From the Pastor’s Desk October 5, 2025

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

What a joy it was to celebrate the feast of our patron, St. Jerome, together with Msgr. Vid Vlasic, our founding pastor, and twelve other clergy. I am deeply grateful to our wonderful decoration team, our inspiring choir, the sacristans, Martha’s Ministry, and all those who generously shared your cultural dishes at the reception, and the many members of different language groups who led us in prayer. A special word of thanks goes to our office staff, under the dedicated leadership of Rocelyn, for coordinating this once-a-year celebration with such care and attention to detail. Fr. Dominic, through his heartfelt (and not-so-short!) homily, beautifully embodied the zeal of St. Jerome for the Word of God, leaving us enriched and inspired. The celebration would not be completed without your generousity of the cultural foods shared at the reception. Our heartfelt thank you to all of you!

This week we are launching a historic mission for our parish after 27 years – Renew for Mission. Our parish home was built 27 years ago through the vision of Msgr. Vid Vlasic and the generosity of many dedicated parishioners. Since then, under the care of Fr. Jan Kolodynski, Msgr. Michael Busch, and so many others, we have continued to grow as a vibrant, welcoming faith community.

Now, we are called to care for the very home that has nurtured us. Time and weather have taken their toll—our building faces serious structural issues, including persistent leaks and damage that can no longer be delayed. In addition, as our ministries expand, so too does the need for more space for faith formation, youth activities, and community life.

Renew for Mission is our parish’s response—an invitation to sustain what we’ve inherited and prepare for what God has in store. Guided by our Building and Finance Committees, we’ve carefully discerned the needs ahead. I trust their work, and I believe we are called to respond together—with faith, hope, and generosity.

To give you a sense of our ongoing needs: our utilities are $4,000 per month and similarly in the winter months, we spend about $4,000 on snow removal. These are part of the wider costs of keeping our parish running—salaries, maintenance, insurance, and the many supplies that support worship and ministry.

Whether you’ve been here for years, are new to the parish, or visit regularly, I invite you to prayerfully consider how you might be part of this mission. We’ve created several ways to participate—from Pillars of Faith to Friends of St. Jerome—because every gift, every act of generosity, strengthens the whole. Together, we can ensure that St. Jerome’s Parish remains a place of warmth, welcome, and worship for many years to come.

May the Lord bless you for your love and care for this parish family.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. James Cherickal