Dear Friends,

Many thanks to those of you who supported the Fr. Ned Coughlin SJ Shelter Naming Project. At the start, our hope was to sell 1,000 raffle tickets to pay for some much-needed renovations to the shelter. But through the wonderful efforts of both parishioners and Mission volunteers, we actually sold 1,113 tickets and thus were able to raise the level of each prize.

One man alone bought 125 tickets and wrote anonymous on each one with the instructions that, if any of his tickets were drawn, the prize money would go back to the shelter. All of the winners gave a portion of their prizes back, some returning the entire amount! Additionally, single gifts of $5,000 and $2,500 (independent of ticket sales) were donated to the shelter, bringing the total money raised to $29,760 before the distribution of prizes. We were very moved, but not surprised, by your tremendous generosity!

Work will begin soon to replace portions of the floor and ceiling, install new cabinetry and a better ventilation system, and paint various rooms and walls. By early fall, we expect to have a much better, more comfortable home for our guests thanks to you.

The official renaming of the shelter program will take place during the annual Mission Mass on Sunday, October 18th (11:30am). Ned would be very proud of our efforts and we are certain his spirit will be with us. Thank you once again for all you did to make this initiative a great success.

Yours very gratefully,

Cassandra Agredo Joseph Marina, SJ
Executive Director Pastor
Xavier Mission