September 2023
Dear St. Anthony Parish Family:
We have many reasons to be grateful to God and to each other for this past year. Since writing to you a year ago for this annual stewardship report, we have witnessed an increase in our Sunday Mass attendance, we have had a successful fiscal year, a superb picnic, an annual fund which exceeded its goal, and we continue to see our school enrollment remain very healthy. All of these are reasons to be grateful and see God’s hand at work in our generosity and dedication to St. Anthony Church.
As you read this report, you will notice a recap of the activities of the last year as well as a report on our stewardship. I want to sincerely thank you for the volunteer efforts you so joyfully take on for the Church, as well as your generous contributions to make everything we have possible. We need them, we appreciate them, we are grateful for them and for you. We make every effort to work efficiently and use what you have given for the parish wisely and prudently.
The costs of living and doing business have gone up for everyone. I am very pleased that there are two financial realities in the past year which I would like to highlight. The first is that we were able to give an annual increase to our employees which was greater than what we had to raise in tuition collection. We also were able to replace the roof on our grade school without having to seek special gifts or donations. We were able to do both of these things while remaining within our budget for the year. I am indebted to our parish staff and finance
council for their dedication and insight in serving us so well.
That being said, I ask you to prayerfully consider your weekly offertory gift or automatic contribution. As the price of everything else has gone up, have you adjusted your sacrificial giving in recent years? We have been blessed to see a return to steady growth in the markets as well as interest rates which are paying well on savings and investments. If these have benefited you, are you willing to share that blessing with the parish family? I pray that you might be open to this in the year to come.
May God reward the good you have done and bless us in the year to come. St. Anthony, pray for us!
Fr. Peter Harman
Pastor
