2024 Pastor's Report

Jenny Drzewiecki • January 29, 2025

Traditionally I prepare and present to you dear parishioners an end of year pastor’s report at the start of the New Year. It is always helpful to look back and reflect on everything that happened in our parish community in the past year. 2024 was a successful year for us at St. Martin of Tours. We had great plans and expectations, but unable to complete every target we hoped for. However, at the end of the year, we are satisfied and grateful to God for the progress and growth.

New Members and Ministries

I want to express my gratitude to the parish Staff, members of the Councils, many volunteers and those who minister in our community for their hard work, advice and willingness to serve at St. Martin of Tours. We are blessed to have them with us. We welcomed five new Staff members, Fr. Francis Vu (Associate pastor) Pilar Azmani (Administrative Assistant), Abby Wass (Religious Education) and Dcn. Tien Pham, who was ordained to diaconate in September, 2024, and also joined our parish Staff. Julie Baker became our bookkeeper just recently. All of them brought a lot of quality, new energies and substantial changes in our leadership and administrative work.

Our stewardship and hospitality committees have grown and worked very hard by inviting and growing new members to our parish community. It is clear that we are making progress to be a welcoming church to the entire Franklin area.

Our parish ministries have grown significantly in 2024. Our food pantry helped 3,737 people this year, about 450 more than last year. Our childcare ministry at the 10:30am Sunday Masses began in April. We have a regular group of children that attend weekly, but more are always welcome. We are also looking for additional volunteers to help with this ministry. Our marriage ministry, Together in Holiness, began in October and will run for seven months, and we are hoping to form another small group. A Grief group started this year and has a solid reoccurring group of attendees. The Human Concerns Committee hosted the annual Mother’s Day Rose sale for Right to Life, organized the giving trees for Christmas and they hosted a school supply drive and toy drive. Our Prayer Shawl ministry, consisting of 13 members, made 117 shawls, 10 lap shawls, 42 baby blankets, 375 baby hats, 24 child hats, 6 adult hats, and 78 helmet lines for the military. The Christian Women’s rummage sale was very successful again this past summer and brought in over $10,000. Our parish dinners are well attended. The Fall Harvest Fest brought in over $15,000 due to the generosity of our parishioners. Regarding new communication outlets for the parish, we added new TV monitors in the Narthex and main church hallway to provide information on upcoming events in the parish and in the community. We are going to continue to grow these ministries in 2025.

Facility usage

We have multiple renters using our parish facilities throughout the week. Catholic Schoolhouse homeschool group has about 90 children that use our school building on Fridays. CHESS, another homeschool group, uses our school building on Wednesdays. The Caledonian Scottish Dancers use our gym and stage on Thursday evenings. And, St. Mary's basketball teams use our gym on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. We also have a parish pickleball league that plays every Monday and Thursday night and soccer games on Friday evenings.

Prayer and Worship as One Community

Our first purpose as a religious community is to pray and worship. We had a solemn and beautiful celebration of Easter, our patron feast St. Martin of Tours and Christmas. Each celebration was outstanding and meaningful. I was encouraged by your involvement, help and large participation. I am glad we have more opportunities and occasions to pray and organize social gatherings at St. Martin of Tours. We are committed to continuing these events and celebrations that strengthen us as one community of brothers and sisters in Christ. The social gatherings, hospitality, food and fellowship encourage people to come to church and join our religious community. I also believe the Vietnamese community feels more at home at St. Martin of Tours and is growing in numbers. We will continue to make an effort to bring both our communities (Vietnamese and English) closer to each other in prayer and worship as well as social events with respect of course to our cultural difference. The New Lunar Year celebration in February which was attended by nearly 2,000 people as well as the most recent celebration of the Epiphany with bilingual Mass and fellowship after Mass are good example of this.

Our Strategic Plan

We completed our 5-year Vision and Mission statement one year ago and targeting completion of a more detailed implementation plan by Easter 2025. Our parish Staff, both of the Councils (Pastoral and Finance) and MAC (Mission Advancement Committee) have been working hard setting priorities and key 5-year goals for our parish community. We hope to complete the Strategic Plan for St. Martin of Tours parish before Easter.

Helpful Numbers

At this moment we are a community of 995 Active Families (2,483 Active members). We welcomed 45 new families who joined our parish in 2024. We lost 25 of our members who passed away and 27 families who left the area. Sacraments in 2024 were: 20 baptisms (including two adults); 18 children received First Communion and first reconciliation. 10 students received Confirmation. Six couples received sacrament of marriage. We provided catechism classes to 86 elementary children in the English and Vietnamese communities, and 21 in high school. In short, we are alive and there are signs of growth.

