The Fall Round of Capital Campaign Receptions has been completed. The response to the SMM Capital Campaign – Sharing Faith, Making Friends, Moving Forward has been extremely successful. The generous response of our parishioners brings the expectation that SMM will continue to serve the people of our area as a community of faith where they can encounter both God and neighbor in a spirit of love and friendship.
 
The Capital Campaign Receptions will pause during the Christmas season, and the Winter Round of Receptions will resume in early January.

If you are a parishioner who has not been contacted yet, please expect a call from an ambassador sometime in mid to late December inviting you to schedule a reception in January. Your ambassador will not ask you for money, but simply invite you to a small reception where you will learn about the needs of the parish. At the reception, you will be asked to prayerfully consider what you can contribute to ensure that St. Mary Magdalen Parish will continue to Share Faith, Make Friends, and Move Forward.  

We are proud to announce our campaign leaders, and we thank them for their willingness to spearhead our Capital Campaign. To identify the leadership teams and to enlist some heavenly help, each Leadership Team chose a patron saint for their group. Chair Pairs are listed first in each group; Family Ambassadors are listed in the next line. Parishioners can expect a call from a team member in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, please continue to pray for the success of our Capital Campaign.
 
Team St. John Paul II 
Deborah Bradbury, Julie Fabregas, Kathy Spiess
Nikki Cook, Kitty Marzoni, Doris Melito
 
Team St. Frances Cabrini 
Chuck & Lorraine Mylie, Babette Staunton
Susan Arthur, Marilyn Choppin, John Latour, Tim & Kim Stierwald
 
Team St Jude 
Joe & Linda Jouet
Bronwyn & James Myer, Carolyn & Paul Trahan
 
Team St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) 
Tony & Stacy Pecoraro
Ann Bartholomew, Lynette Driscoll, Donna Foto, Loretta Keane
 
Team St. Joseph the Worker 
Patsy Ricau, Mark Schluter
Brenda Aucoin, Sal Bertucci, Colleen Cloninger, Robin Dykes 

Last week the Capital Campaign Leadership Teams of Chair Pairs and Ambassadors met with Bernard Dumond of Catholic Vitality 360 for training. To get our person-to-person campaign underway, parishioners can expect a phone call from a Chair or an Ambassador inviting them to a small reception in the Discipleship Center. This call is NOT to ask for your money or your pledge but simply to invite you to a community get-together to learn more about the campaign.
If you are not in the habit of answering a call from an unknown phone number, our campaign ambassadors will leave a message for you. Please call back or answer the next time you get a call so that you can choose a reception date and time that is convenient for you. It will take some time for our ambassadors to reach out to every parishioner, so please be patient; we will be calling you.

The theme for our Capital Campaign was chosen during the Vision & Vitality portion of our feasibility study because it seems to capture the true spirit of our family of faith here at St. Mary Magdalen.

Sharing Faith – As a family of faith, SMM nourishes and sustains our spiritual life through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. In addition, we strive to form Disciples for Christ through our many faith-sharing ministries such as Parish School of Religion,  High School Confirmation Classes, Adult Faith Formation, Connect, ChristLife, and so many more too numerous to mention.  

Making Friends – At SMM we also gather to celebrate family, friends, fun, and fellowship. We cherish memories of Fall Festivals, fish fries, Feast Day celebrations, Bunco, Catholic Game Night, Sundae Sunday, and so much more. Although some of our celebrations have changed over time, St. Mary Magdalen parishioners know that the family that prays and plays together stays together.

Moving Forward – Since our establishment in 1955, each succeeding generation of parishioners has sacrificed to build and maintain facilities for their current needs and to lay a foundation for those who will come after. Today in 2024, it is our turn to undertake a capital campaign to maintain the buildings that form our spiritual home and to make sure that  those who will come after us have a place to share faith and to make friends.

We recently received the result of the Pastoral Strategic Vision & Discovery Feasibility Study which states:
1. St. Mary Magdalen is a special parish, with many people viewing it as a community treasure, possessing sound leadership, active ministries, spirit-filled families, and a bright future.
2. It is the professional determination of Catholic Vitality 360 that the St Mary Magdalen Capital Campaign has the potential to raise the necessary funds to fulfill the Facility Master Plan Proposal.
On receiving the results of the Feasibility Study, the leadership of St. Mary Magdalen Parish submitted a letter to the Archdiocese asking for permission to begin a capital campaign to repair and maintain vital infrastructure on the parish campus. In reply the Archdiocese has approved a three to five-year Capital Campaign for St. Mary Magdalen. The campaign will begin on September 1, 2024.

As part of SMM Church, we know that God the Father sent his only Son to be one with us out of love for us. As the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus offered his life so that we might have eternal life. Our upcoming SMM Capital Campaign will demand sacrifice as well. Are you willing to give and not to count the cost so that the family of faith that St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church may continue to love and serve God and neighbor for many years to come?

The Capital Campaign will begin slowly over time. We are using a personal parish outreach model to contact each parish family. You will not receive an impersonal letter asking for a donation, nor be contacted by a random campaign worker asking you to donate. Each family will receive a personal invitation to a small gathering where the needs of the parish and the campaign will be explained. This will take place over a period of months.

In the meantime, please spend some time in prayerful consideration of what you are willing to sacrifice to honor the Body of Christ that is St. Mary Magdalen Church.

In March of 2024, a Steering Committee was formed with the task of addressing the liturgical, ministerial, and facility needs of the parish. To accomplish the facilities portion of this task, they created a Facilities Master Plan proposal and sought input from parishioners. Numerous input vehicles have been organized, and what follows are some key issues.
 
Q. What is the current status of the SMM Facilities Master Plan?
A. The Facilities Committee along with our pastor and parish administrator in consultation with building professionals, have identified specific needs of the Parish pertaining to repairs, maintenance, and renovation of existing infrastructure. This process has been further refined by an ongoing Discovery Feasibility Study, which included parishioner input through various meetings and committees, resulting in a Facilities Master Plan.
 
Q. What projects would be included in the Facilities Master Plan?
     CHURCH                                                      PARISH BUILDINGS
            PHASE 1: Critical Repairs/Replacements (Est. cost $1,562,000)
Replace roof  (FEMA – Hurricane Ida claim)             RECTORY: Replace roof  

Replace HVAC system                                                   DC: replace HVAC auto-controls
Replace Boiler                                                               MASSETT HALL: replace HVAC system 
Repair/replace windows in sacristy &                                                        replace boiler 
     clear windows in church                                                                         Lift station controls 
Repair Walkways /safety upgrades 
Re-caulk stained glass windows 
 
              PHASE 2: Vital Repairs/Replacements (Est. cost $845,000)
Repair/replace plaster on steeple                           RECTORY: Replace HVAC                                
Refinish pews                                                            DC: Replace HVAC 
Replace screens over air returns                             MASSETT HALL: Replace Roof 
Refurbish restrooms                                                                                                    
 
                PHASE 3: Future Possibilities   (Est. cost $1,067,000)
Upgrade Entrances                                                             
Replace Air Handling Units 
Build covered walkways at N & E entrances 
Paint interior and exterior  

The following is a summary of the Catholic Vitality 360 report on the May Listening Sessions. Below it are links to both the short version,  which was inserted into the bulletin of July 7, 2024, and a second link to the longer full report and analysis.