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FROM FR. OAKLAND

Last weekend Fr. Randy and I asked that you prayerfully consider your gifts to the parish in the year ahead and fill out a pledge card. This helps us budget, but more importantly, it helps you budget. As being a disciple shapes every aspect of our lives, that must be true of our wallets as well. All we have is the Lord’s, it’s just a question of how much we use for ourselves; how much we give to God and invest in continuing his work and mission in the world; how much we give to others, especially those in need; and how much we give to Ceasar. How does Jesus impact your budget? How is your love of God reflected in your budget? If all we have is the Lord’s, the sacrifice is our true gift.

The current budget structure at each of our parishes, when our currently open positions are filled, isn’t sustainable. Each parish needs a 3-4% increase in collections, and that doesn’t include any additional staff or funded programming we would want to have. The historical deficit structures at two of the parishes along with fixed cost increases of insurance, property taxes and water runoff, utilities, etc. have been challenging to overcome.  The loss of a Sunday Mass impacted St. Joseph attendance and corresponding giving. Collections are down 8% at St. Joseph and 9% at Mary Queen of Peace over the last five years, while they are up just under 1% at Our Lady of Sorrows. Thank you for prayerfully considering whether you can help us on our path to sustainability by increasing your giving by this much, or more, mindful of others who aren’t able to or who even will be giving less as their circumstances change.

Stewardship of Treasure

Please prayerfully reflect on your giving.
As we begin our annual focus on the Stewardship of Treasure, we invite you to join our parish family in making a commitment to support our shared mission. Your generosity helps sustain the many ministries and programs that bring our faith to life. Clickte button below to fill out your online pledge form. 

Partners in the Gospel Listening Sessions

Next Session: Wednesday, November 11| 7PM | Marian Social Hall

We are now starting Phase 3 of our Partners in the Gospel journey. During this time, we will be asking "Who does God want us to become?" This is our opportunity to envision what our new one parish could look like. This is more than just some tweaks or adjustments, or looking at the opportunities that were identified in Phase 2, but to really envision what the parish could look like in ten years, for example, striving towards an ideal and our bigger purpose. We will also be brainstorming some possible key initiatives necessary as a part of this. The PFAC will take this information to write a parish Vision Statement and identify 4-6 key initiatives. Please see the Listening Session schedule and invite those you know to participate.