In the movie Beyond the Forrest, a bored housewife, Rosa Moline played by Bette Davis, made famous the line "What a dump!" as she descended down the staircase of her husband’s small hunting lodge illustrating her boredom with small town life. That famous line came to mind—with equal disgust when I was informed of a sad occurrence here on our parish grounds.

Shortly after Christmas late one night or early one morning, someone discarded the remnants of a kitchen remodel job in our new back parking lot—from kitchen cabinets and tiles to glass and countertops. I will assume someone was trying to avoid dumping fees and decided it was "OK" to dump their refuse on Church property—with no regard for private property, no less holy grounds. The Simsbury Police, led by parishioner and Officer Michael Lantiere are investigating. Hopefully justice will prevail.

This event just highlights the lack of respect for others in society today. Our parking lot, especially since the repaving, has become quite the turn-a-round space—with people flying through the parking lot at 30+mph and buzzing right through—and if you simply ask them to slow down their response usually isn’t friendly. As well, late night group parking and overnight car drop-off has increased. When I question people as they leave their cars during the day, simply asking them to let us know (an insurance company requirement) they get very hostile and indignant believing they have the right to park here anytime—even bicycle groups during Sunday Mass times. We try to maintain a tranquil and lovely piece of property that is safe and inviting for parishioners and those who wish to visit to build a deeper spiritual relationship with God. We will do our best to maintain its beauty, safety and tranquility. It is an interesting world to say the least