My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We are beginning the second month of the summer. I hope that it is going well for all of our families.

A couple of weeks ago I managed to break a bone in my ankle. You have probably noticed that I have been sitting more at Mass. The doctor wants me to stay off of my ankle as much as possible so that it heals well. But life goes on.

In recent months we have been made aware of some major repair work that is necessary to keep our beautiful Basilica in good shape. There is some roof work, gutter repair and tuckpointing that has become very necessary. Bishop Joensen has given us his approval to proceed, and we are now getting bids for this work. We estimate that the work will cost between five or six hundred thousand dollars. I ask all of you to help build up our Building and Maintenance Fund in preparation for this work. We can borrow from our Foundation and then pay it back as we are able. But I would prefer to raise the necessary funds now. When we have actual bids, I will keep you informed. In the meantime, we are striving to save as much as we can toward this goal. The last thing we want is water damage inside of the Basilica to ruin the gold leaf. Let us all be good stewards of what God has entrusted us with. Certainly, our Basilica is a gem.

May your days be full of joy and peace as we enjoy the slower pace of these summer months. I keep you all in my daily prayers.

Devotedly yours in the Lord,

(The Very Reverend) Aquinas M. Nichols
Pastor