Over the past few weeks, we have reflected on the spirituality of stewardship from many different angles. We have listened as Marcelle, Iain and Simon gave witness to the way in which they share their time, talent, and treasure with our faith community. This week, we are all invited to commit ourselves anew to the support of our parish, by reading and praying over the commitment card placed in this week’s bulletin, and by returning it next week.

As a pastor, I always find it hard to bring up the issue of money, but I take comfort in the fact that it was a topic Jesus returned to time and again in his preaching and parables! Although everything we have ultimately comes from God, God understands that we have mortgages, bills, family commitments and legitimate needs. At the same time, the Gospel calls us to financial stewardship which is planned, prioritized, proportionate, and progressive. This means that our giving should be prayerfully considered, it should be a priority in our budget rather than an afterthought, and that we may want to think more in terms of a percentage of our income rather than a flat amount, while remaining open to a gradual increase in that support.

To facilitate this process, St. Monica’s Parish is pleased to announce that you can now manage your giving online! Giving online is easy and allows you to set up automatic recurring contributions and to view your complete online giving history. If you are currently giving on a weekly basis, you will no longer need to write out 52 separate cheques or prepare 52 envelopes. When travel, illness or other circumstances prevent you from attending Mass at St. Monica’s, this program allows your weekly (or monthly, or quarterly) offerings to continue on an uninterrupted basis.

If you would like to start giving online then simply follow these easy steps:

1. Visit the parish website at www.stmonica.ca
2. Click on the Donate button
3. Follow the onscreen instructions on how to start giving with CanadaHelps.

 While you prayerfully consider how you are being called to financially support your parish, please know that we take security concerns very seriously. More about this in next week’s bulletin, or on our website!