St. Agnes Catholic Church • Scott's Corner

Scott's Corner
8/24/08

Tropical Storm Fay arrived this past Tuesday morning to much fanfare. After a quick last minute turn to the east, the storm made landfall near Marco Island (Cape Romano) however its effects were felt throughout southwest Florida as the center of circulation was quite broad. St. Agnes picked up nearly 8 inches of rain and we lost a few trees throughout the site with several others blown down. The majority of the trees lost were already dead and the others may be up righted. We had one of our Spanish Magnolia’s blown down and countless Hong Kong Orchid trees which do not hold up well in any windy conditions. We hope to have the fallen trees and debris in the parking lot cleared up for this weekend’s Masses. Unfortunately, we did have some damage in the reception area and vesting lounge as water somehow found its way into the ceiling, saturating the tiles and leaving quite a mess to clean up. Hopefully Tropical Storm Fay will be our only experience with a tropical system this year and we can chalk this one up to a close call. On behalf of the staff and clergy at St. Agnes, we hope that all of our parishioners weathered the storm well and had very little or no damage at all.

The rainforest marble to be installed at the base of the Tabernacle pedestal was not available for installation this past weekend. Crews were to begin installation this past Tuesday, but obviously “Fay” had other plans. After speaking with the gentlemen installing the tile base on Wednesday, they assured me that installation will have been completed by the 4:00 p.m. Mass on Saturday. This being the case, we will be able to use the Tabernacle to house the Blessed Sacrament for the first time.

This past Tuesday morning I had the privilege of driving to St. Agnes utilizing the newly completed stretch of Collier Boulevard from Immokalee road to Vanderbilt Beach Road. Due to the storm, crews had removed all of the barricades for safety reasons leaving all three southbound lanes accessible. Although construction will soon resume and some of the lanes will again be cordoned off, it was great to see what they end result will be. I guess all that can be asked is that we be patient and let the construction crews complete their task. I will ask that everyone pray that the lanes in front of St. Agnes are completed by the time our seasonal residents return. Our congregation continues to grow exponentially and the need for an appropriate exit is imperative.

Many families have requested a tuition subsidy for their children at our three diocesan schools (St. Elizabeth Seton, St. Ann & St. John Neumann.) When determining a family’s particular need, several different criteria are used. Every family requesting subsidy must fill out a FACTS grant and aid assessment. After we receive the calculated need determined by the FACTS assessment, we then use our internal criteria to make a final determination. You will see a list of our internal criteria below. Even though a family may recognize a need according to the FACTS assessment, if they do not meet our internal criteria, then a subsidy may not be granted. It seems as though there is still confusion as to the internal requirements, therefore I have again included our tuition subsidy criteria.

Tuition Subsidy Criteria

In order for your child to be eligible for a tuition subsidy at either
St. Ann, St. Elizabeth Seton or St. John Neumann, the following criteria must be met.

The family must have been parishioners at St. Agnes for 6 months prior to the initial request.

The family must regularly attend Mass.

Regularly attending Mass is defined as weekly attendance.

The family must be contributing on a regular basis.

The only way to accurately monitor attendance and donations is by use of weekly envelopes. If you do not place your envelope in the collection basket, then there is absolutely no record of your attendance or contribution.

We agree with the importance of your desire to have your child receive Catholic education and sound formation in the faith. Accordingly, the first responsibility of any Catholic parent is to attend Mass with their family regularly at St. Agnes.

At St. Agnes, we strive to be good stewards of the treasure that our parishioners share with us. Granting subsidies to families that meet the above criteria is the best way for us to be responsible stewards.

Thank you so much for supporting St. Agnes.

In His work together,

Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager