Fr. Glen Ragsag of the Kristo Rai Church on Sunday said that to cut costs, they now only celebrate Mass on Sundays.
“Before, we used to have Mass daily but our utility bills sky-rocketed to over $4,000 a month,” Ragsag said.
He added that the utility bills of the church were reduced by half when they celebrate Mass on Sundays only.
“That’s still a big amount for the church to pay but the reduction in costs helps us a lot,” Ragsag said.
He acknowledged that many Catholics want to go to church every day, but there is no other means for them to cut the utility costs.
Power rates on Saipan have quadrupled since Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, who promised to reduce them, came into office in Jan. 2006.
Currently, CUC customers are paying 41 cents per kwh.
Ragsag said they are conducting fundraising activities to help the operational expenses of the church.
These included the 3rd Annual Kristo Rai Parish Golf Tournament held at the Laolao Bay Golf Resort last Saturday.
Proceeds from the event will help fund the renovation of the parish council’s social hall, Ragsag said.
“We are thankful for the participants who joined the tournament,” he added. “We registered 85 players and the $100 registration fee for each player plus the cash and in-kind donations from companies and generous individuals will help us a lot,” Ragsag said.
