Church Building Fund
“God is in her midst. She shall not be moved. God will help her at the dawning of the day” (Ps.45:6)
FINANCIAL REPORT
Miami, FL, November 2009
Dear Parishioners:
There is a financial report that is year-to-date (January through October 2009) available in our parish hall. This is the same report, which bishop asked us to compile at the recent Eparchial Clergy Conference in Middlesex, PA. The purpose of the report is to show that the Miami parish has the ability to do maintenance on the mortgage for which we are applying.
I believe that the report proves the aforementioned point and more. In fact, you will notice from the graphic appendix of the report that in all the months of 2009 except for three (February, July and October) our income exceeded, and exceeded handily, our expenses. The three months in which we ran a deficit are shown in detail in the graphic appendix. In all cases, the deficit expenses from those months were onetime expenses associated with the renovation project itself. For example, in February we ran the largest deficit because of the outlay of an amount in excess of $20,000 to pay for the engineering, architectural and survey aspects of the renovation. Then again, in July, we dipped into savings once again to pay for the repair of the hall to the amount of almost $5,000. Once again, in October, we incurred necessary, but onetime expenses, from some minor renovations to the cottage property 111 NW 57 th Ct. Fortunately, as you will be able to see from the Income vs. Expenses Graphic, the income from our Building Fund account has more than offset these onetime expenses. Thanks to the generosity of our members and our friends, Building Fund has earned $40,000 since its beginning in August.
Based on what I read to be a very favourable report, I believe that we will be granted permission to acquire the mortgage that we are seeking. At that point, certain things will change. The renovation work will finally, visibly, begin, and Building Fund will be used to make payments on the loan. I am very anxious to see these changes come to pass, and I know that you are as well.
Please continue to pray for our parish, for our bishop-administrator, and for the health and salvation of Bishop Robert. “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”
Sincerely in the Lord,
Fr. Matthew
OUR PARISH’S FINANCIAL PROBLEMS
The financial problems our community is facing are serious and on-going. If you have not had an opportunity to pick up a copy of the financial report (year to date), there are still copies available in the hall.
If the current trends continue, and our income does not increase, we will not be able to satisfy the city’s requirements for electrical and structural safety. Ultimately, this means that we will lose the use of our church and the hall.
What is needed is a Building Fund. We have such a fund, and you are warmly encouraged to contribute to it. For this purpose you may use the envelopes marked “Special Collection” which are available in the hall.
We can expect our savings to be set back considerably because of the unforeseen and immediate repairs, which must be done to the roof of the hall, and the second quarter Eparchial Assessment, which is the largest assessment in the year. This second quarter collection contains the assessment for the “Works of the Pope of Rome,” otherwise known as “Peter’s Pence.” Our Eparchy requires that this collection be equal to twice the eparchial assessment.
OUR PASTOR'S APPEAL LETTER
Miami FL, June 1, 2009
Dear Friends:
I am writing to you today, to ask for your help. Since January of 1950, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church has been labouring to save souls in northwest Miami and throughout south Florida. Since our church was built in 1957, we have worked to communicate God’s love for all people through the beauty of the services in the Byzantine-Slavonic Rite, through the harmony of sacred music, and a wholehearted love for the unity of the Catholic Church.
In May of 1959, the Church Choir was formed that still to this day provides the musical settings in Old Slavonic language that contribute so powerfully to that “vision of Heaven” which our Divine Liturgy and church are meant to be.
However, today the future of our community and our mission of Divine Worship “in behalf of all and for all” is in very serious jeopardy. Our church has fallen into disrepair as a result of enduring the extremes of sixty years of Miami weather. Over the years, well-intentioned community members have done repairs on the structure, which only served to “patch” the visible signs of age, without addressing the root causes of structural degradation. As a result, the City of Miami is now unable to re-certify our church as safe.
We have hired an architect, who has drawn up the plans for the complete and total repair of our church and our hall, but the cost of the restoration has proven to be more than we can bear. In order to satisfy the city’s concerns, and stop the water intrusion that is slowly destroying both structures, we must pay a total of $380,000. Now, without the intervention of Heaven’s God and His Holy Mother, Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary (to whom our temple is dedicated) and people like you, the candles that have burned in prayer and witness to the unity of the Catholic Church will sputter and go out, and the sound of the heavenly Liturgy will fall silent.
Nevertheless, we persevere in hope. We have taken as our motto in this time of darkness the same verse from the Book of Psalms, which accompanies the ancient image of the Most Holy Mother of God that stands behind the altar in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine: “God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God will help her at the dawning of the day.” (Ps. 45:6) This image came to be known as “the Immovable” or “the Indestructible Wall,” and served as a source of hope and comfort for numerous generations throughout almost unimaginable reversals and misfortunes. It now serves as a sign of the same promise of hope to our Greek-Catholic people here in south Florida.
Please give what you can to help preserve our church as a witness to the unity and catholicity of the Church of Christ. We thank you in advance for your generosity and mercy towards us in our hour of need.
Invoking the Blessings of Almighty God, One in the Holy Trinity, through the intercession of the All-Holy and Immaculate Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary upon you, your families and loved ones,
I am very sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Matthew D. Schroeder
Pastor, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR DONOURS
The following donours are especially due our thanks for their generous contributions to the Church Building Fund:
- Mr. Iwan Choptij gave $ 1,000.00 in memory of his wife +Stefania
- Mrs. Irene Rakush, on behalf of the Ukrainian-American Senior Society, gave $1,000.00 in memory of the deceased members of that society
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Mrs. Irene Rakush gave $ 1,000.00 in memory of her late husband, Nicholas
- Mrs. Tamara Huryn gave $ 1,000.00 in memory of the deceased members of her family (+Frank, +Orest and +Halyna)
- The Maryniuk family gave an offering of $ 100.00
- Borys Wenglowsky gave an additional offering of
$180.00
towards the restoration
- Dr. George Tershakovec gave a donation of $ 2,000.00
- The Galadza Family gave a gift of $1,000.00 in memory of +Michael and +Elesia McKay
- Bronyslava and Marika Kovalevych gave an offering of $ 1,000.00
- Ms. Olga Ariza donated $ 175.00 towards the restoration of the church.
- Mr. Peter Pepper gave $ 200.00
- Mr. Peter Nazarkewich gave $ 125.00
- Mr. Edward Wizniak gave $ 50.00
- John and Mary Dicky of Tonawanda, NY gave $ 1,000.00
- Ms. Zenobia Logusz gave $ 50.00
- Mr. J. Fedorek -- $25.00
- Ed and Nicole Harhaj gave $ 100.00
- Mr. Michael Iwaskewycz gave a donation of $ 500.00
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Ìr. Michael Kukuruza gave a donation of $ 500.00
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Mrs. Barbara Dick gave a donation of $ 1,000.00 in memory of her husband +Andrew
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Andriy and Lyuba Maryniuk gave $ 1,000.00
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The Soyuz Ukrayinok gave a $ 1,000.00
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Michele and Gary Hebert gave $1,000.00
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Yevgen, Zenon and Galyna Baran gave $1,000.00
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Thomas and Ellen Albrecht of Hinsdale, IL gave $200.00 in memory of their dear friends and neighbours Michael and Elesia McKay
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Marge Janik gave $ 1,000.00
- Ms. Anna Iwashko gave $ 1,000.00
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Dr. and Mrs. Robert Buksch gave $ 300.00
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Ralph and Zweneslava Clem gave $ 25.00
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Robert and Ellen Miller gave $ 1,000.00
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Mr. and Mrs. Yaroslav Bilyk gave $ 100.00
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Mr. and Mrs. William P. Nikolaiszyn gave $150.00
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Yevhenia and Bohdan Malaniuk gave $ 1,000.00 in memory of Kateryna Malaniuk
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Ann Kerda gave $100.00
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The Fabri-Luchko Family gave $1,200.00
- The Krysa Family gave $1,000 in memory of Anna Krysa
- Myroslava Tershakovec gave $1,000
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Ìr. Alexander Jakubowycz gave $ 500.00
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The Dziubinskyj Family gave $1,000.00
May the Lord remember your kindness in His Kingdom!
COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUES
All of the donours to the Church Building (Renovation) Fund who contribute a thousand dollars or more will have their intentions commemorated ad perpetuam memoriam on the brass plaque on the east wall of the church.
LUNCHEON CELEBRATING 59TH PRAZNYK
(FEAST OF THE DORMITION/ASSUMPTION) OF OUR PARISH
was held Sunday, August 16th, 2009 following the 10:15 Divine Liturgy
in the Dormition/Assumption Church Hall. All proceeds went toward our Church Building Fund.
Please, check out the photos from this event here.
BENEFIT OUR CHURCH WITH INTERNET PURCHASES
If you buy things online, please consider using www.givingcart.com. Setting up an identity with Giving Cart allows a certain amount of the money that you spend in your purchases to be given to our church. When you are setting up Giving Cart, you simply need to indicate that “Assumption BVM—Dormition—Miami” is the “cause” that you would like to contribute to. It costs the shopper nothing, and takes under two minutes to set up. The choice of participating merchants is expansive
