The finance council will soon set our budget for next fis= cal year, but before we do we are asking you to make a pledge toward your contributions. This past year= has been difficult for us. Our ex= penses have increased mostly due to insurance costs and the support we give to the= ministries of our diocese. We also had unexpected problems with a sewer line.&nbs= p; You contributed well this year – better percentages than most other parishes in the diocese, but not enough to meet our increased costs.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> We have kept our expenses down; we= have cut some corners – we did not continue our membership in the Chamber of Commerce or the National Catholic Rural Life Conference; we did not honor a= nyone at the Thank You Banquet this year. Last year’s pastoral council asked us to hire a youth minister even a few hours a week, and some of our employe= es were asking for more hours, but we could not find the funds to make those improvements. Internet access= in the parish office is still on dialup; this costs us the time it takes for s= taff to do business online. We pai= d our bills this fiscal year by dipping into our savings. Four years ago our savings peaked = at $122,000. Then we replaced our boiler; so those funds were at $86,000 as we began the building project. Our savings now stand just under $= 58,000 because we’ve used some of them to pay our monthly bills. That is not a good trend. At St. Al’s in Maysville the bottom line is better.

Regarding our building project, you have contributed very well. The improvements to St. Munchin’s cost= about $800,000 altogether, of which we had to borrow $363,000. By the end of this month, our debt= should be about $225,000. That is a remarkable achievement for our first year in the building. At best, we could have that debt p= aid off in two more years – at best.&nbs= p; Many parishes require decades to pay off their debts, so for us to do this so rapidly is a testament to your spirit of charity and your desire to praise God in a beautiful church. Still, we have to keep at it; we cannot slow down now. But my main concern is the amount = we receive in the weekly collection. We = need that to go higher to pay salaries and utilities, to provide religious educa= tion for children and adults, to share with our youth the joy of our faith, and = to bring the gospel to residents at nursing homes and prisons.

Some people want to give more each week, but feel they cannot. One meaningful way an= yone can give is to remember our parish in your will. Some people laugh when I suggest this. “There won’= t be much there,” they tell me. It doesn’t take much. If e= very household in the parish included your church in your will or with life insurance, it would make a huge difference in our bottom line. If you’re leaving your resou= rces to your children, just think about adding one more “child” R= 11; the parish church that provides mass for you each week.

This week you’ll receive a letter from me along wit= h a pledge card. Please fill out = the card and return it next week. You will help our finance council make a responsible budget for next fiscal year. And you will be doing i= n a very concrete way what Jesus asked us to do – to love one another, to give of ourselves so that others might experience life in him. Thank you all for your gifts in the past; please help us with a meaningful pledge for our future.