STEWARDSHIP
Dear Parishioners:
I remember my First Holy Communion very well, don't you! A grandparent, a visitor to St. Brigid's remarked on First Communion Day, that it was the best service they had been to in a long time. Another parent mentioned that their child felt like they were participating in the Mass. A third, remarked on the beauty of the church, the property, the huge parish center and the great reception in the hall. Another First Communion student thanked me for the beautiful certificate and gifts awarded to each student. I'm sure you join me in feeling that the religious education teachers and the students are the best. And they are very important to St. Brigid's Parish.
Donation card to print and mail in
You may have read in the bulletin some of the other activities the parish does each year. The Parish Retreat with Fr. Adrian Gallagher, OFM, bringing Holy Communion and baskets to the shut ins, the Sacrament of Anointing the Sick during Mass, or the Leona Duval Award. You know about the Bazaar, the Golf Tournament and the even the Spring Raffle.
But my heart is heavy and it hurts me to say, as your pastor, but I am forced to call your attention to our parish bills. Through God's grace our efforts bear fruit and we all enjoy His abundant blessings on St. Brigid's. From time to time we face challenges in parish life that call us to renew our commitment as stewards of the Roman Catholic community ofAmherst. The present challenge is financial. In the last 4 years, we have aggressively managed expenses by reducing parish spending while simultaneously adding over $100,000 of necessary renovations to our beautiful Church and other Parish buildings. St Brigid's costs less to operate now than it ever has in the recent past. Sadly, even with this prudently austere fiscal management we will face a deficit of $20,000 for fiscal year 2005 which ends on June 30. And this week we have found a crack in the boiler at the Parish Center.
Donation card to print and mail in
Simply put, the revenue St. Brigid has received through weekly collections, donations, parish hall rentals, and the various fund raising events has not kept pace with our expenses even though they have been cut over these last 4 years. To cut these further would mean cutting essential parish programs, and I would be very hesitant to do that.
In the past, I have made appeals to your generosity and have always been pleased with your response. I must do so again. There are 250 families registered in our parish. My request for additional giving would place a burden on each family to increase their weekly giving by $5. This would not only remove this year's deficit but prevent a similar situation from occurring next year. Some families may be able to do more, other less -but I ask that you all do what you can. I would also suggest that there are 2 other efforts to be made that are even more important than increasing your weekly donation. First, each family that we bring to St. Brigid's, either returning or new, adds diversity and strengthens our parish in numerous ways. We should all make an effort to bring people home to our parish and share our faith with others. Second, we need to renew and deepen our prayer as God will not be outdone in His generosity.
Sincerely,
(Rev.) John T. Smegal
