Letter from the Pastor
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sept. 25, 2023

It’s Always Something, Part 2.

Remembering Roseanne Roseannadanna from last weekend here are a few more “things” to share with you.

For those who attend St. Francis Church, or at least driven by the church, you could not help but notice that the gardens around the church and the center have been redone. The entrance to the Aquatic Center had been neglected for so long. It was so overgrown and was in need of a good overhaul. The confirmation for that was after many of the overgrown plants were removed someone asked me when we got the statue of St. Francis in front of the pool. I smiled and said that it had been there for almost 20 years. The gardens around the church had also became crowded and overgrown that the decision was made to rework those gardens as well. The irrigation system at the church had served its last sprinkle. Parts of it worked but most of it didn’t so that was upgraded and or replaced. We never had an irrigation system around the Aquatic Center so one was installed there as well.

I would like to thank Paul Chambers along with Willie and John Paul Grundy for their care of the church gardens for so many years. Willie and JP followed their father’s lead. Jack Grundy worked the gardens for many years before his health prevented him from continuing. Thank you Paul, Willie, JP, and Jack for the countless hours spent working in our gardens.

A thanks is also needed for Lisa and Bill Tyson and Joe and Lorri D’Orsi for their work in the garden project here in Brant Beach. They have worked closely with Reynolds, Island Irrigation, and me to make sure this project would add that graceful beauty to our church and center. I cannot thank them enough for the time and talent they have contributed to this project. We have always had a wonderful relationship with Reynolds Landscaping, Garden Shop & Garden Center. They are always very good to us but I have to say that they really went above and beyond for this project. My thanks to Luke Reynolds, Brian, and their incredible “foreman,” Lupe. Lupe knows his plants. He know what will thrive on the island and what will not. Thank you also to Francis and Island Irrigation for their great work and help with this project. They too have offered us nothing but the best.

Finally, we will also be updating the gardens at the Beach Haven Church. When we sold the old St. Thomas Church my only request was that we keep the copper crosses on the top of the building. The next project will be to create a garden memorial to the faithful people who built and prayed in the original St. Thomas Church for over half a century. We will be incorporating one of the crosses in the garden to remember those who came before us and did what they did so we could be where we are today. Our prayers of thanksgiving are raised for the thousands of faithful men and women, both in Beach Haven and Surf City – the first Catholic Churches on the island - who created the foundation of our Catholic presence here today. May they all know the great reward of eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

It’s always something and it is also very good. May God continue to bless us with Peace and All Good!