Stewardship - Thoughts at Easter

Our Easter collection is one of our two major annual holy day collections to support our parish.
 
Of course, we primarily depend on the support of our parishioners every week throughout the year to fund our total operating budget. This includes the maintenance of our beautiful basilica, where we gather in shared worship, and our many parish ministries that support each and every one of us at all stages of our lives, every day of the year. Our holy day collections are a large and  valued supplement to those weekly gifts.
 
As you look around the basilica this Easter, we hope you appreciate the sacrifice made by those who came before us, who sat in the same pews we sit in today. They built our parish and set aside a cushion to help with emergencies, as we experienced in the last few years when faced with the urgent needs to replace our basilica ceiling and repair our bell tower.
 
We hope you also remember all the times our parish has touched our lives, at all points from the very young to the very old. Our parish remains our anchor, not just as a symbol of our faith but more importantly as an actual force in our lives as we live the words of Christ for each other.
 
If you have fallen behind in your yearly plans, consider this an opportunity to “make up” your support for our parish at this time. Remember, we remain open for you all year, every week, every day.
 
Our parish is our family in faith, and like any good family we are called to be present for each other.  We support each other in our shared worship, in our shared prayers, and in our shared experiences.
 
No matter our circumstances, our giving to others truly is a shared message of hope in the Risen Lord this Easter.