In this bulletin, we publish our Fiscal Report for
2018-2019. As you can tell, the Lord has
provided for our needs for yet another year.
Please take the time to review it.
It becomes clear that the Lord works through generous hearts who are
willing to share their resources with their brothers and sisters.
It may be helpful just to offer a couple of notes at this
time. A parish is a particular group of
Christian Faithful who are entrusted to one another and who receive the
responsibility to attend to the pastoral care of a territory or a group of
people. We have been given the task of
attending to the needs of those who live in our parish boundaries and those who
choose to ally themselves with us as official members of our parish.
Genesis reveals that God has made human beings stewards in
His stead, responsible for taking care of the rest of creation. The Catholic Church provides guidance as to
what it means to be a steward. The
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has written about this topic. It may be helpful to offer some insights from
the U.S. Bishops’ pastoral letter on Stewardship.
"As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one
another as good stewards of God's varied grace" (1 Pt 4:10).
What identifies a steward? Safeguarding material
and human resources and using them responsibly are one answer; so is generous
giving of time, talent, and treasure.
But being a Christian steward means more. As Christian stewards, we
receive God's gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly
in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord.
Stewardship includes a
response on our part that comes from both Justice and Charity. Our contribution to the needs of the parish to
which we belong is a matter of justice.
When our community reaches beyond itself to the needs of others or to
attend to the needs of those among us who do not have the resources they
require, then we are responding in charity.
Some confuse this,
thinking it is a charity merely to put something into the collection basket. Only the second collection is direct
charity. Up to a certain point, what we
contribute to the first collection, either at Mass or through online contributions,
is what we owe one another in justice.
It is like paying our mortgage or paying for utilities; it is part of
being a member of a family. We are truly
grateful to all who meet their responsibility in this regard. We are also grateful to and we rely upon
those who reach beyond their due to help cover what other members are not able
to. Offering an annual report is an
effort to be transparent about these matters.
Sincere thanks to all
who fulfill the demands of justice and charity.
A gentle reminder and challenge to all of us to ensure that we respond
to the Lord’s call to be generous with this world’s goods in order to build up
our treasure in Heaven.
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