Before the Thank Yous
Fr. Francis Di Spigno, OFM,
Pastor
Letter from the Pastor
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 15, 2023
Before the Thank Yous
Last weekend was a very busy weekend here at St. Francis, and many people need to be thanked, but first, I must ask that we continue to pray for peace in our world, especially in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. The events of this past week have been horrific. War is always humanity at its worst. Let us pray for an end to all wars and the inspiration to end our conflicts and divisions with anything other than war and violence toward one another.
I have reached out to Rabbi Michael Jay, the spiritual leader of the Jewish Community Center of Long Beach Island, and expressed our support and prayer for them, for Israel, and for all those effected by these heinous attacks. In response to these attacks, Rabbi Jay sent a wonderful message to his community. I invite you to read it along with a letter from a member of JCC of LBI congregation who was so moved by the reaction of the runners in the 18 Mile Run. Both can be found on our webpage or our other social media outlets. We pray this war ends quickly and that a true and lasting peace may be found.
Despite the horrors of war, I do have to offer a great thank you to so many people. This past weekend was a blockbuster with The Spaghetti Dinner, our annual Car Raffle and the 12 K & 18-Mile Run!
Thank you to Lorri and Joe D’Orsi, their great kitchen crew and fabulous waiters. If you want to reach your 10,000 steps/day, wait tables at the Spaghetti Dinner! If you need the steam room, sign up for the kitchen! As we would expect, the meal was incredible! The spaghetti, meatballs, and sausage were delicious. Thank you to Olive Garden who provided the salad and their famous dressing and to Pietro's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria for the donation of the bread. Delicious!! The next time you are in the Olive Garden or Pietro’s, please thank them for their wonderful support of St. Francis Parish! Thank you to everyone who donated a dessert or beverage to fill out this great meal. It could not have been better! We did sell out again, so next year we may have to have outdoor seating!
Thank you to Marie Maslanka for coordinating our annual Car Raffle and her merry band of faithful friends who wrote out many ticket for those sold online or mailed in AND folded all of them … do the math … 3500 x 5 tickets. That’s a lot folding! Thank you Rosemarie Kunzs, Peggy Talbot, Arlene Padova, Ann Rodier, Marlene Siegle, Stephanie Garofalo, Janice Hritz, and Marlene Volaric. Thank you, Keel Agency for all of the help with our online sales and social media advertising. God bless you all!
Finally, thank you everyone who purchased a chance to win a car! Your support is greatly appreciated. The lucky winners of our 2023 Car Raffle are:
Kia Forte – Chris Konarski, of Middletown, NY and Beach Haven West
Kia Seltos – Anthony Travisano, of Waretown, NJ
Kia K5 – The Van Liews, of Ship Bottom, NJ
Dodge Ram - Sharon Jackowicz, of Philadelphia, PA
Jeep – Bill and Lisa Tyson, of Long Beach Twp, NJ
An extra thank you to Bill and Lisa Tyson who graciously donated the Jeep back to the parish. I told them that I think I would look great behind the wheel of that Jeep!
Thank you, Colleen Yerves, our Director of Recreation and the Aquatic Center and all of the staff and volunteers that coordinated the 12K & 18-Mile Run. Thanks to our Long Beach Township Beach Patrol and the Beach Haven, Surf City, and Barnegat Light First Aid Squads who were on standby, just in case. Thank you to all of the Police Departments on Long Beach Island for your support and help during the race. It is no easy task coordinating all the drivers on LBI, never mind putting almost 900 runners on the boulevard too! And thank you to our runners for participating in the 2023 12K & 18-Mile Run. Each and everyone one of you are great examples of determination and possibilities. We can do many things if we put our mind to it. We can do a lot more than we think we can. May God continue to bless all of us with the courage and grace to keep running the good race and may all of our efforts bring a deeper and more profound peace to our world.
Fr. Francis J. Di Spigno, OFM
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