Week 1 - October 7, 2007
This weekend begins our Planned Offering Program, which will continue for three weeks.  This weekend, I present to you our Financial Report for Fiscal Year 06-07 and our Stewardship Report.  Next weekend, a parishioner will speak to all of us on the importance St. Barbara Parish to his and his family spiritual and social lives.  The final weekend, you will have the opportunity to say thanks to God by making a commitment to share your financial resources in a loving way with St. Barbara Parish.

There is much good news to be shared from the past year, along with challenges, as we look toward the future.  Like any organization, we must be concerned about finances, but as a Church, our focus is on the Kingdom of God.

The Stewardship Report details how our ministries and programs have been expanding; how more people are being touched by the love of Jesus Christ. 

Week 2 - October 14, 2007
Hopefully you took the time to read the Stewardship and Financial Report which you either received in the mail or as an insert in the bulletin. As I said last weekend, there is a lot of good news to share about what has been happening at St. Barbara. In order for these programs, events, and ministries to continue, we need to be able to provide the financial support to sustain our parish. It is because of the generosity of so many parishioners who have given of their time, talent, and treasure over our 97 years that St. Barbara has been able to be a spiritual home for so many Catholics in Bridgeport.

Besides highlighting details of our Stewardship and Financial Reports last weekend at all Masses, I also asked for your support of the Planned Offering Program which will be taking place the first three weekends of October. Among all the good things happening at St. Barbara, I also mentioned that we continue to run a deficit, though it has been significantly reduced. This reduction happened because of efforts made to reduce expenses and because of your increased giving.

The Planned Offering Program is provided to parishes through the Archdiocesan Office of Stewardship. Many parishes have participated in the program over the years. Both the Finance Council and Parish Council back this program. The program is not another special collection or another special appeal. Rather, the program is intended to enhance our current weekly Sunday collection. This programs asks you to review your average Sunday offering (which includes both your Sunday envelope offering and the parish second collections: Improvement, Fuel, School, Debt Reduction, and Organ Funds) and consider whether you can increase your Sunday offering to St. Barbara Parish. Each week, the bulletin indicates what is our actual Total Sunday Collection vs. the weekly Income Goal of $5,500, which is the projected amount to cover our expenses. Unfortunately, the weekly income goal is only occasionally exceeded, which results in a deficit at the end of the year.

Mr. Douglas Levato spoke last weekend at all Masses about why St. Barbara Parish and School are important to him and his family. I thank him for his witness, and for the time he took to prepare and deliver his testimony of faith. In his talk, he offered an invitation to all to help build a stronger Church, Parish, and School by employing our time, talents, and treasures for the betterment of OUR Church, to come to a greater understanding of the importance of stewardship, of giving back to God the gifts He has given us. Mr. Lovato encouraged everyone at Mass to become a more active member of St. Barbs, by giving what YOU can-each in your own way.

I have included a chart of average Sunday contribution ranges. By far, the greatest numbers are those whom we have no record of giving, either because envelopes are not used or because these parishioners are not at Mass at St. Barbara. It is important that we reach out to them. But I also ask everyone to look at your current giving as compared to your income to see if you may be able to share a greater percent of your monetary blessings with your parish. We are all a part of an extended family of faith gathered in the Lord’s Name, and what we give helps to further the Kingdom of God, which is both at hand and a promise for the future, here at St. Barbara Parish.