2027 Stewardship Commitment
These are challenging and uncertain times, yet one thing is certain, and it is God’s presence and love for you. Fr. Nathe asks you to grow your faith and the faith of others, by committing yourself to the stewardship of Holy Redeemer Parish through your time, talent, and treasure. To make a commitment, go to our Stewardship commitment form.
Your Stewardship of Christ’s Church
by Fr. Nathe
Our Lord tells us that the most important thing of all, is “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength; and to love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk. 12:30-31). That’s an incredible thing to ask of anyone for anything, yet for God all things are possible, even unconditional love. As Jesus says in the gospel, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God” (Mk 10:27). You and I were made to be saints and one day when we get to heaven, we will be. Yet many will not make it to heaven if people like us don’t do what we can to share our faith with them. That’s not an exaggeration. In heaven, we will be made aware of all the souls that made it there because of the sacrifices we made for our faith in this life. Likewise, we will be made aware of all the souls who didn’t make it because of our poor example and lack of effort. Which brings me to the reason for this mailing.
It is that time of the year when we renew our commitment to the Church to love Jesus and our neighbor through the stewardship of our time, talent, and treasure. If God is our highest priority, and he should be, then this should be seen in our day planners and checkbooks.
Please take the time now to look through all the material in this mailing. As you can see, we have very active parishes, yet it takes all of us contributing to make Our Lord’s Kingdom a reality here and now throughout Columbia River Catholic (Holy Redeemer, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Our Lady Star of the Sea). Please fill out the stewardship form online or the tri-fold enclosed and return it to the parish in the mail. You may also bring the tri-fold with you to Mass and drop it off in the collection basket. It is encouraged to fill out one tri-fold per individual in your family for ministries. You may get extras in the church or the office if you need them.
Of course, stewardship is also about tithing. The Church would simply cease to exist without our financial sacrifices. God has given us everything and is so generous that he lets us keep 90%--yet 10% belongs to Him. Please remember to continue moving toward Our Lord’s expectation of a 10% tithe of your annual income to his Church: 5% to your parish, 1% to the Annual Catholic Appeal, and 4% to other Catholic charities. If you are not already at a 10% tithe, then take a 1% step this year toward that goal; for example, if you’re currently giving only 2% of your annual income to the Church, increase that to 3%; if 4% then 5%, etc. We receive in the measure we give. Trust in God and grow in faith. He will take care of you. Your tithe will support your particular parish within the Columbia River Catholic parish family.
Finally, I would like to thank all of you who do give in so many meaningful ways. The varied “ministries” throughout Columbia River Catholic (over 85!) attest to the sacrifices that so many have already made for so many people. It is because of the sacrifices of our parishioners that we have been able to grow our opportunities for discipleship throughout Columbia River Catholic. Please renew your commitment to the stewardship of Holy Redeemer and Columbia River Catholic through your time, talent, and treasure; and continue to grow in your faith and to help others grow in theirs. Again, I thank you for your continued stewardship of Holy Redeemer, Columbia River Catholic, and the Church at large.
May Almighty God Bless You,
Fr. Thomas Nathe
Pastor
