August 6, 2023 - Pastor Message
04/30/2024THE YEAR OF MISSION
OUR VALUES (cont.)
“We are a parish who lives within our means and exercises responsible stewardship of the resources entrusted to us” (from our parish’s Values Statement).
“The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common…There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need” (Acts 4:32, 34-35).
Continuing our reflection on our parish’s Values Statement, we look this week at the fundamental principle of responsible stewardship. This principle is based on the fact that a “parish is a certain community of the Christian faithful stably constituted in a particular church, whose pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor…under the authority of the diocesan bishop” (The Code of Canon Law, canon 515). Through the request of our parish’s founders and the ministry of Bishop Young, who established it, God formed our parish from the people who were its original members. He continues to form it from those who are members today. The collective reality of St. Boniface Parish only exists because of its people. Whether personnel, money, or material goods, our parishioners provide the resources we need to serve our mission.
But these resources are not given to the parish as an act of charity to do with them as we please. Our people give them to the parish as a spiritual investment, a commitment of their own time, talent, and treasure that they entrust to us to serve our common mission and so achieve our common vision. The parish holds these resources, not as a personal owner, but as a dutiful steward, with the responsibility to use them only for the purpose for which they are given and to do so prudently.
Prudence requires that we do not use the resources entrusted to us wastefully and that we do not go beyond the means provided, placing the burden of unnecessary debt on the parish and thus on our people. Though we certainly enjoy the beautiful church we have today, as many of you know, its renovation required us to take on significant debt that, while not assumed without controversy, must be paid. Through the guidance of our parish finance and pastoral councils, we have made great strides in paying down our parish debt and look forward to the day, not that far off now, when we will be debt-free and able to commit 100% of our resources to new pastoral initiatives. Our commitment to the value of responsible stewardship and living within our means has made this possible and will see it through to its completion, bringing us that much closer to achieving our vision.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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