Thank You for a Fashionable St. Francis!

Jun 23

Letter from the Pastor
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 25, 2023

Thank You for a Fashionable St. Francis!

This past Wednesday many of the pastoral staff and scads of faithful parishioners and friends were models in the parish’s annual “St. Francis Fashion Show and Garden Party.” THIS WAS NOT EVEN IN THE SMALL PRINT WHEN I ENTERED THE FRIARS!! BUT… it was a lot of fun!

We had a great turn out and of course the enter event was an incredible experience for everyone. This ticket-only event happened at Bonnet Island Estate. Three cheers to Chris Vernon and the staff at Bonnet Island Estate for their generous welcome and for gifting the parish the use of this beautiful venue. Thank you for your kindness and all your help with one of our great parish events.

I remember walking the catwalk when the Fashion Show was held in the Brant Beach Church Hall. We have come a VERY long way from those days.

A resounding THANK YOU to the committee that put all the pieces together and truly produced an event to knock your socks off… but don’t worry… there were plenty of socks to replace them! Thank you to Tina Kelsall, committee chair, and to the committee: Molly Casella, Amanda DeFusco, Michelle DiBella, Maureen Kastner, Toby McCarthy, Arlene Morrison, Nicole Picaro, Dot Pojednic, Lisa Suddeth, and Theresa Valeriani. Their hard work and continuous effort to create something beautiful are truly appreciated not only by us at St. Francis but by everyone who attends. There is a reason this event sells out months before it even happens.

I would also like to thank the sponsors for their generous donations to this event. Their generosity helps us to continue to produce a top notch event year after year.

Thank you, also, to the many [if not most] of our local businesses. Their donations produced the 10 collections of items for the Chance Auction. From “Crusin’ Around Town” to “‘Bone’ Voyage” the items in the Chance Auction valued over $10,000. Ten lucky people went home with a lot more in the back of their cars than when they arrived! Please see our parish website for the list of our sponsors and donors.

Do you remember at the end of a TV program when a faceless voice would announce the sponsors and then they would say the name of the lead actor or actress and tell us that their “Wardrobe was furnished by…”? Well, roll the credits.

The wardrobes for the St. Francis Fashion Show and Garden Party were furnished by

· Sur La Plage,1002 N Bay Ave, Beach Haven

· Wildflowers by the Lighthouse, 410 Broadway, Barnegat Light

· Sink'r Swim Men’s Shop and Sink’r Swim Women’s Shop, 11205 Long Beach Blvd, LBT

· Queen’s City, Inc, 615 N Bay Ave., Beach Haven

If you patronize one of the stores or those on our donor list please thank them for supporting St. Francis of Assisi Parish. We are all grateful.

And for our modern age, thank you to Arian Selmani of Keel Marketing Agency for our online presence and advertising.

Here’s to next year’s “Garden Party by the Sea.” Remember, if you would like to join in the fun, get your tickets early. They sell out quickly.

Peace and All Good!