Good Stewardship

Jack and Lorraine own a home on a local lake. They invited Laser and me over for a swim and a boat ride. Being dog people themselves, Brady, yes, named after Tom Brady. When they discovered that laser likes to swim, they invited us over anytime we wanted even if they weren't home. We have taken advantage of this offer many times.

On one occasion, Jack was home, so I thanked him for letting us use their property. I was confused by his response. He said, no need to thank me. It's not ours. When he saw the confused look on my face, he continued.

Oh, we own the house. It's all paid off. I know life is fleeting. I'm just a temporary caretaker for all that I have, including the house. Someone else will eventually own it.

Today's gospel passage, Luke sixteen one to 13, the parable of the dishonest steward or the shrewd manager makes it clear. The goods of this earth are given to all of us as stewards, temporary caretakers. God alone is to be served and loved with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. We are called to receive all these goods, no matter what they are, as a gift, and to direct them toward what is good and true. We are stewards, and the parable of the unjust steward is addressed to each one of us today.

We need to prepare for our future on earth and ultimately in heaven. This is the basis of grateful discipleship, which we introduced to you in January and February 2024 when we ask parishioners to make planned, proportionate, grateful, and joyful commitments of time, talent, and treasure. Grateful discipleship 2025 has a more specific goal, to increase the parish's offertory by adding new, recurring or electronic donors and asking current donors to increase their regular contributions. The need is urgent. Ongoing annual deficits jeopardize the parish's ministries and the parish itself.

The many positive aspects of our worship, faith formation, service, and social life are at risk due to financial instability. Unsteady finances affect our core priorities, the Eucharist, life, and vocations. Large deficits in our operating budget prevent us from creating an even stronger life in our parishes and threaten our ability to sustain current ministries. We are currently using parish savings from past generous gifts of grateful disciples or relying on one time unplanned gifts to cover our operating expenses. While this helps us now, it is not a sustainable solution for the future.

We are doing what we can to control or reduce expenses. When our pastoral associate decided to return to her previous position, we did not fill the role. When our full time finance and operations manager chose to scale back to part time work to focus on financial responsibilities, we did not hire anyone to handle operations and office management. We rely on office volunteers to perform tasks usually done by paid administrative staff in most parishes. And more recently, when our coordinator for youth ministry and confirmation preparation left to accept a position in another parish closer to his family, we decided that we cannot afford to replace him.

Recently, we participated in an energy and lighting audit to improve efficiency and lower rising utility costs. We compare vendors to ensure we use the most affordable vendor for our basic supplies and utilities. We have invested our dwindling reserves to gain more interest income. If we cannot increase income, we will need to cut more expenses, mainly in staffing, which will directly harm each parish's ability to fulfill its mission. Failing to address this now questions each parish's viability and its mission.

I am not asking you for a grand annual gift. The grand annual collection will take place as it has in previous years, and this year will return to its original purpose of addressing specific maintenance projects. I am humbly asking for your help. Participate in this increased offertory campaign for Saint Anthony of Padua Parish in Cohasset and Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish in Hull. Base your participation on serious thought, prayer, and family discussion.

If you do not currently give to your parish regularly, become a recurring online donor. If you do currently give to the parish regularly, consider increasing your offertory giving as your circumstances allow. Many fulfill their offertory commitment through online giving. Others prefer to fulfill their commitment each Sunday through the weekly envelope. Whether you prefer online giving or using the envelope and whether you fulfill your commitment weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannually, or annually is your choice.

How much should you give? This is not a question I can answer. The brochure that you will soon receive in the mail will offer some helpful guidelines for giving at various levels. Please read the brochure carefully and prayerfully. Within the mailing, you will also find a commitment form.

Please complete the form and return it on commitment weekend, which will be on October. I am truly grateful to those who already financially support your parish. With your help, we can more accurately predict our regular recurring income and plan for a future of even greater impact. I am not only the pastor of these two parishes, I am a donor to each parish. I give to each parish on a monthly basis using online giving.

So I, like you, will receive these materials in the mail and will give prayerful consideration to increasing my own gift to each parish. As we ask you to consider becoming an online giver or increasing your current level of giving, I also encourage you to support our local conference of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. These are parish members in Hull and Cohasset who are dedicated to assisting those in need in our towns. They need our support and our generous giving of resources. Next weekend's second collection will be for the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, and I ask you to consider giving support to them.

I am grateful every day that the Lord called me to serve as a priest, and cardinal Sean assigned me to serve as pastor at Saint Anthony of Padua Parish in Cohasset in Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish in Hull. Each day is filled with amazing and faith filled people working side by side in service to God and his harvest. I assure you that you are in my daily prayers, and I trust that I am in yours. Saint Mary of the Assumption, pray for us. Saint Anthony of Padua, pray for us.

Saint Anne, pray for us. Saint Vincent de Paul, pray for us.

Thanks for listening to the Christ by the Sea Catholic Collaborative Podcast. You can follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This has been a production of the Parish Podcast Project.