Restoration & Transformation
In today’s Gospel, Jesus heals the leper by his word and by the touch of his hand. “I do will it. Be made clean.”
Jesus restores him to physical health, and in doing so, also restores his relationship with society. The leper is no longer an outcast, separated from family and friends.
But Jesus’ power does not stop at restoring physical health and family ties. Every physical healing, every miracle he performs is both a good in itself and also a sign of something even more. Healed and restored, Jesus also transforms us, giving us a share in his own Divine life. Restored by his word and his saving touch, we are transformed into children of God.
We meet Jesus through the sacraments. Through them, his healing and transforming power restores and transforms us. This is a great cause of hope – not only for natural joy that passes, but for the supernatural life of grace and the happiness of eternal life.
The Church – both the universal community of believers and our local parish church of San Pedro – is a visible sign and instrument of Jesus’ saving work.
Last April, San Pedro began a year-long Parish Restoration Fund to meet the urgent needs of the parish. This fund was established to pay our deductible in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which caused significant damage to every parish building. It also was established to pay for the rectory that made it possible for our Oblate community to take up residence here to serve San Pedro, along with an office renovation and other capital expenses.
A committed team of parishioners has worked diligently on many fundraising efforts to support this campaign, such as our Oktoberfest and 5k races. These events have not only raised needed funds, but also built up our parish community and drawn others from around the area to get to know San Pedro and consider walking with us as disciples of the Lord.
And our parishioners have responded generously to support these events and contribute to monthly second collections. These are all signs of great hope and confidence in the restoration of our parish and community.
The goal of the Parish Restoration Fund was set at $664,000. To this point we have raised just over $250,000. These funds so far have been used to pay half of our deductible and replace a lift station near the Chapel entrance.
Seeing both the response of the parish and the increasing growth of our local community, it has become apparent that our sights need to be set a little further. Rather than simply restoring things as they are, we feel called to make some modest transformations so that San Pedro can not only survive, but thrive into the future. In order to do this, we sought and received approval from the Diocese to extend the scope and the timeframe of the parish campaign. This expanded campaign, The Reason for Our Hope, will cover the as-yet unfunded balance of the Parish Restoration Fund, along with several other vital projects that were not foreseen in that initial campaign. This expanded campaign will last for three years, until January, 2027, and like the PRF, contributions to this fund are not assessed by the Diocese, and so will not increase the parish’s annual CFA goal.
Over the coming weeks, there will be weekly updates and information about this campaign on page 5 of the bulletin, and multiple opportunities for you to bring forth your questions.Thank you for your support of San Pedro, and for being an instrument of the Lord’s restoring and transforming power in our world today.
-Fr. Tom
