Mckenna Stewardship Newsletter
May 2005

#39 MAY 2005

TITHING ISN'T JUST FOR SUNDAYS!

Rev. Msgr. John Miller, pastor of St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Fairless Hills, PA, wrote in his bulletin shortly after the natural disaster in South Asia last winter:

"Thank you for sustaining Christmas blessings into 2005. Your extra generous tsunami relief two weeks ago flowed over to last Sundays' support for the coming Right to Life March in D.C., while still providing for our parish. Your tithes 'allow' God to continue such blessings. Picture everyone's causes - yours, the parish's, and special causes - as flowing to and fro, from and to our Father and back again. (Whenever there's a shortage, someone or something is 'clogging the line.' Misuse of resources? Unfair distribution? Pointless spending? Better call Roto-Rooter!) What opened John the Baptist's eyes to the Father's greatest gift, the Lamb of God? His use of every gift according to its nature; and this freed him to fulfill his unique mission. Tithing is the first step in fulfilling ours."

A week later he wrote: 

". . . So, thanks for your sacrificial generosity for the Body of Christ: both on-going parish support and relief for the tsunami victims. It's heartening, isn't it, to note the extraordinary outpouring world-wide? Your generosity, to the tune of nearly $9,000, was the biggest special collection you have ever supported! That's what happens in a tithing parish. Let's keep in mind it's only a beginning. How many years will it be for the people to rebuild their lives just from the material point of view. While nothing can make up for the loss of their loved ones, the generosity of all God's children has lasting, spiritual support. As with tithing, the financial, 'material', effect is incidental. . . .In the parish's name, thank you. In the name of the suffering Body of Christ and of all God's children, thank you, and thank you again."

Eloquent? Compassionate? What a pastor!

Rev. Msgr. James P. McCoy, pastor of St. Jude in Chalfont, PA was likewise moved by his loving parishioners and said so beautifully.

"Thank you again for your wonderful generosity for the tsunami relief collection. Additional donations since we last reported have in-creased our total to $14,254.49 which includes $1,532.49 from our school children. God bless you all!" 

"As usual, parishioners and a few others make contact with the priests, the office staff, and the school office with Christmas assistance for persons in need. But this year the kindness has reached magnificent proportions. At just the right moment on the third Sunday of Advent, a family handed one of the priests an offering to remedy a bad situation, and that family's gift kept another family together. A call came to the rectory a week before Christmas from a mother that her family of five wanted to invite to their family dinner at home someone who would [otherwise] be alone. The woman we extended the invitation to began to cry because she would have been alone for the big day. The priest who talked to her was able to hand her a little cash that had been handed to him just that morning by a man from another parish who often stops for daily Mass here.

"Like the avalanche of gifts that went down to Our Lady of Hope for their celebration on Dec. 8, (didn't THE CATHOLIC STANDARD & TIMES give it good coverage?), gifts poured into the rectory and went out to many appreciative people. Never before have we witnessed such generosity at Christmas. 

"The faculty of our school made a decision to forego their Pollyanna before Christmas. They gathered the money they would have spent and bought sheets and pillowcases, 48 of each, and shipped them off to St. Vincent's Home for children. The choir and the contemporary music team and the children's choir have given their time in the busy days before Christmas to make it better for each one of us to lift up our hearts to the Lord for the parish feast day.

"Keep them Coming! is the [phrase] our priests heard from a number of parishioners who were thrilled to see the great numbers at Mass over Christmas. LANDINGS will once more bring together those who have grown careless in their religious duties with the group of parishioners that got it started two years ago. 

"And so that many of us can get to know the Lord better and understand His message more fully, DISCIPLES IN MISSION has been put on our schedule for the Lenten season. This will be the third year that the meeting for Scripture study and prayer will be in session."

(Ed. Note: The above is from the bulletin of Nativity Parish in Warminster, PA dated January 5, 2003. Listed as FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK, we think it came straight from his heart. The column was written by then-Pastor Rev. William J. J. O'Donnell who has since been named a Monsignor, has retired and is now living at Regina Coeli Residence for Priests. It was too late to use for Advent then but we've been planning to use it since. And happily, current Pastor Rev. Angelo R. Citino continues the tithing practice.)

(Please feel free to use these comments in your bulletins. . . )

""This experience is a small step in helping my family understand the spirit of tithing which is no less than the spirit of what it means to be church in the first place."
Rev. John Gallagher, OFM, Cap. St.Anne - St. Augustin, Manchester, NH

(Ed. Note: This remarkable parish has Masses in English, French, Spanish, Vietnamese, & an African Mass one Sunday each month!!!)

