Sincere thanks to all of you who participated in our stewardship commitment drive last Sunday. Several hundred pledges were submitted, showing that St. John’s parishioners have really taken the message of personal conversion and sharing of resources, the fruit of God’s goodness. With this commitment from you I feel confident that we shall be able to move forward and develop our facilities for the benefit of the whole parish.
Stewardship, as you know, involves the proper management of resources, both personal and communal. As Christians we are responsible for the welfare of all members of the Church, including those who are poor. For this reason, we also have organizations like the St. Vincent de Paul Society which serves the poor in our area. Today I would like to share some information from the Society’s Annual Report so that you know that St. John’s is mindful of those in need.
The twelve active members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society provided nearly 2000 people with assistance in the form of food cards. Nearly 1400 received transportation help. Paid shelter was provided for 22 persons, 46 received medical aid, and utilities were paid for 28 households. Altogether our Vincentians logged 1448 hours of service to the poor and needy. A total of $55,513 was used to provide this assistance and none of it went to our Society’s members. As a matter of fact, members contributed from their own resources (over $900) in some cases. During the past year our parish provided $43,536 from collections and our poor box.
Recalling our Lord’s words in Matthew 25 that what we do for the least of His brothers we do for Him, we will again have an opportunity this week to share with our disadvantaged brothers and sisters. Thanksgiving reminds us of the need to return thanks to God for all the good He has done for us. Our Thanksgiving Day collection is entirely given to the St. Vincent de Paul Society so that they can continue their crucial work in our area. The weak economy of the past two years has resulted in more requests for help than ever before. In the spirit of good stewards of God’s blessings, I ask you to continue your support of the St. Vincent de Paul Society by sharing generously and cheerfully, for God loves the cheerful giver.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
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