The Promise of Spring

Praise be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (and John the maintenance man): The furnace is scheduled to be switched off for the summer!

We have really been enjoying these spring-like days and not just for the sunshine and nice weather. The real reason to be joyful for spring is that it keeps our radiators cold at home.

We just got through some fiercely cold months and have the gas bills to prove it. These old style boilers are very different than most household heating systems--they generate a lot of heat just by being turned on. Thermostats are down below 60 degrees but still we are in short sleeves. However, in the deep freeze of winter we are hoping that keeping the thermostats down that far will make a difference next year.

That's all behind us for at least the next several months. Having low expenses for the summer will give us a chance to breathe so we can build up our community with more live-in volunteers and by spreading the word to build up donations. It is normal in a Catholic Worker community for donations to be used just for the utilities and house payments, since the house itself is a means of ministry. However, our goal is to handle that solely through the individuals who live here, so that donations can go to special projects and more directly to outreach ministries. We just need time to let the Lord build that.

* * *

There is a community meeting & potluck at 12:00 noon this Saturday, March 28th. We will be discussing the progress on our ministry work and looking for help in discerning where we should be focusing our attention. We will also be planning the upcoming naming & dedication ceremony.

There is a cleanup before that at 10:00 am in preparation for an upcoming retreat that we are hosting and people are welcome to volunteer for that, as well!

Hope to see you there on Saturday!