"Tithing may begin as a sacrifice but eventually it becomes automatic with the knowledge you are doing your share in supporting your parish and returning a small part of the monetary possessions you have been blessed with."
A parishioner
Rev. Charles P. Granstrand, Our Lady of Mercy, Park Ridge, NJ

"I have attempted to tithe in the past, I feel so blessed! I have a great job (teacher), a wonderful family . . . , 2 wonderful parents (who've been married almost 52 years!). I think tithing puts God's purpose first in our lives. The more I've given, the more I've had! God bless and I'm praying for the parish's tithing."
A parishioner
Rev. Matthew D. Hendrick, St. Mark's, Wilmington, NC

"My tithing is for God and all the priests who keep us so close to God through Mass -- Their sacrifice, for us all. Not only my fair share of tithing, but also an extra dollar or two included when possible."
A parishioner
Rev. Richard J. McAndrews, Epiphany of Our Lord, Plymouth Meeting, PA

"I was taught as a child that everything we have and hope to be comes from God. Therefore, it is my pleasure to tithe and give something back."
A parishioner
Rev. John F. McGinley, O.S.F.S., St. Anthony of Padua, Wilmington, DE

"I've been a member of SS. Peter and Paul for a little over 3 years and my faith and tithing has grown. I am a single divorced Catholic raising a teenage daughter and live paycheck to paycheck. When my faith really took off a year ago, I stopped believing in coincidences when good things came my way. These were gifts from God and sometime, but not always, came in the form of financial gain. I have numerous examples in my life of blessings God has bestowed upon me. Now, when a blessing is bestowed on me, or a prayer, be it for myself or intercessional, I always look up to the sky and say 'thank you!'! Tithing is not only a way to thank God, but a way to thank the parish. I hope to be like the speaker, Marshall Coakley, and increase my tithe in increments over and over."
A parishioner
Rev. James J. Foley, S.T.L., S.S.L., SS. Peter and Paul, West Chester, PA

" I was so impressed with the generosity of our people toward our sister parish in the last collection."
A parishioner 
Rev. Msgr. William M. Richardson, St. Theresa, New Cumberland, PA

"With tithing we are also teaching our children that they, too, have an obligation to give back to God and be thankful for all that is given to them with their hands and hearts and monies."
A parishioner
Rev. Patrick A. Devine, St. Columba, Bloomsburg, PA

"Years ago I had a very good non-Catholic friend who wrote me saying she would not be sending out any Christmas greetings because she was going to give her Church 10% instead. I admired her for this - and I will be doing the same."
A parishioner
Rev. Jack Farry, St. Leo, Philadelphia, PA

"We have been tithing to St. Thomas More for some time, not because we have to or out of reasons of guilt. Rather we do it in thankfulness to God for His incredible generosity and blessings to us. Two years ago, we went from two incomes to one, cutting our total household income by more than half. But still we tithe because still GOD PROVIDES. His generosity knows no bounds and we can never out-give Him or repay Him. No matter - job loss, investment losses, reversal of financial circumstances, whatever - we know that God will provide for us. 'Praise God from Whom all blessings flow'."
A parishioner
Rev. John G. Durbin, St. Thomas More, Chapel Hill, NC

"We don't 'give' anything to God. He already owns everything. What we have was given to us through our life, health, ability to work. We are merely His stewards from whom tithes are due."
A parishioner
Rev. Msgr. Richard A. Behl, Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen, NJ 

"My wife and I learned, Father, the very real spiritual component of tithing. We read and listened to testimony after testimony revealing how the Lord really 'takes over' and enables the tithing program to almost 'take care of itself.' What's truly remarkable is the 'money part' of tithing becomes an afterthought when compared to the spiritual richness and other blessings that have flowed from our commitment to tithe."
A parishioner
Rev. Jude Salus, O.S.B., Notre Dame of Mt. Carmel, Cedar Knolls, NJ

"This is to thank you for the spiritual and intelligent presentation of tithing. As a convert to the church, I knew of tithing as a child in the Baptist Church. The African American church in America - built by freed slaves - could not have survived without the Biblical practice. My financial resources are not great, but I do intend to be certain to include my parish in my giving." 
A parishioner
Rev. Richard J. McAndrews, Epiphany of Our Lord, Plymouth Meeting, PA

