We hear readings today reaffirming that we are all part of God’s creation. From Genesis, we hear how out of the earth, God made the first human being, then made many different creatures, and finally, made a suitable companion for the first human being. The creation story from the 2nd Chapter of Genesis is juxtaposed against Jesus’ teachings about marriage, how man and woman are joined together by God in a covenant that is not to be separated. We hear these readings of God’s commitment to us as a part of his creation, of a husband’s commitment to his wife, as we approach the last weekend of our parish’s stewardship campaign. It is the day we will be asked to make a commitment. Over these past weeks, we have been invited to reflect upon our stewardship of time, talent, and treasure. We have listened to Deacon John McGregor and Dunaway Rooks reflect upon stewardship and to Rhea Vincent address our parking lot repairs - I am very grateful for their reflections.
Our parish has been called to give back in gratitude. We are especially hopeful that an increase in giving will enable us to meet our goals of paying off the parking lot repairs in a timely manner and to strengthen our parish’s financial position. I hope all of you received in the mail the letter from me detailing these goals of our stewardship appeal, with a brochure suggesting levels of increased weekly giving.
We are asked today to make our commitment to increased giving by completing an intention card. You have received the Commitment Weekend envelope which contains an intention card and pencil. Please take a moment to fill out the intention card for your household. By making this commitment, you are being specific about where these weeks of prayerful reflection have brought you in terms of your stewardship of treasure. And you are helping our parish of St Jude to make an informed plan for stewardship of parish resources in service to parish ministries. I have completed my own intention card.
Please complete the portion of the card that asks for your name and address now. If you currently receive weekly offertory envelopes and your know your envelope number, please add it to the space indicated. You may add your phone number if you wish.
In the row of boxes on the bottom of the intention card, take a moment to check the box that corresponds to your new level of weekly giving to which you committed. If your level is not shown, check the box marked “other” and write in your preferred amount. You will also see on the intention card a box to check if you’re not currently receiving offertory envelopes, and wish to receive them. I recommend this option, because envelopes serve as a reminder to sustain our weekly giving. You will also find a box to check if you are interested in receiving information for electronic giving, in which your weekly offering will automatically and securely be deducted from your bank account or charged to a credit card. Please return the intention card to the envelope and place the envelope in the collection basket when it comes by.
Every household who submits a completed intention card will receive a thank you letter. Over the next few weeks, those who have not yet responded will receive a series of reminder letters. There will be weekly reminder announcements at Mass and in the bulletin. During this time, please continue to pray for the widest possible participation in our Stewardship Campaign.
I want to thank those of you who have helped make our St Jude Stewardship Campaign possible: our parish staff, as well as Deacon John, Dunaway Rooks, and Rhea Vincent who spoke at Mass these past few weeks. I especially want to thank all of you who opened your hearts to these talks on stewardship these past several weeks, who answered this invitation to stewardship so prayerfully and enthusiastically. Our shared parish mission will reflect your commitment and your generosity. Please join me in praying our Stewardship prayer together.
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