April 26, 2013

St. John the Evangelist Parish to hold festival to raise funds for fire damage, recognize public safety officials

St. John the Evangelist Parish, 126 W. Georgia St. in Indianapolis, will hold a “Tested by Fire” Fest from 2-10 p.m. on May 4 in the parish parking lot and along the west block of Georgia Street adjacent to the Indiana Convention Center. With a tent covering the entire parking lot, the event can be enjoyed—rain or shine.

According to Father Rick Nagel, pastor of the parish, the purpose for the festival is two-fold.

The parish hopes to raise $25,000 to paint the interior of the church, install new floor covering and raise funds for other costs not covered by the insurance settlement resulting from a fire started in the church by an arsonist on Feb. 27.

“But we also want to recognize those public safety officials who were so quick to respond,” said Father Nagel.

“The firefighters were there in less than five minutes. I was barely downstairs before they showed up. The fire had already hit the choir loft. If it had been much longer, the fire would have gone through the choir loft and to the roof. So we are extremely thankful for their service and efficiency—not just the ones that helped us, but for all public safety officials.”

Father Nagel sees the hand of God in the decision to hold the event on May 4.

“We were already havingthe Race for Vocations with the Mini-Marathon, so it made sense to add this element to the event. We looked up the patron saint for that day, and we saw God’s presence,” explained Father Nagel. “The patron saint for May 4 just happens to be St. Florian—the patron saint of firefighters.”

All firefighters attending the festival will receive a free drink ticket at the beer and wine garden.

Admission to the festival is free. Activities will be offered for people of all ages, including a bounce house, caricaturist and other children’s activities, a corn hole competition with prize money, plus a beer and wine garden.

Mass will be celebrated at 5:30 p.m. After Mass, the Catholic band L’Angelus will take the stage outdoors.

A silent auction will be held, offering such items as time at a condo in Maui, sporting event tickets, hotel getaways, family photo sessions and more.

There will also be a reverse auction, offering the opportunity to donate toward paint, flooring and other items, including “adopting” to paint one of the 150 cherubs surrounding the perimeter of the church’s ceiling.

All are invited to enjoy the fun, show appreciation for public safety officials, and to help raise money for the remediation of smoke and fire damage caused to the 145-year-old church structure.

For more information, contact the parish office at 317-635-2021. †

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