Dear Friends in Christ,
A few weeks ago I spoke about Stewardship of Finances and mentioned that the sharing of our resources with the Church can be segmented into three areas: Weekly Offertory, Our Catholic Appeal and Capital Improvements. This weekend throughout the Diocese of Orlando we are speaking about Our Catholic Appeal which provides for the mission and operations for our Diocese. As a parish, we are grateful to utilize the services of the Diocese of Orlando in order to locally provide quality programming and ministry support. In the past, you have been extremely generous in responding to this annual appeal and I ask for you to prayerfully consider your gift this year. The assessment for our parish is $597,000. Perhaps you have already responded by filling out the pledge card you received in the mail. Gifts can be made in full or spread throughout a pledge period during this calendar year. If you did not already receive a pledge card or have misplaced it, please be sure to take one of the envelopes provided in the pew and return it as soon as possible. I especially ask those who are new to the parish or have never donated to Our Catholic Appeal to pray about how you can be a part of this effort. If you are unable to contribute financially at this time, please complete a card and simply write ‘Prayers’ in the designated amount area. Thank you for your consideration of a gift to Our Catholic Appeal 2014 and for your dedication to selfless stewardship!
Lent is just around the corner! Ash Wednesday is the beginning of this holy season celebrated on March 5th. Our Lenten Community Partner is Pathways to Care, a local organization that provides health care to the homeless. Instead of mailing each registered family a meditation booklet, we will be distributing a Lenten Journal the weekend before Ash Wednesday. We pray that your Lenten Journal will inspire your heart to be open to a deeper and more personal relationship with Christ. I look forward to sharing more information about Lent in the coming weeks.
The Marriage Renewal Weekend was a very blessed experience. Further in this bulletin are photos of some of the moments from the experience. I am especially grateful to all who planned and participated in the Marriage Renewal Weekend and I look forward to supporting this effort in 2015!
When you come before the Lord this week, please whisper my name to the Almighty. Know that I will pray for you, your loved ones and your intentions. We may not see each other each day but may we meet each day in our prayers!
In Christ,
Very Rev. Stephen D. Parkes, V.F.
Pastor