Vision 20/20

It’s hard to believe that two years ago we were in the early planning stages of our ‘Generations of Faith, Together for the Glory of God’ Campaign that has since raised over $4.6 million (complete recap below). It’s equally hard to believe that last year at this time we were just breaking ground on the church renovation. At each phase and step of the way, the love, dedication and care our members have for our parish – and their church – was clear.

The love and CARE our members have for our Church is best seen in our Church Renovation team: Bob Cebula, Tom Serafin and Kevin Yaugher. They spent countless hours working with Marous Brothers, walking through the church, reviewing the work, getting an understanding of what was going where and why – so that we will know for ongoing maintenance. Just about every day throughout the week during construction, Tom Serafin would spend an hour or so walk through and working with all the contractors. Bob Cebula would work through the numbers and finances, processing through change orders and communicating back to Finance Council. Kevin Yaugher attended our weekly meetings, helping ask the hard questions and made sure we stayed on schedule.

Also, not to be forgotten is the care our members showed when they ‘answered the call’:

  • The day after Christmas we had close to 100 members in the church to help remove the old pews, saving the church $20,000.
  • The team of people it took to get the church ‘up and running’ for Easter, led by Helen Lanzarotta and Lisa Beckett to decorate and clean.
  • Mel Beck, Don Long, Ron Porvasnik and countless others who provided their expertise in the trades to make our Church truly exceptional.

Campaign Recap

Total number of Pledges: 818
Total Pledged: $4,637,451.29
Total Paid to Date: $2.2 million (approximately)

The love and care our members have was also seen when countless folks ‘answered the call’ to make sure we were able to get the Stations of the Cross for the Chapel! We have a few stations and several other items that need ‘sponsored’ so we can complete the Chapel. If you’re interested in more information, please contact me – Jake Bihari, 216.215.5015 or JBihari@StAmbrose.us

Reactions to our Renewed Church

“Walking into the Church for the first time on Easter morning truly brought tears to my eyes. The space is warm, bright and inviting. The strength of the altar and ambo help to solidify the truth and abiding presence of Christ in his Church and in my own heart. The crucifix blew me away; he suffered not only for us all but for me individually and he would do it all over again if I were the only sinner on earth – that is the depth and breadth of his love and mercy. What a blessing our renovated church is not only for us, but for future generations as we continue to pass on the beauty and truth of our faith.”

“Seeing the church, refreshed and updated after Easter was symbolic and meant so much to our family. As we wrapped up Lent, it was a perfect transition to spring and new the promises we had made together as a family. Everything about it feels Holy, calm, safe, full of life and love, we are amazed by the renovation.”

“The past few months we loved seeing the renovations photos and videos to catch a peek at the progress. It was remarkable to see what was accomplished from Christmas to Easter. On Easter Sunday I took in the beauty of everything that was fresh and new, but one of my favorite things was that our Church still felt familiar to me. I feel proud knowing that my little family helped repair and refresh a meaningful place for us.”

Automatic Giving

“What return can I make to the Lord, for all of God’s goodness to me?”  – Psalm 116:12

God blesses every sacrifice and offering we make – a thousandfold. As you tithe and make a generous sacrificial offering to God, the Lord will always find a way to thank you and bless you for your goodness.

There are thousands of reasons to support the work of the Lord at Saint Ambrose.

Automatic Giving (ACH) is a safe, convenient and very discerning way for you to consistently support our parish community. It also saves the parish the expense of printing and mailing.

Please consider signing up today.
All the information you need can be
found online at: www.StAmbrose.us/ACH.

You may also reach out to Lynn Rogers in the Parish Business Office at 330-460-7335 or email LRogers@StAmbrose.us.