Dear Parish Family and Friends,

What a wonderful and successful picnic we had! I am so grateful to every one of you who made this event possible. Your dedication, hard work, and warm hospitality created an atmosphere of joy and togetherness that made our picnic truly special.

First and foremost, I thank God for blessing us with beautiful weather and with a wonderful crowd who came together in faith and fellowship to make our parish picnic such a joyful success.

I am especially grateful to our Picnic Chair, David Gawarecki, for his tireless dedication, hard work, and steadfast leadership, and to his devoted team: Peri Winters, for her excellent coordination of all the booths and volunteers; Jean Gawarecki, for overseeing the money room and assisting in logistics; and Larry Seykora, for leading the Chicken Dinner with such efficiency and care.

A very special thank-you goes to all the booth chairs and volunteers who gave so generously of their time and energy—whether working in the booths on both days, cutting vegetables, preparing food, or serving the Chicken Dinner in the gym. Your dedication and cheerful spirit made everything run so smoothly and created a warm and welcoming atmosphere. I am also deeply grateful to the friends and family members who stepped in to volunteer alongside you. This was, in every way, a community effort, and I am sincerely thankful.

My thanks also go to St. Paul Parish and School for their volunteers and to Fr. Shaju, Pastor of St. Paul, for his support and blessing. Thank you as well to the Men’s Club of St. Paul, for their tremendous help in setting up the picnic grounds and for their support in preparing the Chicken Dinner.

A word of appreciation to the Knights of Columbus for their leadership in preparing the Chicken Dinner—a beautiful mission they carry out for many Catholic parishes in our area—and for their generous donation toward the Indian Food Booth.

I also wish to thank Fr. George from Holy Family and the many friends from the Indian community who helped with the Margarita Booth and assisted me in preparing the Indian dishes. Your presence and hard work added so much to the spirit of the picnic.

A big thank-you as well to the student-teachers from Notre Dame for helping in various booths, and to the Girl Scouts for their help in the dining hall.

I am very grateful to all who assisted with the setup and tear-down of the picnic grounds and gym, as well as the cleanup of our campus in the weeks before the event. Though the group was small, your work was incredible and made such a difference.

To all of our sponsors, thank you for your generous support. To all those who contributed gift cards, cakes, cookies, jars, soft drinks, water, and many other items—your kindness was deeply appreciated. In a special way, I would like to thank all who sponsored the Indian Food Booth through their generous donations. Thank you all for your generosity in making our picnic possible.

I would also like to thank all our vendors who helped make the picnic lively and enjoyable. The two bands gave us outstanding performances that everyone truly enjoyed. A big thanks as well to Louisville Inflatables, Inc., whose fun attractions were a hit with families, to Farmer Steve for bringing his small zoo that delighted children and adults alike, and to Haywood’s Ice Cream, which was a sweet treat for everyone. Your contributions brought extra joy and excitement to our celebration.

My sincere thanks also to Steve Strange and David Knight and their team for working so hard to install the big screens and projectors in the gym before the picnic. In addition, David Knight generously donated and installed a new PA system for our gym, which will benefit our parish well beyond the picnic.

I would also like to thank all the staff in our parish office for their constant assistance and support. I especially want to say how much I appreciate Shana Boyd, Vicky Guffey, and Laura Lyons for the extra effort they put into securing the licenses and permissions we needed to hold our picnic. Their hard work behind the scenes made everything possible.

Above all, thank you to each of you who prayed, participated, spread the word, and helped create such a welcoming family atmosphere. Your generosity of spirit made this picnic not just an event, but a true celebration of our parish life.

May God continue to bless you and your families for all that you have done to support our parish and for the joy you bring to our community.

With heartfelt gratitude and Prayers

Fr. Leo Payyappilly OFM Conv.

Your Co-Traveler