McKenna Tithing
Newsletter
Page 5
Rev. Msgr. Richard A Behl The Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Metuchen, NJ
" ‘Every worthwhile gift, every genuine benefit comes from above, descending from the Father of the heavenly luminaries, who cannot change and who is never shadowed over.’ These are the words of St. James in the 2nd reading last Sunday. I feel blessed to be your pastor and to experience your prayerful thanksgiving to God as you worship Him on a regular basis! Your volunteer hours - of the highest quality - are many! And your embrace of the tithing message, given last April, is making possible the renovations of our parish."
Rev. Thomas J. Duane St. John of the Cross, Roslyn, PA
A parishioner
"Yes, miracles still do happen. The parish is able to begin to pay off some past due accounts and take a look at future planning, something that benefits all of us. But by far the greater miracle is when each of us suddenly gains a deeper appreciation of God’s generosity to us, that He is the one who gives us the gifts, the charisms, the talents we have that enable us to accomplish what we do in life. That’s not just in terms of the abilities we have to make a living, but more so in those things that make every one of us worthwhile, lovable and loving persons. What a treasure! And it is the Lord who has done this. . . and it is wonderful to behold."
Rev. John J. Quinlan, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Swartswood, PA
"Because more and more of our parishioners have been willing to take responsibility for our parish, we are planning to have expanded programs in September. I know from speaking with many that more and more of our parishioners have seen God working in their lives as they try to offer him every part of their family, marriage, finances, etc. From my own experience, I know that God keeps His promises. My prayer is that each and every person at St. Mary’s comes to know that truth with the deepest conviction."
Rev. Msgr. Frank C. Wissel, D.Min St. Mary, Greenwich, CT
"It seems like a contradiction to print dollar amounts above and then again say that tithing is a ‘spiritual’ program. That’s why we will soon have a ‘renewal’ to see that our parish does not need God’s plan, but each of us does."
Rev. James T. Smith St. Kevin, Flushing, NY
"Joey Adams told this one: ‘. . .The hat was passed around one Sunday in a tight-fisted church. The hat was returned absolutely empty. The pastor raised his eyes toward heaven and said reverently, "Oh, God, I thank thee that I got my hat back." ‘
"That church wasn’t St. Kevin’s. We get our basket back filled with your hard earned Tithes. Thanks to all who are trying God’s plan."
Rev. James T. Smith St. Kevin, Flushing, NY
"Our mothers give us everything we have, even life itself. A worthy child tries to ‘give back’ to Mom, even though we can not adequately show our gratitude. The faith-filled steward tries to make the same kind of ‘return’ to God by using the tithe. Thank you to all who consistently support the work of the church."
Rev. Alexander Masluk Our Mother of Sorrows, Philadelphia, PA
" ‘It’s my tithing, Father," she said. "I have not been at church because of sickness, and I want to catch up. I started to tithe and I know I should continue.’
"That’s what the woman said to me on the phone last week when I called to thank her for a check of five hundred dollars that she dropped off at the rectory. She has come to know through her difficult illness that she needs to put God first, and she wants to give back to Him 10% off the top."
Rev. William J.J. O’Donnell Nativity of Our Lord, Warminster, PA
"The collections the last two weekends were quite interesting. Two weeks ago we had a holiday weekend and a number of folks took advantage of it to head off to other places. If you remember, so did the weekly collection - taking a significant drop from the average. Last weekend a lot of folks were back and so was the collection total, up from the average by about the same amount it was down the week before. People, whom I guess had been on vacation, didn’t take a vacation from the commitment made to God to tithe and made it up last weekend when they returned from the respite God had ultimately provided. There’s something very significant here, very spiritual, that goes beyond dollars and cents. It says something about your sense of commitment to the Lord, about your appreciation of what He has provided to you and about your faith in His care for you. I commend you for your fidelity and generosity to God and for your continued generosity to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish. I also thank you for the witnesses of faith you are to me and others. God bless you!"
Rev. John J. Quinlan Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Swartswood, NJ
"What! Giving again? I ask in dismay, And must I keep giving And giving away? Oh, No, said the angel Looking me through, Just keep giving till the Master Stops giving to you."
Rev. Msgr. Frank Ferraioli St. Christopher Parsippany, NJ
"The two witnesses of last Sunday’s Tithing Renewal, Ed Breslin and Catherine Quigley, testified again that Tithing is about faith, not finances. Thanks to all who are trying God’s Plan."
