you have a chance to read the annual Stewardship Report that’s available and look at the projects completed, you may realize that our beloved St. Charles (and all its wonderful facilities) is also starting to get up there in years. There’s nothing wrong

with that, but I do think it’s important to acknowledge reality, especially as we consider the financial stewardship of the parish.

A really good example of what I’m talking about is with the ovens up in McCusker Hall. Some of us might not even realize that we have them, but if you’ve ever enjoyed a Pancake Breakfast, or certain foods at the Carnival, or been here for lunch during the school day, you’ve benefitted from them. Unfortunately, they’ve seen better days. And over the summer, they finally gave up the ghost, and they could not be fixed and needed to be replaced. Since they’re the original ovens/stoves that were put in when the building was built, at 60+ years, they really don’t owe us anything. And so, over the last several months, we’ve been working on replacing this equipment with new ones (that I hope will also last for 6 decades). Replacing them should be pretty easy, right? If only!

Again, given the age of the building and the equipment, it’s not quite so straightforward. The ovens aren’t the standard size of today, meaning they also don’t fit well through doorways. There isn’t a one-for-one replacement, even for their function, and we’re now going from 3 ovens with 2 stovetops and a griddle, to 2 ovens and stovetops, and a griddle with a stand for it. And for every step forward in this process, there seems to have been a sidestep too, but we are finally getting to the point where it’ll all be settled.

I’m tremendously grateful for the former and current staff here at St. Charles for their work over the years in keeping our facilities up and running and beautiful. I get such wonderful feedback from Diocesan staff when they come to visit about how well everything is and is maintained. But please know, my dear parishioners, that when there’s something to be done or fixed or replaced, it’s rarely a straightforward process of going out and just getting a new one. It’s the joy of an aging building. And so, thanks for your support, your help, and your patience when it comes to the upkeep of our beautiful parish!

Peace and Goodness,

Fr. Dan