PARISH SNIPPETS

8/5/2020 Post:

The Finance Committee are in the midst of gathering together the quotes to repair the damage caused by the fire at St. Joseph’s Church. In the meantime, Greg S. has boarded up the bottom of the door to stop the debris blowing in through the burnt hole. Now that we’ve had a bit of rain, the sprinklers have been turned off around the church and office area. The Ned Kenny Centre and St. Joseph’s Sacristy are looking pretty schmick now that they’ve had a carpet clean. My office floors are next week.

2/5/2020 Post:

Here you see the damage done in last Tuesday evening’s arson attack on St. Joseph’s Church. Someone had attempted to burn the southern entrance door (facing the Coles dock) with a rag and accelerant. The police and Trevor (our call- up-tradie) have their own opinions on why the fire petered out, but I choose to thank St. Joseph himself. I think it is somewhat of a miracle, it didn’t catch the Vinnies cane basket just inside the door, the wooden cabinets close by, or the timber ceilings. (After all for how many years did he guard that very door in question?) And just as I started to wonder about the world we live in, Fr. Jaybee pointed out something happening across the street. The Mormons have a Charity Box set up on their fence line. (A sign asks that you only take one item you need) We watched an elderly lady on a mobility scooter stocking it with quite a few cartons, packets and cans for the needy. She was obviously not in the best of health and had some mobility issues, yet she was still thinking of others and reaching out in ways she could manage. ...... The day before when doing a walk around the Ned Kenny Centre, Fran spotted an old birds nest on top of the outside water heater. Such a canny little mother, picking the warmest spot for miles. So I guess if you have eyes to see, love is everywhere. Greg S. and Trevor have looked over some maintenance issues (other than the burnt door). The Parish Office and the garage gutters will be cleaned and the back gutters on the Ned Kenny Centre will be replaced. A cabinet maker will be quoting on the door (you just can’t buy them like that now). I’m not sure if anyone has noticed (it took me a couple of weeks) but protective coverings have been placed over the centre image on our stained glass windows in St. Joe’s. Happy Days! And finally the carpet cleaning for the Ned Kenny Centre and the Parish Office is now locked in for Thursday, 12 May.