We have received permission from the Diocese to start Phase One of our building program. If everything goes according to plan we will break ground on the Monday after Easter (April 5th) of this year. The first phase will consist of the site work, landscaping and the building of the new Commons. The site work will include most of the landscaping, all the parking, a new play area and equipment and a garden to place the Holy Family statue now at the entrance to the current Commons. We will also renovate the current worship building which will expand the seating for Mass to almost 500. The new Commons will be the entrance to the Worship Area. It will house the statue of the Risen Christ high on the wall facing the entrance to the new Commons. A shrine to St. Olaf will also be included with a life size statue which will be carved in Italy. We will need to build a new temporary Reservation Chapel in the new Commons which will house the tabernacle and serve as a reconciliation room. In the present Commons we plan to remove the Reservation Chapel and put in additional seats. The glass doors and wall between the Commons and the worship space will also be removed to accommodate more seats. The additional seating will alleviate the crowding at 10am Mass, where we regularly seat over 400 parishioners. We plan to start construction of the new church in mid 2013 and have it completed by mid 2014. Your generosity and God’s wisdom in guiding our efforts are making this possible.

God Bless, Fr. Pete


PLEASE HELP AVOID THE CONFUSION

We have been experiencing great difficulty in properly identifying and recording payments to our Capital Campaign. Some checks come to us without any indication that they represent the parishioners regular pledge payment. Some come as bank transfers in the mail, others come in the blue building fund envelopes and some even come in the mail without any indication. All are simply made out to St. Olaf church.   We have done our best to record these properly but we know we are causing confusion and consternation when you call to tell us your monthly statement is incorrect. Therefore, we need your aid in helping us identify the Capital Campaign payments. Starting immediately we would like all who pay by check to make the checks out to St. Olaf Capital Campaign or ST. Olaf CC. If you place them in the green envelopes the money counters will put them aside and Nancy, our bookkeeper, will open them and record them for deposit. If you place them in the blue building fund envelopes the money counters will open them and give them to Nancy if you make them out to St. Olaf Capital Campaign. Hopefully this will avoid the confusion and keep our records straight.

Thank you for your cooperation.