What a Week!

Jul 12

Letter from the Pastor
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, July 14, 2024

What a Week!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who helped make the Festival of the Sea 2024 such a huge success! It was a great week…crazy… but great!! When Campy's Amusements told us that the only week they were available was the week of the 4th of July I think everyone on the committee gasped. … Really? You want to add even more chaos and upheaval to LBI’s busiest week of the year? After the initial shock wore off, we began to think it through. Immediately someone asked, “How could we ever get enough volunteers to help during that week?” That would be too much to ask of the community, was the thought. [A few assumptions were made as to why that was the only week available.] Then a suggestion rose from the table and said, “Why not ask the volunteers and see what they have to say?” So, last July I emailed all the volunteers and asked if they would be willing to help during the week of the 4th of July. Once again, the community at St. Francis of Assisi Parish rose to the occasion. I was dumbfounded. Incredibly, 98.57% of the volunteers said YES, they would help during the week of July 4th! So, we moved the Festival back to July and to the craziest and busiest week of the year.

The decision to move the Festival was strategic. There are more people on the island in July than in August. Now that it is behind us, it is clear that the move was the right decision. Except for July 4th itself, we had a much larger turnout during the entire festival. While we are still paying bills and making deposits it looks like we are on track to have increased our profit margin by 50% over last year. As we know, the annual car raffle is the parish's largest single fundraiser. The Festival of the Sea is our second. As with most non-profit organizations, we rely heavily on donations and fundraisers to balance our budget and allow us to do what we do. The week of July 4th was the right move.

Thank you to EVERYONE who said yes and volunteered last week at the Festival of the Sea 2024!! Your dedication to our great parish is overwhelming. Thank you for putting your life on hold and lending a helping hand. Thank you for leaving your guests at home so we could ensure that we had people cooking in the kitchen, serving in the gym, and attending to those who wanted to take a chance at the game booths. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Long Beach Island. You are what makes this place truly a reflection of paradise.

Thank you to the 2024 Festival of the Sea Committee. Wow, do they do a lot of work preparing for this event! Thank you to Lorri and Joe D’Orsi [Food,] Michelle DiBella [Volunteers,] Amanda DeFusco and Arian Selmani [Marketing,] Tim Butler and Bob Jeranek [Rides,] Neil Saunders [Youth Volunteers,] Angela Ominski [Sponsors,] Jim Brady and Jim Mazzerina [Games,] Mary Lou McGurkin [Accounting,] and Chris Miller and all of our maintenance crew at St. Francis Parish & Center. I offer a special shout out to Amy Marks, our new Director of Parish Operations. She has taken the role beyond even what I had imagined and hoped. She stepped in as chair of the FOS Committee and did not miss a beat! Thank you Amy, and everyone on the FOS Committee for a job very well done!!

Thank you to Long Beach Township Mayor Joe Mancini for your unwavering support of St. Francis Parish & Center. Mayor Mancini offered his full support from day one when I first met him last fall to let them know about the change of dates.

Thank you to Long Beach Township Police Chief Ed Bernhard, for your continued support at every turn. You are always ready and willing to make sure that we are safe and protected. Thank you also to the entire LBTwp Police Department. They were present every night of the Festival to make sure the traffic ran smoothly and that our guests could all enjoy a pleasant evening. Thanks to Kyle Ominski, LBTwp Business Administrator, for all of your help and to the LBI Shuttle Service for moving some of our guests from one parking lot to another.

Thank you to Ship Bottom Brewery for loaning us your beer trailer for the week. Thank you to Shore Brake Cyclery and owner, Charlie Kulp, for your support with our e-bike raffles.

Thank you to Campy’s Amusements. I lost count as to how many people told me how impressed they were with the quality and variety of the rides, and more importantly, with the professionalism and dedication of your staff. Thank you for providing us with such a high-quality amusement experience. Thank you to Keith Campanello and Karyn, Paul, Alyssa and Elizabeth Pampanin, and everyone at Campy’s Blue Star Amusements for your dedication to craft.

Thank you to Murphy’s Markets for the donation of a pallet of bottled water and to Costco, BJs, and Target for your support and gift card donations.

Thank you to Barlow Buick GMC for sharing your half page advertisement on the back of The SandPaper.

Thank you to all of our sponsors and especially to The Van Dyk Group, the Presenting Sponsor of the Festival of the Sea 2024. Thank you to Dave Wyrsch, Sr., Cindy Wyrsch Kelley, and the entire team at The Van Dyk Group. We are most grateful for your continued generosity to our parish.

I can’t say it enough … Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Peace and All Good.