(This letter appeared on the front page of the Parish Bulletin the weekend of June 7-8, 2014.)

Look around!

You may notice the new altar, tabernacle stand, and statue stands are now in place at St. Paul. These are the work of Mr. Bruce Horner of Grove City, Ohio, who was a student at O.U. years ago. Bruce met his wife here at O.U. (she is curently music director at St. Patrick's Church in Columbus), converted to the faith here at Christ the King in 1985, and married his wife in 1986 at Christ the King. We are grateful to Bruce for sharing his talents and enlarging the altar. The design elements of the old altar are still present on the new altar. It is constructed of quarter-sawn oak, and the top is stone-framed in wood. Give it a closer look! It is truly a unique and special work of art.

Thanks to Kurt Montle for picking up the altar stone in Columbus and delivering it safely to the church, to Trudy Montle and Angela Cross for preparing new linens for the altar, and Rick Sirois for his help installing the altar.

Also thanks to Angela Cross for picking out and planning the two planters at the front entrance to the church. People keep thinking I did them, but I only had the idea. I turned to an expert to do the work!

We are doing many projects around the church and rectory at St. Paul, including landscaping work and painting of doors and trim around the buildings. You may notice that the overgrown shrubs and bushes (and lots of poison ivy) were removed this week from the parking lot area. We even found a few black snakes! Thanks to Kurt Montle for providing the trackhoe and labor to remove the roots and stumps. Next, we will repair the retaining wall and plant the area between the sorority house and the parking lot. The sorority's housing board has graciously allowed us to do whatever we would like in the area, as long as we keep everything clean and in good order! I think it would be nice to have a groto with a statue of Jesus or Mary in that area, facing the church. What do you think? Please let me know!

This past week, many people were busy around both churches weeding the mulch beds and lending a hand without anyone even asking for your help! Thank you all for your attention and dedication to our churches. A special word of thanks to Jerry Hann who built some planter boxes for me last year at the end of the summer. They are filled with petunias and can be spotted on the patio wall at the back of the rectory.

Hopefully, the interior of the church at Christ the King looks a little cleaner this week. We have had the carpets and pew pads professionally cleaned over the past two weeks. Did you know that Christ the King was formerly established as a parish in 1965? That means next year the parish turns 50. I have asked the Pastoral Council to think of some ways to honor this occasion. If anyone is interested in helping coordinate some event(s), please contact the parish office.

If you' dlike to send a card to Father Tom Nelson at the Basilica of St. Mary, his address is 506 4th Street, Marietta OH 45750.

I spoke to Fr. Pat this past week. He is doing well. I'm trying to schedule both he and Fr. Marty for Masses some weekend this summer so that I can get away. Be on the lookout, you never know when they might turn up!

Finally, remember in your prayers the repose of the soul of Msgr. Kish, who died twenty years ago on June 14. He pastored St. Paul's from 1952-1984.