Mckenna Stewardship Newsletter
June 2006

Newsletter 6/06 #42 

MANHATTAN RABBI CAPTIVATES CATHOLIC AUDIENCE

It was the McKenna Stewardship Ministry's 16th Annual Day of Recollection and Manhattan Rabbi Joseph Potasnik stood ready to address the ministry's witnesses in the chapel of Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange.

Executive Vice-President of the New York Board of Rabbis, well-known radio commentator on religious issues, the Rabbi was there to speak to tithers about Stewardship. He was there at the invitation of Mary O'Connor Ward, sister of the late Cardinal, also a member of the Board of Rabbis, and a tithing witness. Today, even these members of the tithing program were learning new facts as the Rabbi was detailing its Old Testament origins. 

In Biblical times, he said, since most societies were agricultural, the tithe was a tenth of one's production of fruit, vegetables or livestock. The giver was enjoined to immediately take the "first and the best" to the Temple and present it to the priests, thereby giving back to God. Waiting to see how the entire harvest fared would be to risk having a poor quality at the end of the season. And that was not what the people would want to give to God Who had given them everything. 

Rabbi Potasnik was eloquent in speaking of the "why" of this spirit of charity. Using anecdotes from his own life, he illustrated how it is about love and the impact each of us can have on others. He spoke of friends of his Polish-born parents who asked a Christian family to hide their son, Hiller, and one day tell him who his parents were. The foster parents later went to the Bishop of Krakow to ask what they should do. That young Bishop became Pope John Paul II and we know of his advice since young Hiller now lives in Toronto, a devout Orthodox Jew. 

Moving smoothly from the Holocaust to his own parents' experience with the Catholic nuns of St. Mary's Church in Lynn, MA who were so kind to them when they arrived in the U. S., he even noted the part the nuns' loving care had in his decision to become a Rabbi. 

After this affecting, effective talk, the day's participants moved on to continue with their program. The day culminated in a Mass celebrated by the group's Chaplain, Rev. Jude Salus, O.S.B. Father Jude, pastor of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel in Cedar Knolls, NJ, is a celebrated speaker who is much in demand . 

Father Jude is also widely known for the joy and passion with which he celebrates Mass and for his homilies. On this day, his homily was remarkably in tune with that of Rabbi Potasnik's presentation. He echoed the rabbi's emphasis on a loving attitude when tithing, and of the giver's intention when giving. It was almost a summing up of Ralph Waldo Emerson's "What you are thunders so loudly I cannot hear what you say." 

Observing Rabbi Potasnik listening attentively to Father Jude, it was easy to see that they were of one mind about giving and living.

At the part of the Mass when those in attendance are invited to offer one another a sign of peace, there was, as is often the case, a long moment of general and joyous disorder. 

Later, one woman mentioned that she had gone back to where Rabbi Joseph was seated and held out her hand saying "Peace be with you." He took it warmly and then asked her quietly, "Is this a special Mass today?" The woman smiled and said, "No, Rabbi, just a special priest."

And, she silently added, a special Rabbi as well!

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

"As a school family, we thought we could never tithe. In the beginning, it was so difficult, but now it has become second nature to us. Believe me, God has given us so much in return - both spiritually and materially --. Our children want for nothing. As a matter of fact, since we began to tithe every week, we have been able to save more than we did before we began . . . It is a mystery to me and my wife! Actually, it is no mystery because the more we give, the more God gives back to us. Thank you, God. We hope all our parishioners will begin to tithe. You will be surprised by God."
A parishioner
Rev. Louis C. Bier, St John the Baptist, Manayunk, PA 


"Thank you for the very informative and thought-provoking talks on tithing. My family has committed to adopting tithing and we already appreciate the growing spirituality we are feeling."
A parishioner
Rev. Msgr. James H. Murray, St. Mary's, Denville, NJ

