December 12, 2008



Dear Parishioners:

In a recent bulletin letter I talked about how lucky I felt to be the Pastor of Our Lady of Hope.  Our wonderful parish has a reputation of reaching out to help those in need – a reputation of providing a feeling of Hope for those less fortunate.  The generosity that you have shown is extraordinary, be it the Sandwich Ministry, our Weekly Tithe or the building of Camp Daniel, our parish always raises to the challenge. 

Due to the path of destruction left by Hurricanes Katrina, Gustave and Ike over the past three years, there is a need to bring Hope to a community.  The community of Bogalusa, Louisiana was hard hit and is in desperate need of housing, particularly for families.  The Parish Council and the Social Justice and Outreach Committee, after much prayer and discussion, are recommending that we build a house in Bogalusa.  We are asking the parishioners of Our Lady of Hope, in conjunction with Solid Rock Carpenters and Habitat for Humanity, to build a House of Hope for a needy family.  A team of our parishioners will work at constructing the frame of the home during the coming year with the help of Solid Rock Carpenters, and then head down to Bogalusa next November and December to complete our House of Hope.  The cost of this home building project is approximately $55,000.  

We are asking our parishioners to assist in a number of ways.  The first is to consider making a pledge to this effort.  You can make a one- time gift, or use the enclosed pledge commitment card and we will send you a monthly reminder with your balance.  I know that times are tough, but think about what it would feel like to have your home destroyed during these economic times, then consider what you may be able to sacrifice to make a donation to assist with this effort.  The second opportunity to assist is for those who are physically able is to commit to being a part of the construction team.  Finally, and most importantly, we ask each parishioner to pray for this effort.  Pray that we can reach the financial goal we have set, pray that our laborers will work hard and be safe, and finally pray for the family who will benefit from the generosity of Our Lady of Hope.

For those parishioners that are over 70 ½ consider taking advantage of the recent legislation that allows you to make a contribution directly from your IRA to Our Lady of Hope.  If you would like more information please contact the parish office, and we will send you more information, or speak to your financial consultant.

Watch for more information in the Narthex, in the bulletin and on our Web site.  Also, I encourage you to speak to members of our Parish Council about how you can assist this effort. 

I know that, thanks to your generosity, we will again provide Hope to a family in need.

God Bless,   

Rev. John Clemens
Pastor





Current Amount Collected: $21,709.00

For further information in the House of Hope Ministry please contact
Brian Fergus at brianfergus@wowway.com or 847-567-0856. 

Click here to read our news article.

Click here to download Future Plans and Registration Form. 

The House of Hope Committee will be selling tickets to our HOPE FEST Celebration every weekend after all masses. We will also have further information about our fundraising efforts and details on our trips to Louisiana and framing day in Glenview.