Completed major projects

We were able to accomplish a few maintenance projects in 2024, which you probably noticed. I will mention just the major ones: Replaced all HVAC units for a total of $250,000; Resolved Foundation leak issue $4,500; Replaced kitchen exhaust blower unit $12,000; Patched back parking lot $3,200; TechJoy network implementation (total renewal of IT infrastructure and moving the parish data from servers to “the cloud”) $57,000; Replaced water pressure tanks in the cafeteria area due to failure and flood $6,000; Installed 2 TVs in church $5,000; Repair fire pump and cistern w/ refill $6,000. These $343,700 of projects in total we were able to accomplish without touching our regular budget. Most of these were done with the aid of the Love One Another campaign. Thank you very much for your generosity.

2025 / 2026 Initiatives

There are a few projects we must undertake in this coming year.

Bell tower renovation; Hearing aid system in the church; School windows $75,000-100,000; Replace back parking lot and side road $180,000 and $120,000; Replace 70 year old school heating system. Manage the need to replace the near exhausted school roof on the single story building at apx $150,000. With extended school facility usage reserve accounts must be planned for in the event of failure. We also hope to complete the stained-glass windows project in this year with donated funds vs operating funds.

Our Financial Situation

We are stable financially and we are not carrying a debt. The collections were stable in the past year and various fundraising activities gave us additional income which is being managed by our investment committee. There are many needs and plenty of upkeep developments we have to encounter within the next few years, but I believe we are doing well. However, we have a deficit of $73,000 in the operating budget this year because we hired new staff members. I am convinced we will eliminate our deficit within a year or two. We must increase collections this year. This is the only way to eliminate the deficit. Thus, I would like to ask you to consider to be more generous with your offerings to the weekly collection. I am grateful to our Finance Council and Investment committee for being good stewards of our money and for their professional work.

To conclude, I am confident, this year will be another busy and successful year. I believe we will continue to grow in number but also in spirit. We will become an even more vibrant and growing community reaching out to those in need in the parish and larger community.

Lastly, thank you for your prayers and support. I appreciate your comments and encouraging words but also your suggestions for improvements. Please do not hesitate to give me your feedback and thoughts not just about this report but also about our parish life. Our effort as parish Staff and administration makes only sense with your willingness to collaborate and your care. I am blessed and proud to be your pastor.

Fr. Andrzej

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By Jennifer Moscatello • June 11, 2026

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From the Altar to the World

By Jennifer Moscatello • June 4, 2026

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, traditionally known as Corpus Christi. Established in the thirteenth century to renew and honor the Church’s faith in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, this beautiful feast invites us to strengthen our faith and gratitude for one of the greatest gifts Jesus has given us – the Eucharist, His abiding presence among us. The Eucharist is not merely a symbol or a reminder of Christ. It is truly Jesus Himself – His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity – given for our salvation and as nourishment for our spiritual journey. Because we celebrate this mystery so often, we can sometimes lose our sense of wonder. Corpus Christi calls us to pause and remember the extraordinary gift we receive whenever we come to Mass. We are invited to approach the altar with gratitude and to adore Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament with faith, love, and reverence. In today’s Gospel (John 6:51-58), Jesus says: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Jesus speaks these words with clarity and love. Through the Eucharist, He gives Himself completely to us so that we may remain close to Him and find strength for our daily lives. Yet our encounter with Christ does not end when Mass is over. The Lord whom we receive in Holy Communion is also present in our brothers and sisters, especially those who are poor, lonely, suffering, or in need. Jesus reminds us: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). The Eucharist not only nourishes us – it sends us forth. We receive the Body of Christ so that we may become His hands, His voice, and His heart in the world. The love we experience at the altar should be reflected in the love we show to others. Our worship of Christ in the Eucharist should lead us to recognize and serve Christ in those around us. As a parish family, we are blessed with many opportunities to grow closer to the Lord. I warmly invite you to join us for Daily Mass at 8:30 a.m., Eucharistic Adoration on Mondays at 6:00 p.m., and First Friday Adoration following the 8:30 a.m. Mass. Come and spend time with Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament. I also encourage you to participate in the ministries of our parish, where together we can share Christ’s love with those in need. May this beautiful feast renew our love for the Eucharist and deepen our desire to follow Jesus. May we recognize Him at the altar and in one another, and may His presence guide and strengthen us each day. Blessed Feast of Corpus Christi! Fr. Andrzej

