A Message from Fr. Santos, October 2, 2022
REFLECTION ON THE READINGS
My niece, Sara is the youngest of my sister’s three children. She loves taking chances. Always has. When she was 4 years old, she announced to me that she was going to jump from the landing five steps above her parent’s back- yard steps. I told her that it was too dangerous and that she could certainly hurt herself. She nodded and hung her head, saddened. So I stood at the bottom of the stairs and told her I’d catch her.
“That was fun. Let’s do it again,” she shouted running back up the stairs. And so it went for about ten minutes. I finally told her that we had to stop. Her mother was putting dinner on the table. I caught her one last time, set her down, and started walking into the house. I looked over my shoulder to make sure she was following me. There she was back on the top step. She smiled at me and jumped. I dove and caught her.
“Sara, you could have been hurt.” “No, Uncle David. I knew you would catch me.” This time I took her hand and made sure we walked in together. Despite what people say, trust can’t be blind. It’s not a license to be foolish or reckless.
Friends, listening to God leads us to act as God would have us act, even (or maybe especially) if we are tempted or even foolish enough to do it our own way.
SAINT JAMES CAMPUS REDEVELOPMENT UPDATE
Last week the Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the school and convent properties were sent to over 50 companies. The submission due date for responses to the RFPs is November 17th. At that time, officials from the Archdiocesan Office of Property Management Administration, members of the parish’s Campus Redevelopment Committee, and myself will evaluate the submissions.
My plan is to schedule a parish Townhall meeting shortly thereafter where parishioners will hear a presentation regarding the results of the RFPs and have an opportunity to ask questions. We are eager to review the proposals and present them to you.
Centennial Capital Campaign Feasibility Study
Thank you to everyone who has participated in our feasibility study regarding the potential construction of our parish center. The results have been very positive, and many families and individuals have participated thus far. If you have not yet participated there is still time to participate. We ask that you complete and return the survey either online on the parish website or via paper (available in the narthex). We are working with the Archdiocesan Development Office who will continue to reach out to schedule time to speak with families. We anticipate more updates regarding the study and the parish center in the upcoming weeks. Thank you again.
Lease of the Saint James School Building – Temple Sha’arey Shalom
For the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur this September 25th through the 27th and October 4th and 5th, the parish will be leasing the main floor of the school building to Temple Sha’arey Shalom, a local house of worship. We are pleased to provide a space for Temple Sha’arey Shalom to gather as a community of faith during the holiest of seasons. The parish is also negotiating with Temple Sha’arey Shalom on a potential year-long lease of the main floor of the school building. The potential lease will provide a temporary home for Temple Sha’arey Shalom here in Springfield, in addition to providing us with a tenant as we begin the formal process of soliciting proposals for redevelopment of the school and convent properties.