I noted last weekend that a very, very generous couple in our parish recently made a donation to Saint Catherine of Siena Parish totaling $125,000 for charitable works. This is an amazing blessing for us! It is also a wonderful commentary on the people of Saint Catherine of Siena—that you are an active Catholic community who reaches out in so many ways to all those in need—from feeding the hungry, providing medical care through the Knights of Malta to those who go without, and well it is also a positive commentary on the growing numbers of people who volunteer to keep our ministries alive and running. I want to “publically” thank this couple, who wish to remain anonymous: THANK YOU!


What does this mean for our parish and why did they make this donation to Saint Catherine of Siena Parish? First, the money was given for charitable works, which is most appropriate in this Jubilee Year of Mercy as declared by Pope Francis and is intended to highlight and encourage all to be involved in corporeal (bodily) and spiritual (of the soul) works of mercy.

It is restricted money for the parish’s social outreach (feeding the hungry, medical care, assisting people with needs for heat in the winter, for helping with daily living expenses or extraordinary needs as determined by the pastor). This funding will support both current ministries of the parish as well as potential new ministries, and may also be used to help with Catholic charities outside our parish, (i.e., perhaps programs funded and approved by the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal). As restricted money, it is not meant for the regular expenses of our parish operations, i.e., heat, light, staff salaries, maintenance of the parish facilities, etc.

This means that our parish will be able to double down on some of our ministerial efforts. It means that through their generosity, we will be able to encourage more people to join in on Christ’s mission and ministry to care—to challenge ourselves to participate as His Disciples in the modern world. It will also mean that St. Catherine of Siena Parish will be able to help other organizations who, even if not Catholic in nature, work to carry out Christ’s mission and ministry of helping those in need—we don’t have to reinvent the wheel to be a helping hand.

Why Give the Gift to Saint Catherine of Siena Parish?
To be brutally honest, when I met with the couple they were very impressed with all that Saint Catherine of Siena Parish does—with the different ministries operating, with the number of volunteers, and with the feeling of community that has developed in this parish. They said that they have been members of many parishes during their lives and have never belonged to such a welcoming and active parish community such as we have here. This is something I hear from many parishioners.

Secondly, they are impressed with the efficiency of the parish—and the Catholic Church at-large—on how it runs its operations. Unlike any other non-profit organization, the Catholic Church has little, if any, overhead. And in our parish, for every dollar it takes in for charity—every dollar goes out to the intended charitable need. No overhead comes out of the financial donations to charities. The Catholic Church uses volunteers to operate its ministries and support systems.

This wonderful couple selected our parish as the recipient of this gift because of the essence of our faith and our parish volunteers. We are extremely active in reaching out to our neighbors in need through a host of ministries and we are effective in calling many people to the role of ministry work as well as in partnering with area organizations who also help local residents in need (Gifts of Love and Families in Crisis, for example).

We are very blessed in the people of this parish: those who worship here week-after-week and keep the doors open through their generosity, in the volunteers who work tirelessly to care for neighbors and strangers, and in the staff who by their hard work bring others to volunteer in religious education and encourage children to be active partners in the parish; in our youth ministry we see more and more children and teens participating in mission work, in shelter feedings, in collecting gloves, hats and coats for the homeless, in baking apple pies for local homeless shelter Thanksgiving meals; in the music ministry that raises voices and elevates the liturgy all to a God who loves us and wants us to love Him through loving others; in the parish office and facilities management that interacts and helps people feel welcome all while making this little plot of land a welcoming and pleasant environment in which to be a family member. All of this inspired this couple to say “Thank You” in a very powerful way—a selfless way—that will really bring many, many benefits to many folks whom we might never know. Humble people, in a humble place, doing humble acts of kindness. I think for everyone involved—from the generous couple who made this donation possible, to the volunteers who make it all possible, to the parishioners in the pews and the staff in the offices that make it all possible…this is what being Christ-like means. Thank you all!