Rev. James T. Smith St. Kevin, Flushing, NY
"God’s first and most precious gift is life. Without it, nothing else is possible. In addition, God lets us share in His life through our adoption as children of God. We can try to thank God for His generosity by sharing that which comes to us from our daily work. Thank you for tithing and acknowledging God’s precious gift of life."
Rev. Msgr. Leo N. Bierster St. Joan of Arc, Hershey, PA
"Like many things we do in life, giving is a learned habit. As we give of our time, talent and financial resources to support God’s good works, we learn the joy of this spiritual practice. As we experience the blessing of giving, we find ourselves learning to give more."
Rev. George Morris Saint Mark’s United Methodist Church, Hamilton Square, NJ
"THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PARTNERS AND PATRONS. . .
"That takes us a full step beyond the ordinary in our giving for it makes it not merely a matter of our money, but of our hearts, of our best selves. We ought to teach real sacrificial giving not to get the money, but to get the givers. When they give only their money, they are not partners with God, they are only patrons of God. And between the two there is all the difference in the world."
Rev. Msgr. Richard Behl St. Francis Cathedral, Metuchen, NJ
"Leland Stanford was a man who lived to make money, and he amassed a fortune in railroading. He had a multi-million dollar home in California and became a U. S. Senator. He thought he bought into the good life, but then he lost his only child. His dollars meant nothing to him anymore. He lamented, ’I have nothing to live for. I have no children.’ One night he had a dream. In this dream his son appeared to him and said, ‘Father, never say again that you have nothing to live for -live for humanity, live for other people’s children.’ There soon arose at Palo Alto the Leland Stanford University at a cost of $20 million. He and Mrs. Stanford became the devoted servants of the poor, the orphaned, the suffering. Money had at last become his servant, not his master."
Rev. Msgr. Francis R. Lo Bianco Our Lady of the Visitation, Paramus, NJ
"A British Catholic monk who had lived in India for 40 years, having had long experiences with the Indian gurus tells us: ’In the West, all of us are a little bit atheistic even though we are baptized. We put other things ahead of God – this is a kind of practical atheism. We believe that as Christians we trust God, but that’s not the way we always live our lives. The Indian gurus, who did not receive revelation from God as we did, seek God all their lives – a God they do not know. We Christians, despite divine revelation, deceive ourselves by thinking we have God in the palm of our hands. And so we live superficial and materialistic lives which take us away from God. In fact it is not possible to know God merely through an intellectual understanding of Him. We have to experience God by our love and prayer, in silence and with sacrifice. It is another Person we are looking for, so we have to love Whom we are seeking; we have to desire God. He communicates Himself to whoever searches for Him with a sincere heart.’
"Am I a true believer or what? The answer comes from Jesus: ‘Wherever your treasure lies, there your hearts will be.’ (Luke 12:38)"
Rev. Msgr. James J. Howard Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter & Paul, Philadelphia
"Every week additional members of St. Mary’s begin to tithe. The effect has been very positive. Last year on [the same Sunday] the collection amounted to $xxxx and this year it was $XXXX. [An increase of 73%] This difference, even during the summer time, indicates how powerful we can be when additional members choose to tithe.
Rev. John T. Meehan St. Mary’s Mt. Vernon, NY
"When the pastor looked at the collection for the same Sunday last year and saw over $XXXX, he thought ‘Well, we’ll not top that this year.’ Boy, was he wrong! The collection last week was unbelievable! What a testament to your love for the church and desire to give God the first and the best! Keep up the good work!"
Rev. Alexander Masluk Our Mother of Sorrows, Philadelphia, PA
"We live our lives with hope. Hope that there will be a better tomorrow. Hope that people will try better to understand one another. Hope that our families will be protected. As we continue to respond to God’s plan for giving, we help to support the hope of people who are looking for spiritual, emotional, physical support. Thank you for your example through your response to God’s plan to give."
Rev. Philip G. Burger Our Lady of Hope, Coal Township, PA
"I am happy to report that after six weeks of adopting the Tithing program, we are ahead $XXXX over last year’s collection at this time. I can’t thank you enough for your support and all those who are doing the best they can. Great things are ahead. Let’s keep up the good we’ve started."
Rev. Kevin P. Murray Blessed Katharine Drexel, Chester, PA
Once again our sincere thank you for your most generous contributions to the Gerry McKenna Tithing Ministry. We are constantly amazed at how the good Lord seems to work through you and all of us to keep this program going. You are wonderful and faithful and we are truly appreciative.