A Message from the Pastor 
  
As you know, Mother of Good Counsel Church building has been unusable since July 2025 due to the serious structural issues surrounding the ceiling tiles. Since that time, I have been working diligently with our pastoral and finance councils, diocesan officials, and contractors to discern the most prudent path forward for our parish.

Upon last inspection, diocesan facilities and insurance officials determined that the ceiling's deterioration is a serious safety hazard. It was recommended that no further gatherings take place at MOGC until the entire structure is replaced. Because of the extensive scaffolding required to repair the ceiling, the lowest estimate came in at $250,000.

Given the significant expense, we conducted a comprehensive review of all parish facilities to determine short and long-range parish maintenance needs. Our Facilities Team estimates that we face $2.7 million in necessary repairs and deferred maintenance over the next five years. 

To put this in perspective:

• Available Funds: We currently have $248,000 in checking and $91,000 in savings.
• Operating Costs: Our monthly bills average $105,000.

Repairing the ceiling now would effectively drain our accounts and compromise our ability to meet our daily operational needs.

Over the next three weeks, we will share more details in the bulletin regarding these maintenance needs. We also invite you to a Parish Meeting on April 21 at 6:00 PM at St. James Chapel. We will share all parish maintenance needs and capital improvement costs alongside the ongoing needs of our parish community. We are committed to sustaining vibrant ministries with much needed outreach to grow St. Mary Magdalene Parish. I look forward to the parish meeting to engage with parishioners as we evaluate our facility requirements and what next steps may require.

Blessings,
Fr. Larry