True Christmas Stewardship

Thanks be to God! We not only survived Christmas 2020, but thanks to God’s grace, your prayers and support, and so many volunteers from our collaborative parishes, our communities came together in person, by video, and united in spirit to celebrate a Christmas like neither parish has ever had before (both being established after the flu of 1919). Neither pandemic nor wind nor downpour of rain kept our communities from offering people a variety of ways to worship the Lord at His birth and to be united in finding joy in Emmanuel, God with us. You are a tangible sign of Christ among us and of His body, the Church. Community is a key part of vibrant parishes!

As we said verbally at our Christmas Masses, Fr. Lambert and I want to express our appreciation for all those parishioners who contribute to our Christmas celebrations and the ministry of our parishes throughout the year. Most importantly, we thank all parish-ioners who graciously accepted the different circumstances, registered to attend Christmas Masses, and welcomed those who joined us this Christmas. This year especially, we thank the revamped Hospitality Ministries who helped everyone to feel welcome, safe, and as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. Our music ministries went above and beyond to cover the larger than usual number of Masses, filling our liturgies with familiar and uplifting music despite limitations on who can sing. The art & environment teams, together with the building & grounds staff, make our churches beautiful and festive with the joy of the season. Those who donated toward Christmas flowers allowed us to decorate God's houses fittingly with living creations of God; the list of donors and those they honored was published in last week’s parish bulletin (extras are still available). Those who participated in this year’s “virtual giving trees” provided many gifts for families and others in our area who would have had little this Christmas. The lectors and extraordinary ministers of Communion, and even some altar servers who returned (on limited duties), enriched our liturgy as they served with dedication at the tables of God's Word and of the Eucharist. Throughout the winter, the Lewicki family at St. Martha and the Anderson family at St. Mary continue their abundant generosity in plowing and sanding our properties at no cost to our parishes, while our limited staff are aided by teens and adults as volunteer shovelers …… working very hard to clear walkways and stairs at both churches. Collaborative staff worked extra hard facilitating your participation and offering a compassionate ear to those who are hurting. The ministry of our deacons and priests are signs of God's promise to be with us always, and I am grateful to be among them as part of our whole Pastoral Team. Finally, it is a sign of your dedication to your parish and our ministry together that you have contributed generously to your Parish Grand Annual.

Taken all together, this is true Christian Stewardship of our time, talents, and treasure. While we pray that we will never face these circumstances again, you can be proud of your parishes for the way we have all pulled together to make various forms of worship possible this Christmas! In your active service at Christmas and year-round, in your financial support, and in your prayerful participation in our liturgies you are making a difference: strengthening our parish families!