For 114 years, Saint Francis Xavier has proudly served the Catholic community of Stillwater. The first church building was erected in 1899 for Six hundred and forty-five dollars. A small sum today, but for the small parish community it was a sacrifice. We still have the original altar from that church in the north shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, as well as the statues of the Blessed Mother, Joseph, and St. Anthony. By the 1940s, the parish had outgrown the original church and began to look toward building a new one. The senior members of our parish today were young when our current church was dedicated in 1951. Every time I look at our church, I am inspired and thankful for the effort made to build this beautiful structure. We have been given a great legacy, for in that building anchored in the past we have shaped a bright future.
Now it is our turn! Saint Francis Xavier has grown over the years, yet nothing new has been constructed since the school building in the early 1960s. We have a noble worship space, yet we have little room for other ministries that serve and build our community.
Building up the Church is a daily task; it is done in the very ordinary of our lives. Sometimes building up the Church means actually erecting a physical space. We are inaugurating our parish wide campaign to build a new parish center that will enhance our ministries and bring continued growth to our parish. I am asking that you prayerfully consider what you can offer to help. I am humbly asking for sacrifice. I am asking that you give something more to make this new facility a reality. It is the work of all of us; all of us have something to give. We differ in the amount we give, but we can all make an equal sacrifice of love. Please pray for the success of our campaign, so that the work of God may be increased in our day and for those who will follow us.
