St. Anastasia Roman Catholic Church
Business Manager Update

I’d like to thank those of you that have sent notes of encouragement to me over the last week in support of our efforts to increase our security here at St. Anastasia. It’s good to know that a great majority of you understand and support the initiative. To update you, we have had three security agencies out here to quote on installing an anti-crime system and I expect those quotes back in the next week or so. We’ve also arranged with the Troy Police for additional drive-throughs. We as a staff have taken measures to be more aware of what is going on in the building during business and non-business hours as well as which areas of the complex need to be accessible and which areas can remain locked up due to inactivity. I attended a security seminar put on by the Troy Community Services held at the Troy Fire/Police Training Center on John R; it was sponsored by the Troy Police/Fire Department. There were about 10 other churches represented covering many denominations. It was outstanding…not only did we learn about security programs that we as a staff can implement with little or no cost, but we were made aware of assistance offered by the Troy Police and Fire (we’re taking advantage of that!) in developing a security plan. The Troy Police and Community Services have agreed to make this meeting an on-going activity…I volunteered St. Anastasia as the site of our next meeting set for October of this year.

I WANT FLYING CARS, BUT NOT CAR FLYERS

As I understand it, some of you left Mass last Sunday to find that someone had placed a company brochure under your windshield wiper. This has happened in the past and we have had to address it. No one has permission to place anything on your car while you are here. Not only is it private property, but I understand that there is an ordinance against it. We were going to contact the company and inform them, but the police want to do that dirty work. If we want you to get some info, we will hand it to you directly, put it in the “Good News” or mail it to you.

JUST KIDDING -REALLY!

A parishioner stopped Fr. Mark and myself last week and asked us to stop making negative/humorous comments about each other. The concern was raised that someone may think we do not like one another or that we are doing this to hurt the other person. Let me make it perfectly clear that Fr. Mark and I enjoy one another and get along famously. The intent was to simply razz one another, bring some levity, and hopefully make you laugh. When Fr. Mark filled my sitting room with 700 balloons I thought either he really likes me and wants to have some fun, or he is mentally unstable. In Fr. Mark’s case, it happens to be both (just kidding – really!).

As many of you know last weekend we had our annual golf outing to help support the youth ministry here at St. Anastasia. The weather was perfect and all the participants had a lot of fun. Overall it was a resounding success. B.A.S.I.C. is a wonderful escape for teens from the stress of high school and the stress of being teens. It is a time for them to really meet Christ in a more personal way and to meet other like teens who have a burning love for Christ and His Church. If you have any teens or know any teens who would like to join B.A.S.I.C., contact Dave Graves, our Youth Minister, for more details.

I am always momentarily disconcerted upon seeing myself in a mirror. Even back when I was 25, or 17 (ah! 17!), or even 9, I was consistently surprised and dismayed by my reflection. Now, of course, with my thriving collection of gray hair and mystery blotches, the vexation is even more pronounced. I feel like an exotic butterfly’s caterpillar gazing doubtfully into a barnyard puddle. Because, c’mon! My reflection looks absolutely nothing like the real ME. Does yours, to you? I wonder.

I bet it’s a related phenomenon that many people can’t stand to have their photo taken, and not because they’re afraid that the camera is going to “steal their soul” as some primitive cultures would claim. And yet… maybe as a group they all have that same unnamed awareness that the physical image a camera captures is somehow incomplete, distorted, wrong. A lie.

I don’t get “up north” as much as everyone else seems to. That’s OK with me, overall. I was born much closer to the Mason-Dixon line than the Canadian border, and I’ve been heard to tell my dear husband that our particular address is as far north on our street as I’m willing to live. “One house closer to the arctic, and I QUIT!” is my motto, especially in March. And April. And I won’t even bore you with my complaints about May…because I really do like it here, surrounded as we are by warm and wonderful people.