Filled with the Holy Spirit

By Jennifer Moscatello • May 21, 2026

This Sunday we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost – the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles gathered in prayer with Mary in the Upper Room. Filled with the Holy Spirit, the fearful disciples were transformed into courageous witnesses of Christ and went out to preach the Gospel with faith and joy. Today’s readings and liturgy reminds us that the Holy Spirit is not only a gift for the Apostles, but for all of us today. The Holy Spirit guides and strengthens us in our daily lives – in prayer, work, studies, decisions, conversations, and responsibilities. Every good inspiration, wise decision, and act of kindness comes through God’s grace and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost also reminds us to pray more often to the Holy Spirit. A simple prayer, “Come, Holy Spirit,” can bring peace, wisdom, courage, and strength into our hearts. This Pentecost celebration is especially meaningful for our parish because our Religious Education students who completed their preparation year will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this Sunday. What a providential blessing that they will receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit on the very feast of Pentecost! Just as the Apostles were strengthened and sent forth by the Holy Spirit, our young people will also be sealed with the gifts of the Spirit and called to live their Catholic faith with courage and conviction. The celebration will take place at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Please keep our Confirmation students, their families, sponsors, and catechists in your prayers. These are the names of our Confirmation students: Jacob, Sean, Braeden, Carson, Stephen, Ashton, Kimty, Drake, Cecelia, Rockford, and Gabriella. May this sacrament deepen their relationship with Christ and strengthen them to become faithful disciples in today’s world. May this Pentecost renew all of us. Let us open our hearts once again to the Holy Spirit and pray with faith: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love.” Happy Pentecost! Fr. Andrzej

From Doubt to Mission

By Jennifer Moscatello • May 14, 2026

The Feast of the Ascension always speaks to me in a very personal way. It reminds me not only of Christ returning to His heavenly Father, but also of my own journey of faith and discipleship. Shortly after my ordination, when I was a young priest, my mother once asked me difficult questions about the Ascension of Jesus. She expressed some doubts about this mystery of our faith. I was surprised because she always had strong faith. She taught me how to pray, trust God, and love the Church. At that time, as a young priest, I thought I had many answers and very few doubts myself. Today, after thirty years of priesthood, I remember this conversation whenever I read the Gospel for the Feast of the Ascension. Saint Matthew tells us that when the disciples saw the Risen Lord, “they worshiped, but they doubted” (Matthew 28:17). These words bring me great consolation and encouragement. The disciples lived with Jesus for three years. They witnessed His miracles, listened to His teaching, and even encountered Him after the Resurrection. Yet some still struggled with doubts. And despite their doubts, Jesus still trusted them and sent them to proclaim the Gospel to the world. Over the years I have learned that doubts can sometimes help our faith grow. Honest doubts encourage us to ask questions, to pray more deeply, and to search for God with greater sincerity. Doubts brought to prayer do not destroy faith; very often they strengthen and mature it. The Ascension of the Lord is one of the central mysteries of our Catholic faith. Jesus conquered sin and death and returned to the glory of the Father. At the same time, He did not abandon us. He remains with us through the Holy Spirit, through the Eucharist, through His Word, and through the Church. The Feast of the Ascension reminds us that heaven is our true home. Yet it also reminds us that we will never fully understand the mystery of eternal life while we are here on earth. As Saint Paul beautifully writes: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). This feast fills us with hope. Jesus leads us to the Father, and heaven is our destiny when we continue to follow Him faithfully – even when we struggle, fail, or experience doubts along the way. As I remember my mother’s questions so many years ago, I realize now that faith is not about having every answer. Faith is about trusting Jesus enough to continue walking with Him, even when some mysteries remain beyond our understanding. Happy Feast of the Ascension! Fr. Andrzej

God is Love

By Jennifer Moscatello • May 4, 2026

As we continue our journey through the Easter Season, we are gradually approaching the great feasts of the Ascension, Pentecost, and the Holy Trinity. In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to His disciples with tenderness, knowing that their hearts are troubled at the thought of His departure. His words are meant to console them and to strengthen their faith. Jesus assures them: they will not be left alone. He promises the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who will remain with them forever. In this promise, Jesus begins to reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity. He speaks of His unity with the Father and of the Spirit who will dwell within them. This is not something distant or abstract. God desires to be close to us – so close that He makes His home in our hearts. At the center of this mystery is love. The Holy Trinity is a communion of perfect love – the Father loving the Son, the Son loving the Father, and the Holy Spirit as the bond of that love. This love is not closed in on itself. It reaches out to us and invites us to share in it. Jesus makes this very clear: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” His commandment is simple, yet demanding – to love one another. When we love with patience, kindness, and a willingness to sacrifice, we begin to reflect God’s own love. Every act of true love – selfless, faithful, and forgiving – makes God present in our lives. In this way, we come to experience that we are not alone. God is with us, guiding us, strengthening us, and walking with us each day. Today, as we celebrate Mother’s Day, this message becomes very concrete. A mother’s love – gentle, patient, and self-giving – is a beautiful reflection of God’s love. In her daily sacrifices, her care, and her constant presence, we can see a living image of the love that flows within the Holy Trinity. Let us give thanks for all mothers and for all those who have shown us such love. And let us open our hearts more deeply to the gift Jesus offers us – the gift of His abiding presence. We are not alone. We are loved, accompanied, and invited to live in that love every day. Fr. Andrzej