+JMJ
Dear Parishioners,
This weekend is our "commitment weekend" for the Bishop's 2024 Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) – Yesterday, Today & Forever. Money collected from the ACA each year covers the pastoral/ministerial programs of the Pastoral Center of the Diocese; while parish money given through our annual assessment (scheduled checks we send throughout the year) cover the temporal affairs of the Pastoral Center. I hope you will watch Bishop Thomas' ACA video that is being made available through our various parish social media venues.
It's evident how our parish benefits from the pastoral efforts of the Pastoral Center. Consider our standard strategic planning categories: Under “Discipleship and Family Life,” I think of all the guidance we receive for marriage preparation. I am working with one couple now in marriage preparation. We have the “Joyful Marriage Workshops” that the Diocese sponsors for engaged couples, one of which takes place at our parish. I also think of how the Marriage Tribunal has helped us through annulment processes. I consulted the Diocese for one case this year. Under “Cathedral Liturgies and Preservation,” we realize how often we are invited to events at the Cathedral (Confirmations, the Wedding Anniversary Mass with the Bishop, ordinations, special holy day liturgies, etc.). Our parish children were confirmed there. Under the category of “Catholic Charities,” I think of the Diocesan initiatives to help victims of disasters. Under “Clergy, Consecrated Life & Vocations,” I think of the annual priests' day of sanctification, which I have always found enriching, ever since Bishop Thomas began them. Then there is the bi-annual priests' convocation. We have one coming up this Spring. Consider how only this past weekend our deacons and their wives attended a retreat provided by the Diocese. I think of how we all benefit when a young man is formed in seminary, or even when our high school men attend Andrew (vocation) Dinners with the Bishop. So, there are some very ready examples of how our parish directly benefits from the ACA funds that are donated.
In addition to all the reasons above, showing how we directly benefit from the pastoral/ministerial programming of the Diocese, I always think it's necessary to consider how the Diocese supports our local mission with the assessment funds we pay each year. This helps us realize how united the diocesan mission is with our local parish mission. We are intertwined in mission.
How do the normal diocesan operations support our parish life? By means of our QuickBooks cloud system, they continually watch our finances from a high level to make sure things are in order. We use their procedures for our internal financial audits. They are always there to support our personnel/staff needs. Consider the hiring we did this past year, and all the help the Diocesan Human Resources department provided. Consider insurance questions that came up. Consider how the Diocese gives guidance for any building project, such as the storage and maintenance building. Consider legal or financial questions that arise. The diocesan staff is quick to help us. The diocesan mission and the parish mission are intertwined.
So, the ACA specifically aims to provide for the pastoral/ministerial affairs of the Pastoral Center of the Diocese. But, I believe at this moment it also helps to realize how connected we are in mission by means of the normal support we receive from our assessment dollars, which cover the temporal affairs of the Pastoral Center. St. Wendelin Parish clearly benefits from both the ACA dollars each household donates, and the assessment dollars we pay as a parish. The mission of the Diocese is clearly united with the mission of St. Wendelin, and vice versa. Please consider helping us to meet our parish goal for ACA 2024 – Yesterday, Today & Forever. No gift is too small! Please watch the goal thermometer in the gathering space, and our bulletin updates to see how we are doing from week-to-week. It would be great to have every household give something, even a small amount. Meeting our goal is a great way of saying that we realize our parish mission and the Diocese's mission are united, and St. Wendelin Parish is alive and well regarding both!
Have a blessed week!
In cordibus Iesu, Mariae et Iosephus,
Father Poggemeyer