"It has been over a year since tithing has been instituted at our parish. Our family went from giving nothing to giving a modest amount. We lacked the faith to give the full amount. Over the year, we noticed something happening. Our faith life has improved and so did our finances, both modestly. When school started in August, we decided to re-evaluate our contribution. We made the decision to tithe the full amount. As our charity, the family chose two seminarians from the diocese to 'adopt.' Each month, we write them a letter and send them a check. It has been a wonderful experience for our family and the seminarians. It has enriched our prayer life as we have started praying for the young men each evening as a family. It has been an affirmation to the men we are helping [and] it has given our children, especially our sons, a personal connection with someone answering a call to a vocation. Our finances have improved dramatically. At first, some outstanding debts business. We have been able to increase the repaid to us, then a raise at work, now a growing mount we are contributing to our parish and 'our' seminarians. The more we give away - of our time, talents, and tithe - the more we are blessed."
A parishioner
Rev. John Bateman, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Lewistown, PA

"My wife and I have 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. Msgr. John J. Carroll, Our Lady of the Magnificat, Kinnelon, NJ

"I have felt my entire life that I have been very fortunate. I always had a luxury car, we took great vacations, and I have been getting my nails done for years. After hearing the tithing witnesses, it occurred to me that I don't think twice about how much it costs to fill up my gas tank or what I spend on my nails. But for some reason I've always thought twice about how much I commit to the church. I now realize that I have not been fortunate; I've been blessed. I need to prioritize what means more to God - my commitment to my church or filling up the gas tank. "
A parishioner
Rev. Msgr. John E. Hart, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Rockaway, NJ 

"I have been tithing for many years. Lots of good has come from it in my life. Things that seemed bad turned to good happenings. I could tell of any number of good things from business, family, health, and then some! Keep up the good work, Father!"
A parishioner
Rev. Thomas A. Murray, Visitation BVM, Norristown, PA


"Giving is a special word. I hope to set a good example so that my children will learn the meaning of sharing."
A parishioner
Rev. Timothy Dowling, St. Clare, Clifton, NJ

"I take this opportunity to thank you for the tactful way in which you re-presented the Stewardship Program. I am proud that it is proving successful. Here personally find it spiritually rewarding."
A parishioner
Rev. Richard J. McAndrews, Epiphany of Our Lord, Plymouth Meeting, PA

"I think tithing is the best thing that happened in our church. I have prayed and I know this is God's will. It is the right thing to do, give to God first."
A parishioner
Rev. Robert Medley, Queenship of Mary, Plainsboro/Cranbury, NJ

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


"I'm most grateful for the response we've had to our encouragement to prayerfully consider your parish donations. Your response to our tithing promotion and some make-up from the previous week's snowstorm brought us a Sunday collection of almost $16,000. It will be a great help to us when the bill for snow removal appears.
"Our consultants in promoting tithing were the Gerald McKenna Stewardship Program. Founded in 1977, it is a grass roots movement of lay people. It has no hierarchical affiliation. The first presentation of the McKenna Stewardship Program was at a parish in New Jersey in 1977. The group had no name at the time and was not formally organized. Since that time, almost a thousand Catholic parishes have adopted its suggested program. Besides helping parishes financially, the program is very proud to say thousands of lives have been changed. The individuals who spoke at our Masses were volunteers. The organization asks for a minimal voluntary stipend for their work with us. They are very true to their biblical roots and their theme, 'The true purpose of tithing is to secure not the tithe, but the tither; not the gift, but the giver; not your money, but you, for God."
Rev. James A. Callahan Christ the King, Morrell Park, Philadelphia, PA

"Your overwhelming response to tithing is a witness to your willingness to place your trust and faith in God. Thank you for your generous response to His call!! Tithing is not only for those who can afford it. Fiscally, tithing really makes no sense! But it's much more than finances and money; it's about trust in God, not ourselves. To place God first by giving Him His share regardless of our personal or local economic situation is indeed scary - it is an act of faith."
Rev. Brian E. Jeffries St. Augustine, Seymour, CT

