Together We Can! Capital Campaign
Campaign Prayer for a New School
Heavenly Father,
We trust in your presence and believe that You behold what we are about.
Through Your Goodness, you have blessed our parish for over 175 years. Generations of our families, gone before us, were men and women of great faith and they sacrificed much to provide what we enjoy today.
Now, we are being called upon to take another leap of faith. In faith, we come to You once again and ask Your blessing as we begin our capital campaign to build a new school for St. Mary and Trinity.
Send Your Holy Spirit upon us that we might open our hearts to share the blessings and resources that You have graciously given us so that we might continue to do Your work here in this place and preserve our parish and Catholic schools for years to come.
We invoke the intercession of our patroness, St. Mary, to guide us in this special moment of our parish’s history as we desire to continue educating in the ways of faith through Christ Our Lord.
Amen
Dear Parishioners,
When I arrived nearly seven years ago, in 2016, I would’ve never imagined, at that point, that we would be considering the possibility of a new school. We were in the thick of constructing the new Horn Community Center while, at the same time, faced with some of the smallest enrollment in the history of both St. Mary of the Woods School and Trinity High School. Seven years later, however, we have consistently experienced steady growth in enrollment to the point of now being filled to capacity with a waiting list. What a blessing!
Faced with aging school buildings, escalating maintenance costs for both facilities, growth in enrollment, and a lack of space to keep up with the current demands, we are faced with the reality of needing to respond.
In February, of this current year, our parish conducted a feasibility study to determine whether we had the support to build a new school. The conclusion of that comprehensive study revealed overwhelming support. Parishioners clearly communicated they believed building a new school was our best alternative going forward. With the findings of the feasibility study, the diocese gave our parish the green light to proceed with a capital campaign.
So, here we are in the year of our Lord, 2022! It is with great joy and hope that I share with you the beginning of our capital campaign, Together We Can! Together as a parish family, each of us has an important role to play in the present moment and the future. The great faith and energy of St. Mary of the Woods parish is on display every day in our amazing ministries, hours of Eucharistic adoration, and tremendous Catholic Schools. This great faith and energy will serve us well as we move forward with a capital campaign to build a new school which will be home to both St. Mary of the Woods School and Trinity High School.
Our present school buildings were built in the 50’s and 60’s. While they have served us well, it’s time to invest in the future of our parish and Catholic schools. Further, in 2029, we will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Catholic school education on the campus of St. Mary of the Woods Church. Let’s prepare for a brighter future by taking bold steps of faith today. Let’s build on the hopes, dreams, and sacrifices of generations gone before us.
You will recall, from the experience of former capital campaigns, that home visits occurred. Knowing that most parishioners, if not all, don’t care for such an approach, we will, instead, be inviting all of you to a meal and program, in the parish hall, to solicit campaign pledges. I feel sure that many will find this a more pleasing option. In the months ahead, be on the lookout for an invitation! For those who don’t respond to the invitation, we will engage you through an in-pew process.
As we prepare to kick-off our Together We Can! Campaign, it is my hope to have it all wrapped up by Christmas. With God, all things are possible!
Together We Can!
Fr. Brian J. Roby, Pastor
