QUEEN OF HEAVEN CARNIVAL

Queen of Heaven Carnival

Letter from Fr. Greg
Dear Parishioners, God is good! Although it was a little hotter than I would have liked, we had great weather for our Carnival last weekend, and this allowed us to reap the benefit of all the work that everyone put in throughout the year preparing for and executing our largest annual event. Our 43rd Annual Carnival is complete, and it took in a gross amount of a little more than $550,000 which is the third largest in the history of the Queen of Heaven Carnival. Exact numbers are not totally in, and time will tell how much we actually will profit from it. Costs certainly have gone up and bills need to be paid, but it all looks very promising. While I cannot begin to name all the individuals who have contributed with heroic fervor, I do want to thank Neil Herman, this year’s general chairperson, Emily Melski and Jerry Wszalek the co-vicechairs, the Carnival Committee, and the hundreds of others who worked at the Carnival serving people directly or behind the scenes! As I write this article on Tuesday afternoon following the Carnival, there are many very tired people who put in countless hours over the past few weeks particularly, and a good number of them were here yesterday doing the clean-up and tying up many loose ends. The majority of the clean-up is already complete. I am impressed once again by the dedication and diligence of our workers. Thank you again for your hard work! I would be remiss if I also did not thank all those who were praying for good weather and the success of the Carnival. Certainly, we can do nothing without God’s help, and we were blessed with great weather and a safe experience. One item from the Carnival that has been carried into Church this week is our prayer intention box that was at our Parish booth. People had the opportunity to place their prayer intentions on a small piece of paper during the Carnival with the idea that we would pray for them this week at church. The prayer box is now in Church placed before the altar. Please remember these intentions during Mass and other prayer times in your life.

LETTER FROM THE CARNIVAL CHAIRMAN
As I write this letter on Tuesday morning, I take a moment to reflect on another Carnival in the books. Save for a short period of rain on Sunday afternoon, we again were blessed with beautiful weather all weekend – maybe even a little too beautiful! We persevered through some high temperatures during the afternoon. I am truly humbled by the absolute resilience and grit of our volunteers and Carnival Committee. I want to begin with a profound THANK YOU to all of our volunteers, especially our Parish community and School Families. As the Carnival has grown, so too has the need for more help. Together we staffed over 500 f ive-hour shifts!!! This is truly remarkable and I get very emotional when I think about it. Our people pushed through the heat to produce the 3rd highest grossing Carnival in our 43-year history. Volunteers - YOU ARE THE ENGINE THAT DRIVES QUEEN OF HEAVEN CARNIVAL! Myself and our Committee have so much respect for what you accomplished. I also want to thank the Town of West Seneca and the Highway Department for all their support. I am pleased to report that we did not have any major medical or security issues, and the small ones we did encounter were handled swiftly. This does not happen without the coordinated efforts of the West Seneca Police, private security, and a coalition from Vigilant, Reserve, and Union Fire Companies. I offer special thanks to Chief of Police Ed Baker, Assistant Chief Bill Leitzel, Captain Jim Unger, Captain Brian Cosgrove, and Vigilant Chief Barb Mann. Thank you for your time, dedication, and leadership. We are fortunate to have outstanding leadership here at Queen of Heaven and I would like to thank Fr. Greg for his unwavering support and guidance. Many thanks to my brothers at the Knights of St. John for everything you do for the Carnival. You guys are the best! Finally, our Carnival Committee - words cannot express the love and gratitude I have for each of you. Your dedicated effort to continue to push forward and display of toughness is awesome. We have added some young and talented people to the Committee that will help us for years to come. Special thanks to our Buildings & Grounds crew and to Volunteer Coordinator, Jacquelyn Boss. Jacki worked so hard behind the scenes to make sure we had all the help we needed to pull this off. I would also like to recognize our Vice-Chairs, Jerry Wszalek and Emily Melski - thank you for everything you did for me and the Committee. Moving forward, we took a big step in securing the Carnival’s future this year. In late June we agreed to a 5-year extension with Hammerl Amusements, our ride company. Hammerl’s President, Lynn Ritchie and her staff are true professionals. This partnership will ensure that our brand remains strong and synonymous as the best in Western New York. Mark your calendars now for Carnival 2025 - it will be held July 11-13, with Cruz Night Thursday, July 10. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of Summer and that the Lord continues to watch over and bless Queen of Heaven Parish and School. As always, Go Bills! Neil Herman, Class of ‘92 General Chairman