FM's Message | Sunday, March 3rd

This week we launch the Catholic Appeal. It is our annual archdiocese-wide appeal to help the local church support the work of the wider archdiocesan church of which we are a part. Today, we hear from the cardinal and then a parishioner, Deb Adair, who will be making an appeal to all of us parishioners. 
We have two numbers each year that we are given by the appeal managers. The first number is the assessment number of $25,082. It is based on the formula of eight percent of our combined offertory number over the course of the last three fiscal years. That number must be achieved, or we will be asked to donate over the course of next year to make up for it. We have made this number somewhat easily in the past due to the generosity of all of you. The second goal is the more challenging goal for us. It is the Appeal’s financial goal. That number is fifty thousand and one hundred and ninety-three dollars. ($50,193) that number is based on our three-year total giving average and then adding ten percent to the figure. The number is high, but doable. The most challenging number in my opinion, is the number of new donors we are asked to be encouraged to give. That number is 168. We have many generous people in this parish, and I am not asking anyone to increase if they are unable. However, what I think will give us more success is to encourage all those who give anonymously for whatever reason, to at least add their names to the envelope this year.  We are not allowed to open them or see what the amounts are. The process is to collect them and then put them in a sealed FedEx bag and send them to a central location in Canton, MA for processing.  So, you need not worry if anonymity is your concern.
I know that the early letters have gone out and that my donation, which was $1,000.00 has already been acknowledged. So, we are on our way.
Deb will explain how we have been assisted by the different departments that the Appeal supports and I certainly am grateful to the many people, engineers, financial people, insurance agents, and priests and religious who have visited us or assisted us with their expertise.
In some, the appeal supports us like the infrastructure of our houses. When something goes wrong, we want to have someone we can trust to help us over the course of the year because of the age of the buildings and to support us in the wider mission. The Pastoral Center, and all the offices and people there offer wonderful background support. I hope that this year we can have the same success as in years past and I am grateful for all your generosity and support in the past and hope to experience the same this year.
Thanks again to Deb Adair for her presentation and next week we will be asking everyone to make a pledge or donation according to their means.
The scriptures this week remind us that there is a time and place for all that we do. The Jewish people in the desert were people who needed to heed what God wanted for them and how to follow him and live together. The Gospel reminds us that it is a Zeal for holiness that God wants. The people of Jesus’s time were sometimes caught up in the appearances of faith and not the exercise of it. It is curious that we have forgotten that on the seventh day, God rested, to help us to recognize that rest is a holy exercise too. We might ask ourselves how we rest in the Lord. It is a way to challenge ourselves to sit and listen as God tries to speak to us.
Peace,
Father Murray


Building news. I am pleased to report this week that there were no major problems with the buildings. You may see a dumpster on the properties as we continue to reduce the number of broken tools, furniture, etc. that are on the property. I admire those who can take and repair and so extend the life of some things, but not everything needs to be saved “in case we can use it later” as my father would say. For example, a pan with a broken handle filled with other broken stuff to be used as paperweights.