Good Friends in Christ, peace!
Allow me to give you some significant facts about
ourselves and our overall financial situation.
OURSELVES
Consider perhaps a rare thought. A
parish like ours is really a voluntary organization. Freely,
without reservation you and I have chosen Jesus Christ as Lord and
His Church as our home. Such a choice logically requires our
supporting the Church in several ways; one of them is financial.
The more that all of us are convinced of this viewpoint, the more
that our community can do “something beautiful for God”, as Mother
Teresa put it. However, one thing worries me. I am afraid that many
parishioners mistakenly see the Church as existing only to provide
them with services. They ignore their responsibility of support,
and, more worryingly, they are gradually reducing their spiritual
participation. The truth is clear: Everyone who belongs to Christ
has a responsibility to give Him all. We must be spiritually,
vitally committed. In Christ’s New Covenant “All, from least to
greatest, shall know me, says the Lord…” (Jeremiah 31: 34). Our
motto must be the one St. John tells us marked Jesus’ life: “Zeal
for Your House consumes me!” (John 2: 17).
GRATITUDE
Because so many of you agree with
and live by the above truths, the financial report of the parish,
school and cemetery is clearly healthy.
Happily I congratulate all of you who have generously given. You
deserve special thanks for your extensive help for those in need and
the many causes brought to your attention by the Archdiocese.
OFFERTORY ENVELOPES:
Our consistent cause of financial success in the past has been
the use of offertory envelopes. Our reliable weekly income is
ensured by about 600 families who use envelopes. The problem? We
have 2,700 families registered! It is clear that every adult must
be convinced of the need to obtain and use envelopes. If
presently you do not, please, I ask you, pick up a purple edged
envelope at the back of Church, fill it out, put in your money and
drop it in next week’s collection. In a few weeks you begin to get a
monthly packet. People, you must take this advice to heart! Regular
giving via offertory envelopes by more and more parishioners would
alter our situation significantly. “Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
(Matthew 13:8).
BUDGETED GIVING
Here’s a strong statement:
Haphazard giving, even by offertory envelopes, is completely
unhelpful. What everyone needs to do is decide just how much one can
afford to give. Families need to sit down and consider church giving
as a responsibility just like any other: taxes, food, fuel,
utilities, etc. Decide what percent of income you can give. Consider
just 1%. Rockland’s average household income per year is about
$43,000. 1% would be $8.60 a week. $50,000? 1% would be $10 a week.
$100,000? $20 per week. Think it out. What is Christ asking? You
know that some other Christians give 10% of their gross income to
God. Let me tell you a lovely fact. Some Catholics in Rockland also
tithe! I definitely can name one.
THE POINT
“God loves a cheerful giver.” (II
Corinthians 9: 7). Our generosity toward Holy Family is really given
to God. The day has come when haphazard giving to God is passé. The
“one buck” even “two bucks” in the basket just doesn’t cut it; not
in the 21st century!
HOWEVER
Many, especially our elderly, are
on fixed incomes. Many have found their incomes decline shockingly.
Someone recently explained that she could not afford to put anything
in her envelope! So – some of you may be forced to give less! Some
can only give what they are already giving. My advice has always
been: “Do the best you can. If we all do our best, the Lord will get
us through.” But to all who can increase giving, here’s the issue:
PLEASE CONSIDER THE PROBLEM
We cannot help the poor, do adult
education, keep our buildings in repair, enjoy quality means of
worship, witness marriages and prepare people for marriage, do last
rites, serve emergency duty at the hospital, bury the dead, console
the sorrowing, run a thrift shop, clean the church, remove the snow,
cut the grass, counsel, absolve, anoint, do First Communions, run
CCD, offer Confirmation, offer LifeTeen, organize programs of
spirituality and social justice, instruct and welcome Catechumens,
run the business affairs of the school, the parish and the cemetery,
administer CORI checks, teach Virtus & Protecting God’s Children
programs, let neighbors use our facilities, pay for salaries, heat,
utilities, computers, copiers, insurance, the rectory and dozens of
other expected and necessary services and ministries except by
adequate funding. It is that simple. So this is my basic request:
MY BASIC REQUEST
All the above being said,
especially about offertory envelopes and deciding on a percentage of
income dedicated to the Church,
GRATITUDE
Thank you for considering my
request. Thank you for all you have ever given. You are good people!
On behalf of all our staff and myself I say “Thank You”. Finally, my
thanks to the Finance Committee and the Parish Pastoral Council who
helped me enormously in preparing this presentation, a job which I
less than relish. The Word says, “(We) can do all things in Him who
gives us strength.” (Colossians 4: 13). Therefore, let us put our
trust in Jesus. God bless! JFH
