Please read Father Gary's letter below, directed toward you school parents who are also St. Louise Parish parishioners.  Now is the time to begin a new stewardship commitment. Thank you for completing THIS required task by no later than December 31. If you are paying our "in-parish/contributing-parishioner tuition rate," then you must renew your stewardship commitment annually.

When you fulfill your annual stewardship pledge by the end of each calendar year, and begin a new stewardship commitment with the start of a new calendar year, you are not only helping St. Louise Parish, but you are helping St. Louise School. And since your contribution to the Parish is tax-deductible, it's a win-win-win situation:

1. You make a tax-deductible, charitable contribution with your stewardship;
2. The Parish increases its revenue, and in turn is able to financially support the School;
3. You receive a lesser (parishioner) tuition rate. 
       

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Dear Parish Family,

I write to you today with a profound sense of gratitude for the many wonderful blessings that you have shared with St. Louise this past year.

I have seen your open-handed stewardship of time (truly hours and hours) and talent (amazing gifts). I've witnessed or been a part of so many beautiful, Spirit-filled liturgical celebrations and communal prayer experiences, so much service to those in need and to the parish community in all of our many ministries, countless meetings, planning and celebrating parish wide events like the recent picnic, the Christ Renews His Parish spiritual renewal process and Financial Peace University, just to name a few - all of which are made possible thanks to your time and talent. I'm also humbled by all the time and talent you put into the prayer and preparations that have led us to begin the exciting journey from Maintenance to Mission for our parish. We've taken the foundational steps of crafting our new parish mission statement - our mission is to "Ignite Faith and Witness God's Love" - and implementing a new parish organizational structure. Not one of these things could happen without you parishioners' generous stewardship of your time and talent. I thank you all.

And as you know, stewardship is not just about time or talent. It also includes our treasure, our financial sharing with the Church and other charities. I am deeply grateful for the financial generosity that our parishioners have shared with St. Louise. Through your financial commitment, we have been able to address the many needs of our parish. This includes maintenance and repair of our aging Church building, original school buildings, Parish Hall and Parish Center office building. We were able to complete the build-out of the remaining four classrooms on the second floor of our School and Faith Formation Center. We have been able to keep up with operating expenses and make some special expenditures, like helping start up the New Bethlehem Day Center and offering Christ Renews His Parish. Great things are happening through God's providence and the faithful contributions of so many parishioners. I thank you all.

Together with these wonderful endeavors, we see the Holy Spirit leading us to expand our work (and our staff) in the areas of family life, youth, young adults, evangelization, and outreach ministries. We look to start building a healthy reserve to be able to fund the next phase of our campus master plan for our facilities. To live our mission, usher in the growth that we seek and properly sustain the good works that we hope to continue, we need to move forward with a concerted effort to increase our Sunday offertory collection.

I would ask that you reflect on your generous financial commitment to the parish and, for those of you who are able, if you could add a few dollars more each week to your contribution. If everyone who can, does, the burden on each household will be small and the benefits to our amazing parish will be great.  

I realize that this is not easy for everyone, but it is appropriate to present it to all. This opportunity to give reminds us that God is the source and owner of all things, and that we are not owners but simply the stewards of everything we have. We willingly give of our time, talent and treasure back to God, not as an afterthought but as a first priority. If we have an "attitude of gratitude" to God for all that He has so abundantly given us, then how can we not give back to God a generous portion of our first fruits? "Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be" (Matthew 6:21).

A Stewardship of Treasure Commitment Card can be completed electronically at the parish website. There I ask you to please indicate your financial pledge for 2018. We've included a table showing sample giving levels you may wish to consider. Having a specific pledge amount from everyone is very important - it helps us predict the income side of our parish budget.

 

The parish/school staff and I are extremely appreciative of everyone's past generosity to the parish. I thank you in advance for your support, understanding, and kindness. We wish you and your family a most blessed and beautiful Advent.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Gary Zender

         

With Sue Richards soon leaving her role as St. Louise Auction Director, we have a job opening for this position. You'll find details of this new opening on our website and also at the Archdiocesan website.

 

If you are looking to join the St. Louise staff, or know someone looking for a job, and you/they have the qualifications listed in the job opening listing, please apply. Interviews for the new Auction Director will take place in January, and the position begins in February. Please email Dan Fitzpatrick or Sue if you have questions about the position.

Our first grade students collected over 50 coats to donate to the St. Vincent de Paul Society as part of their Service Project. Way to go, 1A and 1B!