" One parishioner and one staff person separately said to me, 'I am seeing the spiritual effects of tithing.' I believe that joy and thanks are blossoming like the Easter flowers because we have become a tithing parish that acknowledges that all is gift. Echoing the words of St. Paul, I say, 'I give thanks to God for all of you."
Rev. John J. Pidgeon Church of the Epiphany Philadelphia, PA

" 'Gratitude is the heart's memory,' says an old French proverb. By tithing we are expressing our gratitude to God for all He has done for us and continues to provide for us. The mercies of the Lord are infinite and our gratitude to the Lord should be without end as well. My gratitude to you who tithe is also without end. This Hart's memory will always be grateful to you for your love of our Lord and our Church as demonstrated in your active involvement in the life of the parish and your sacrificial support of our mission. Thank you."
Rev. Msgr. John E. Hart St. Cecilia, Rockaway, NJ 

"Is generosity a skill? Just as a baseball player hitting .300 has to perform remarkably well to improve his batting average, so a parish in our tithing program has to do supernaturally well to keep increasing the Offertory Collection. It is difficult, once the initial dramatic leap has leveled off, to mark the rise; yet it is there. We thank the good Lord for the inspiration He sends, inviting an ever larger number of our faithful parishioners and friends to the commitment of tithing, and showing all of us how to be more generous. We thank all our dear parishioners for their marvelous use of God's gifts. May He bless you all."
Rev. Fr. James W. Mayer, O de M. Our Lady of Lourdes, Philadelphia, PA

"One of my greatest anxieties as Pastor has been how we would pay all of our bills. I had to be reminded that it was not my Church; it was God's Church, and that God had a plan to make it work. It involved a spirit of gratefulness (to God) and cooperation (with God) from the people who were part of the parish. You see, there was always money to pay the bills. It's just that many times it was in the pockets of some of the parishioners!"
Rev. Dennis M. Dinan, Immaculate Conception, St. Mary's & Most Sacred Heart, Port Jervis, NY 

"We thank God, the giver of all our gifts, for inspiring more and more parishioners, friends and benefactors to trust Him and in faith to make the tithing commitment: returning to the Lord the first portions of what we have received from Him. We are especially thankful for the many new parishioners who have responded to the invitation to tithe. As we welcome new families to our Parish family and see [it] growing, we commend their willing generosity in responding to the Lord's invitation. With the decision to put God first, comes spiritual peace and joy. We pray that these new families and all of us in the St. Jude Parish Family will continue to grow closer to the Lord and each other."
Rev. Msgr. James P. McCoy St. Jude Church, Chalfont, PA

THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH SPEAKS
(comments with their envelopes)

"I took care of my Mom when she was sick." Krystal
"Being nice." Elizabeth
"Helped my Mom make the beds." Maddie
"I stuck up for my friend when she was sad." Karli
"Helped at the V.F.W. for shoe boxes." Victoria
Rev. Boguslaw Augustyn, C Ss.R. Sacred Heart Parish, Manville, NJ

"I changed my little brother's diapers." 13 yrs.
"I shared with my sister." 7 yrs.
"I helped Pap put mulch under the swing." 5 yrs.
"I took care of the baby." 9 yrs.
Rev. John Bateman, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Lewistown, PA

"I will be nicer to my brother and sister." Gr. 8
"I will give up candy." Gr. 2
"I will try to do more around the house." Gr. 3
"I wrote down homework for a friend who was absent." Gr. 8
"I made my bed before going to school." Gr. 4
"I took out the icy tea." Gr. 1
"Went to the science fair and told everyone what a good job the did on their projects." Gr. 1 !! 
"I changed my own sheets." Gr. 4
"Helped my Mom make dinner." Gr. 4
Rev. Gerard C. Mesure, St. Charles Borromeo, Bensalem, PA