Increased Participation is the Goal of the 2024 Stewardship Appeal

It’s time again for the annual stewardship appeal in our parish. By praying the Mass we offer thanksgiving to God for his many blessings in our lives, and we invite you to prayerfully reflect on how we receive His gifts and share them through our sacrificial giving.

Below you will find a link to our Annual Report — this is a one page overview of the 2023-24 fiscal year. It provides a snapshot of our sacrificial giving as a parish.  There are also some photos of community events and other statistics you might find interesting (Confessions offered, Masses, Sacraments, etc.) You’ll see we have some wonderful things to celebrate, as well as some challenges.

St. Anthony Annual Report
St. Mary Annual Report

Compared to previous years, we have been experiencing a decline in sacrificial giving — our primary source of parish revenue. We know that some households have been challenged by economic and financial hardships and have reduced their giving. But we also know there is a lack of participation in sacrificial giving. This year, between 40-50 percent of all registered and active households in our parishes have not made a sacrificial gift — in any dollar amount.

We speculate this may be due to one of two reasons: 1) you think your gift isn't needed; or 2) you think your gift would be "too small" to be significant or to have an impact in our parish. All gifts are important. But it’s not necessarily the size of the gift that matters.

Sacrificial giving is actually intended to be more than just “paying the parish bills” — though that is part of responsible stewardship; it’s a spiritual practice that focuses our priorities on God and away from material things.  This is why sacrificial giving is an important practice for all of us. It’s not about who can give the most or make the most impact.  It’s about cultivating a habit of gratitude and generosity with the resources God has given us.  It’s giving from our substance and not only from our abundance.  And it is giving that is done with a prayer of thanksgiving to God to demonstrate our gratitude. Our goal for the annual appeal this fall is to increase household participation in both parishes by 25%.

Prayerfully consider your spiritual practice of sacrificial giving and how you respond to God’ generosity in your life.  If you are already giving, and have been particularly blessed, consider increasing your gift.  Your sacrificial gift will support parish operations — and we thank you! But more than that, your decision to freely choose sacrificial giving will enrich your spiritual life.

Msgr. Ross Shecterle, Pastor
Fr. Andrew Linn, Associate Pastor