Dear Parishioners of Mary Immaculate and Saint Rose,                                                                    All that happens at Mary Immaculate and Saint Rose: all the youth ministry, Bible studies, the school, PSR; ministry to the nursing homes, hospitals, and homebound; all of it happens because of the joyful stewardship of the people who belong to the parish. Our Christian life includes a generous response to the blessings that God gives to us.  As the Scripture reminds us  in the Epistle of James, “faith without works is dead.”                                               

This weekend we begin our kickoff for the Catholic Stewardship Appeal.  Most of you have already received letters asking you to fill out a pledge card. Last year for the first time since I have been your pastor, we not only met our goal for the CSA but exceeded it.  Both Saint Rose and Mary Immaculate received money back from the diocese for exceeding our goal.  Mary Immaculate received $7268 which will be used toward the salary of our new youth ministers.  St. Rose received back $377, which will go toward the cost of reupholstering the kneelers.                                                                               

The parish has already asked for people to consider sharing their time and talent.  It is easy to fall into the complaint that the Church is asking more of me.  They want my money! While it is true that we cannot operate without money, stewardship is more than that.  When we marry and begin a family, there is a responsibility to provide for that family.  We seldom think of it that way.  Because we love our spouse and our children, we want to provide for them, and we don’t want to do just the minimum of keeping them fed, clothed, and sheltered.  We want to give them a nice and comfortable home.  We want them to have more because we love them and it pleases us to be able to do more than provide just the basic necessities.                          

So, too, when we are baptized, we enter the family of God.  We have a responsibility to provide for that family.  But we want to give out of love and not just out of duty.                                                              

God has blessed us beyond measure and we want to live in a spirit of gratitude.  When we are grateful, we are also generous.  As we are asked to consider our giving, may we respond joyfully and lovingly to share our time, talent, and treasure. Thanks for all that you have done and will continue to do to make our parish a wonderful place of worship, work, and education. 

Msgr. Cox

 “Adoration of the Magi” in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception at  Conception Abbey. The three kings laying their treasure before the Lord.