Wednesday, September 4th, we announced publicly for the first time our Charging Forward in Faith and Education capital campaign! It was a tremendous evening and a glorious event! Thanks to our Chairs of the Public Phase, Abigail Cail and Nicole Mayberry, and to their team for all the work you did in pulling that together! Thank you, also to Stephanie Painter, the Director of Advancement for the Church and School. So many people made that evening possible! This is a momentous and exciting time in the history of St. James the Less Catholic Church and School and I invite everyone to be a part of it!
If you were not able to attend, here are the details! After a few years of discussion and feedback, we are embarking on a $15.5 million capital campaign for the future of our Church and School! Our projects include a new entrance with greater security and an addition of classrooms to better serve our students, families, faculty and staff for the school ($11 million), renovations and updates to the Church which include new flooring, new altar and backdrop, stenciling to highlight the windows, and frames surrounding our beautiful stations of the cross for better lighting ($3 million), and endowments for the Church ($500,000) and for the School ($1 million). As of this weekend, we have received over $10 million in cash and commitments to the campaign!
It has been quite a few years since St. James has embarked upon such an endeavor and I am humbled that it comes during my time as Pastor. My predecessors have done a remarkable job in preparing us today for the future. Now it is our time to build upon that foundation and ensure a sacred and secure environment for us as a parish community to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ in faith, hope, and charity by surrounding ourselves with and encountering all that is True, Good, and Beautiful.
Help to make this vision a reality by joining us on this journey!
Parish Religious Education Program (PREP)
Sunday begins our Parish Religious Education Program (PREP) year! Welcome back to our students who are returning for another year of growth in Faith, Hope, and Charity! Welcome to the students who will be with us for the first time! This will be a wonderful year filled with an abundance of God’s grace and Truth! Please pray for all our students and catechists.
St. James the Less, pray for us and all our endeavors and plans!
May the Lord Jesus bless you and your families abundantly this week!
~ Fr. Daniel Firmin