Through its inception in 1922, we supported our Church by submitting our parish obligation in the form of annual dues. We gave as a duty, as if to pay an account or send a remittance to a tax-col­lector.  However it came the time that the needs of our community could not be adequately supported by this system.

In January of 1999 the Parish Council unanimously endorsed and instituted the Christian Stewardship Program that was recommended by our Archdiocese and used by over 80% of the parishes.

Stewardship is a Total Commitment Program.  It involves everyone’s Pledge to support our parish both through our personal effort and financial support.  It is a way to return a portion of our God given resources and talents to Christ and His Church.

Following are some of key guidelines of the Stewardship program:

• All pledge records are kept in the strictest confidence.
• A pledge, each year, may be given in the manner that suits each individual’s or family’s financial situation.
• A pledge may be made weekly, monthly, quarterly or on an annual basis.
• Children over 21, unless they are in school and supported by their parents, should make their own commitment.

WE OWE EVERYTHING TO GOD

When you are generous, you are not bestowing a gift, but repaying a debt. Everything you possess materially comes from God, who created all things. And every spiritual and moral virtue you possess is through divine grace. Thus you owe every-thing to God. More than that, God has given you his Son, to show you how to live: how to use your material possessions, and how to grow in moral and spiritual virtue. We may say that your material and spiritual possession cost God nothing; God created the universe in order to express his own glory. But the gift of his Son was supremely costly, because his Son suffered and died for our sakes. The agony of Christ on the cross is the measure of how much God loves us. For this reason we should take none of our gifts, material or spiritual, for granted; day-by-day we should give thanks to God for what he has bestowed on us. Once this spirit of gratitude infuses us, we shall see generosity for what it is. We will regard our act as no more than a small token of appreciation for all that we have received or, more precisely, the repayment of a tiny fraction of God’s blessings.

Saint John Chrysostom