St. Mary of the Assumption Parish
25 Avery Street
Dedham, MA, 02026
Tel.: 781.326.0550
www.stmarysdedham.com
May 16, 2014
Dear Friends,
We share the great and humbling mission of growing in friendship with Christ and revealing Him
to the world, where He brings true happiness to every life He touches. That is the call to each of
us at St. Mary's Parish. We do this through a reverent celebration of the Holy Mass each day, a
sharing in the sacraments, faith formation, outreach to those in need, and a strong sense of
community.
All of this happens in a special place, our beautiful property on High Street, and in a very real
way, in our church. Over the past four years that I have been pastor, my first care has been the
spiritual growth of St. Mary's. Perhaps in a more visible way, I have also been attending to the
"temporal goods" of the parish: finances and the physical plant. With your generous support and
God's grace, we have made great steps forward.
After much prayer and discussion with our staff, Finance Committee, Parish Council and at a
parish wide Town Meeting, I would now like to propose a significant project, the painting of the
interior of our church.
There are a number of reasons why I think this is the right time. Here are some of the most
important:
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St. Mary's Parish will be celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2016.
The church has not been painted in over 25 years, and the peeling and cracking is
accelerating. This makes this project a matter of good stewardship of the physical
structure.
The Dedham parishes will be entering into the "Collaborative Process" in 2016 or 2017,
with St. Mary's and St. Susanna's coming under the care of one pastor. At that time, all
energy will rightly be given to that process and many years could pass without giving the
needed attention to the church interior.
St. Mary's is a church building of local and diocesan historic significance and should be
cared for as such.
Beauty, we know, is a fundamental element for our human, spiritual and intellectual
happiness. If things point to now being the right time for tackling a parish project such as
this, perhaps my background in art and church architecture could be of assistance.
Take a deep breath. We are looking at a cost of $300,000. Ours is a huge church. That's a lot of
scaffolding, paint, and labor! We have received four bids as part of our exploratory phase, and all
point in this same direction. We would like to begin this work in January, 2015, and it should take
just under three months.
What I seek now is your support. I am asking as many people as possible (300?) to come forward
to donate $1000.(This is just $2.72 a day for one year.) Smaller amounts are also welcome, of
course, but we would like to approach this project with as much substantial assistance as possible.
(We will memorialize gifts, but are still considering the best way to do that.)
You may rightly be asking: "Why tackle this now when we are still erasing a large debt?" As
you know, our With One Voice Campaign has received almost $700,000 in pledges and the
Archdiocese has forgiven $400,000 of our debt. That leaves a balance of a little over $800,000,
and we have a manageable 20 year plan in place to address this. Yes, there are financial hurdles
ahead, but a significant project like this contributes to a different dimension of parish life, and in
truth, a happy one. The positive response to the recovery of the original wooden floors at the
front of the church and the installation of the new rug indicates that we have a desire to move
forward while, at the same time, addressing our responsibilities of the past. With so many life
long parishioners and a steady influx of committed new ones, there is a palpable sense of "parish
pride" at St. Mary's. It is your church and the care so many extend towards its upkeep is
impressive and humbling. It is my sense that, given the reasons noted above, the time for this
step is now.
For our schedule to be on track, we have to sign a contract no later than the end of June. The
Archdiocese is very grateful for the improved financial model we've developed in recent years
and is willing to consider lending us the money up front to help the project move ahead, to be
paid back as soon as possible. (My hope is the Fall.) But we have to work together. Three
parishioners, including myself, have already given $1000 each. So I am turning to you. I hope
you trust my judgment on this decision in light of the good strides we have been making.
Please fill out the slip below and return it as soon as possible, no later than June 10. I am happy
to answer any questions or concerns. I will also give a half hour tour of the church on Saturday,
May 31 at noon to discuss the details of the project. (My Sundays are already booked solid!)
I know there is a lot contained in this letter. I'm even asking myself why I am taking this on! But
I truly believe it is the right time and the right thing to do. Beauty begets beauty, inside and out.
"How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord God of Hosts!" (Psalm 84)
Thank you and God bless you,
Rev. William T. Kelly, S.T.D.
Pastor
______________________________________________________________________________
Dear Fr. Kelly,
Yes, let's commit to our mission and also celebrate our 150th Parish anniversary by honoring the beauty of
our church now and for the future. Enclosed, please find my contribution/pledge (by June 10), with a
complete payment due by November 15.
______$1000
______ $500
_______ other
Name
___________________________________
Telephone____________________________
Address
___________________________________
Email _____________________________
Donated in honor/memory of___________________________
**UPDATED NOTE ** (6/5/14)
This week, all registered parishioners should have received a letter from me about the
proposed painting of the interior of the church. I apologize that the glitch in its
printing and mailing has thrown off the timeline that was indicated there. The pressing
deadline of having your support is so that we can sign a contract. Here is a proposed
new time line: Wednesday, June 11 7:00-7:30pm, meet in the church for Q&A.
Your written response to my request for a donation or pledge of a donation by
Monday, June 16. I didn't make clear enough in my letter that the plan is not just to repaint the church as it is, but to restore it with many of the colors with which it was
originally designed. This project is a worthy way to celebrate the parish's 150th
anniversary, as well as important for the physical care of the building, and enhancing a
beauty that will help to lift our hearts and minds and prayer.