PASTORS' COMMENTS. . . (from their parish bulletins)

"How do we do it? How are we able to run a $1 million per year parish based solely on contributions? By God's grace and your generosity. Thank you"
Rev. William M. Weary, St. Joseph, Danville, PA

"As we complete the first 6 months of Tithing, I am full of joy and gratitude because of your response to God's call. As you can see, the parish has been able to improve our weekly income. Thank you . . . for your generosity."
Rev. Boguslaw Augustyn, C.Ss.R., Sacred Heart, Manville, NJ

"As I write this, head and heart are with our 'neighbors' in Burlington and Camden Counties, NJ. If our parish does not come to their aid, [we're] a parish of really bad priests, Levites, innkeepers, not to mention faulty memory! Remember 6/12/96 when so many came to our aid? Their 'water event' is worse than what we went through. In your name, I am sending $1,000 each to the dioceses of Trenton and Camden. On the one hand, we cannot afford it. On the other, as a tithing parish we cannot afford not to! Look at the bigger picture, too: the Archdiocese has asked us to take up a collection for the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti, which on top of everything else, has undergone even worse water destruction!"
Rev. Msgr. John Miller, St. Frances Cabrini, Fairless Hills, PA

" 'Cast your bread upon the waters,' the Bible teaches us, 'and it will return to you.' You can never do good, you can never perform an act of charity, without somehow, somewhere, sometime, receiving a return. God's word is sure and certain. There's no doubting it. 'Cast your bread upon the waters and it WILL return to you!' Trust Him and act upon His word!"
Friar Frank Yacobi, OFM Cap., St. John the Evangelist, Philadelphia, PA

"God stays on the surface until we allow Him to penetrate and change our lives with His love. We must not forget to thank our good and loving Father for communicating to us through His life and His love the desire and ability to do good through the grace that empowers us. And thanks also to our faithful parishioners for their generous response to that grace."
Rev. Msgr. John J. Carroll, Our Lady of the Magnificat, Kinnelon, NJ

"The person who tithes is saying 'thank you' to God for health, food, family, love and life. Tithing teaches that the love of God is the creative factor in every person's life."
Rev. Edward C. Malesic, JCL, Adm., Holy Infant Jesus York Haven, PA

"Christ's kingdom is one of liberty and love. He cannot rule us unless we freely give Him our lives in a spirit of love. Our material gifts to God are our way of pledging our time and talent and our very lives for the glory of Christ, our King. Thank you for your weekly tithe, your pledge of loyalty."
Rev. Philip G. Burger, St. Joan of Arc, Hershey, PA

"Last Sunday a little boy handed me an envelope. When I opened it I saw that it contained two dollars in loose change. For me that said it all."
Rev. Louis P. Ogden, Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Middletown, PA

"When Sacred Heart became a TITHING PARISH on the first Sunday of November, I assured you that God's Word promised abundant blessings to us. How right we were to TRUST in His Word! I recently received our financial statement for fiscal year 2003-2004, and we have paid all our bills, paid toward our debt, and put some money away in our savings account. If that isn't proof of God's pouring blessings upon us from His storehouse in heaven, I don't know what it is ! So I thank once again, (and I will not stop thanking) EVERYONE who had made and is making TITHING a regular part of his or her Sunday life. It is because of YOU that such blessings come to us."
Rev. John Bateman, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Lewistown, PA

"The challenge of 'Putting God First' is sometimes difficult. Last spring, Hand and Jane Goldwasser of White Plains, NY spoke to us about their experience of tithing and their relationship to God in good and bad time of their lives. Hank is now experiencing a recurrence of Thyroid cancer and is undergoing aggressive treatment. Their faith is strong. They believe that God does not allow anything to happen that with His help cannot be overcome. They ask for our prayers that they will continue to 'Put God First' in their lives and rely on God's goodness. Thanks to all who strive to maintain a spirit of tithing as we place our lives in God's loving hands! For those who are struggling, Advent is a good time to begin again." 
Rev. John Gallagher, OFM Cap, St. Anne - St. Augustin, Manchester, NH

"Tithing means giving 10% of your income back to God. So, it isn't accurate to use the word 'tithe' when you really mean 'donation' or 'gift' or (sadly) even 'tip.' Real giving is a free gift from you back to the God who has given you EVERYTHING. And you know what? You will always receive much more than you give! You don't believe me? How will you know unless and until you try it?
Friar Francis X. Russo, OFM Capuchin, St. John the Evangelist, Philadelphia, PA