"You are the Body of Christ"

I love my job. I am truly blessed to be the Pastor of the Matthew 13 Catholic Collaborative of Walpole and to be present in our parish communities of such faith filled people.  I also feel blessed to be able to participate in the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ with you.    I have enjoyed celebrating Mass, seeing your faces at our Alpha Program and Pints with the Pastor.  Our Movie with the Pastor and Old Fashioned Family Barbecue were great celebrations of faith and friendship. Looking forward I’m excited about our new additions to the staff, Fr. Joe O’Keefe and our new Youth Minister Jen Duffy.  Their work promises to bring new energy and inspiration to our collaborative.   The successful implementation of faith filled events and our pastoral plan here in Walpole are impacted by the financial success our parishes.

My friends, a few weeks ago I stood before you and asked you to consider an increase in your weekly giving.  To those who have responded, your generosity continues to humble me.  To those who are still praying and thinking about this, I thank you for your thoughtfulness and consideration. For those of you who may have missed my talk, I ask you to prayerfully consider an increase.  As I mentioned, we are not asking for a large increase (unless of course you want to!) If you give $20 a week, could you increase that amount by $2.50?  The Bible says we should give because we want to, and “not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).  Would you support a modest increase in your giving so we may offer more programs and opportunities for all parishioners to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ? That is truly what we are here for.  It is what we are called to do.   

These plans rely on your generosity because without you we can do nothing.  You are the Body of Christ and so it is you who helps us by giving of your time, talent and yes by giving of your resources.  To vacationing families please consider mailing your offertory in on weeks you are unable to attend Mass as summer months are particularly hard on parishes.  I will continue to pray for increase of weekly giving and I hope you will, too. It is vital to our future.