June is a month for me to count my blessings. It is true, as the director of stewardship, I should count my blessings every month. As the director of finance though, June is a unique time each year to look back at our fiscal year that ends on June 30.
As we began this fiscal year on July 1 last summer, we had many concerns as a parish family. The pandemic was raging, Mass had barely restarted, and we were quite uncertain what the future held. I am so grateful for all the good stewards who stepped forward in the past 12 months! Your yes to our parish has been amazing. The dispensation has been lifted, and Sunday Mass attendance is growing. Our financial footing has remained strong and has flourished due to ordinary and extraordinary gifts, bequests, and gifts to the Building Fund.
We dedicated a Fr. Kapaun sculpture that will grace our campus for generations to come. Our facilities are being improved this summer with new HVAC in Clare Hall and the seventh and eighth grade wing of the school. We are adding new roofs for the seventh and eighth grade classrooms and the walkway between the church and school. The Cana Hall restrooms are being remodeled and renovated. We have many blessings to be thankful for with our parish facilities.
As I count all these blessings, though, they do not compare to our greatest asset, our people. Our school was in session, in person, for the entire school year. More than 600 students came here every day to learn, worship and grow in their Catholic faith. We graduated 69 eighth graders, 48 seniors from Bishop Carroll and sponsored 240 students at BCCHS. Our teachers, maintenance staff, and administrators did an incredible job this year to make all of this happen. A true parish blessing.
Two people who I will miss working with and am grateful for are Rebecca Vodola and Fr. Drew Dellasega. Rebecca has been our director of communications and has transformed the way our parish interacts over the past two years. She helped to form and lead our newest parish council, the Communications Council. Under her guidance we began using Flocknotes, expanded our social media presence and helped to tell our parish story through words and pictures. Rebecca was inspired by our wonderful teachers and plans to pursue a teaching career. We wish her all the best.
Father Drew has been with us the past two years and has been a calm and steady influence during those days. Our ability to livestream Mass during the past year was made possible by his efforts and expertise. He brought us the sacraments and faithfully grew in his sacrament to serve his people as a priest. I told him my estimation is in the past two years that he has consecrated the Body of Christ more than 100,000 times during his celebrations of the Mass for us. Thank you Father Drew for serving us as a priest.
Our buildings and parish exist to carry out our mission to save souls. I am so grateful to everyone who has remained a faithful steward this past year. I look forward with great anticipation to see where the Holy Spirit leads us in the coming year. St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us.
Pat Burns, Director of Stewardship & Finance