Pastor’s Corner – July 9

Pastor’s Corner – July 9

The fiscal year for all the Church Parishes of the Diocese of Lafayette is from July of one year to the end of June of the following year. This financial report is my fifth as your Pastor and covers the time period: July 2016 to June 2017. During those months you as a congregation gave a total of $683,301 to the Offertory Collection and a total of $110, 494 to the Debt and Building Fund. These two totals amount to $793,795. As your Pastor, I thank all of you for your support of the Church as you strive to be a generous steward of your god-given blessings to the Lord and to his Church. The single most important action of the week is how you and I stand before the Lord and his holy altar as we try to give to the Lord the glory, the honor and the praise that the Lord deserves. As your Pastor and even more as a believer in the Lord, I want to give the Lord my very best of my devotion and affection, the best of my energy and enthusiasm and the most generous expression of my gratitude for all the Lord’s blessings. We should come to the Lord and to the altar with a gift and with an offering to contribute. Do not come to the altar empty handed; come with an appropriate sacrifice to give to the Lord. During the past fiscal year, St. Elizabeth Seton Church also received $7,126 from a Trust Fund that has been established for St. Elizabeth Seton Church at Capital One Bank in Baton Rouge.

Aside from the Offertory Collection and the Debt and Building Fund, there were second collections and some special collections. From July 2016 to June 2017, you gave a total of $26,230 to St. Vincent de Paul to help the poor and the needy of the area; you gave $9,451 to a Missionary Appeal for the Missionaries of Jesus who work in the Philippines; you gave $7,956 to the Diocese of Kumbo, Cameroon in Africa; you gave $25,683 to the Bishop’s Services Appeal for the Diocese of Lafayette; you gave $4,144 to the Retirement Fund for the Religious in December 2106; and you gave $5,829 to several special collections over the past year. As your former Pastor, I compliment you again for your generosity and for your willingness to help others outside our parish.

Aside from the various collections that are part of our stewardship as a Catholic Community of faith here at St. Elizabeth Seton, we share on a monthly basis with some important local charities and some significant missionary efforts throughout the world. In the middle of each month, it has been my honor and a joy to sign checks to the following: $500 to Father Charles Thibodeaux, a Jesuit, who is in Paraguay, South America; $500 to St. Joseph Diner; $500 to Father Glen Meaux and his Missions in Haiti; $500 to Father Michael Champagne and the Community of Jesus Crucified in St. Martinville; $500 to the Missionaries of Jesus and the work of Father Joey Evangelista in the Philippines; $500 to Faith House and $250 to Family Promise who help families in need. May our hearts always remember the words of the Master: “What you do to the least of my brothers, you do to me.” (Matthew 25:40) St. Paul’s words challenge us: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts of the Apostles 20:35)

The Diocese of Lafayette has been involved in our Centennial Campaign as we prepare for the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Lafayette in 2018. All the 121 Church Parishes of the Diocese were asked to participate. As a Church Parish, we here at St. Elizabeth Seton pledged $805,000 for the next five years. As of the end of June, you have given $250,007 of the amount pledged. My compliments and my gratitude to all of you who have been so willing to support Bishop Deshotel and the Diocese of Lafayette. If you would want to make a pledge, please call the Office.

As of June 30, 2017, all our bills and our financial obligations are current. This past year has had some struggles but it has been an excellent year for our Church Parish. We have with the Diocese a total of $80,619 on deposit. How wonderful and how great! I congratulate and I applaud all of you for your consistency, your faithfulness and your generosity. As Catholics, may we continue to make stewardship our way of life.

My prayers, best wishes, love and gratitude to you and to your loved ones, for who you are and for all you do for the Lord and for the good of St. Elizabeth Seton Church Parish. May we learn from Jesus the Lord and Savior and our Master Teacher, for he is gentle and humble of heart.

SHALOM!

Homework for the week of July 9 – July 15

Matthew 11: 28-30