St. John the Baptist Parish pays off mortgage

Intermountain Catholic

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Two Saint John the Baptist Elementary School students who donated their allowances to the parish's "Burn the Mortgage" campaign join Msgr. Terence Moore and Bishop John C. Wester in setting fire to a paper representing the mortgage certificate during the ceremony after the April 21 Mass that celebrated the retirement of the debt. The ceremony was held in the parish's Rosary Grotto, which is just east of the church. IC photos/Marie Mischel

DRAPER – A standing-room only crowd joined the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church on April 21 in a "burn the mortgage" celebration as well as the Eucharist. Monsignor Terence Moore, pastor, concelebrated the Mass of Thanksgiving, assisted by Deacons Paul Graham and Dale Dillon.

Bishop Wester thanked the parishioners and congratulated them on their generosity, their dedication to the Church and their parish and for their faithful stewardship. Paying off the mortgage is one symbol among many that "you care about this parish and the life that it represents," he added.

The bishop also commended Msgr. Moore, "who has truly been a shepherd to you all" as well as an example to other priests in the diocese, he said.

The parish began to plan the church in 1999, Msgr. Moore said in an interview. At that time, there were 200 families; that has grown to 1,600 families today.

"It was a dream job for a pastor, really, because there was so much energy among the people," Msgr. Moore said, adding that parishioners felt they had been the beneficiaries "of this marvelous gift" of the Skaggs Catholic Center. There was a synergy between the center’s three Catholic schools and the parish, he said, but even so they had to work hard to raise funds.

The parish’s most successful annual fundraiser has been the Festival of Roses, which brings in about $150,000 a year, Msgr. Moore said.

Between the festival and the capital campaign the parish paid off the mortgage in 10 years. The final "Burn the Mortgage" push raised $75,000, a sum that was matched by a family who wishes to remain anonymous, Msgr. Moore said.

"This is indeed a joyous day for our parish," Msgr. Moore said after the Mass on April 21, explaining that when he announced at an April 17 school Mass that on Sunday they were burning the mortgage, an elementary school student went home and said, "Mom, Monsignor is going to burn the church down."

After the laughter quieted, Msgr. Moore added, "All of you here today have made this celebration possible. Our faithful generous parishioners who give to the collections every Sunday and who energize the parish with your selfless ministry; you are the heart of our parish…. This is your church."

In particular, he recognized the building committee under the direction of Graham Helsby and the Capital Campaign committee under the direction of Tom Best; the Liturgical Arts and Memorial Gifts Committee under the direction of Sandy Sullivan; Carolyn Marcovecchio and Lindsey Marriott; and the Rosary Grotto Committee under the direction of Ken Kelter and Jim Pecora.

"This church cost $6.5 million to complete," Msgr. Moore said. "The capital campaign in which most of you, our parishioners, participated generated $3 million. The remaining $3.5 million was raised through our annual Festival of Roses, Mardi Gras, DDD rebates and a host of other fundraisers…. I especially thank all of our hard-working festival chairs and committee heads who have worked so hard over 14 years. Our festivals have been indeed heart-warming and back-breaking community events."

Msgr. Moore singled out for particular recognition Mike Zaffino and Lisa Smith for their efforts with the Festival of Roses over the past 14 years.

In thanking all who contributed financially and who volunteered for the various fundraising efforts, Msgr. Moore said, "This beautiful church is built and debt free through the sweat of your brow and your faith-filled hearts."