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OFFERING ENVELOPES F.J. REMEY & CO MINEOLA, NY You must know
the needs of your parish in order to meet them….. Most people agree that offering envelopes are a more acceptable
means of expressing these needs than frequent “money talks” from the pulpit. Envelopes bring the spirit of charity
and sacrifice into the home and in doing so, they allow you (and perhaps your family) to decide upon your offerings in thoughtful privacy – not in a rush
as the collection basket nears. Be honest with yourself. While
in some cases the non-user may actually be supporting the Church as fully as the envelope user, on the proven average between
80-90% of a church’s weekly income results from envelope use. Yet a far smaller percentage of parishioners regularly
use their envelopes. So no matter how sincerely non-users, as a group, may feel that they are doing their fair share, the
fact remains that the faithful envelope user bears the burden of Church support. “My
offering is my business!” Of course it is….but remember that your offering goes to support
the business of the Church. Your pastor has learned that the only regular income he can depend on is that which is returned
through Offering Envelopes. Therefore, in privately making known your gift through the use of these envelopes you provide
your pastor with the important confidential data he needs to plan the parish budget. “They’re
too commercial!” Rather than being “commercial”, Offering envelopes are simply
practical. While enabling your parish to handle its income more efficiently, they also regularly inform you of the needs which
your offerings support. “But I can’t give much!” Your
envelopes are there to help you give what you can and to keep your gift private. After all, what you give is a very personal
matter and in many cases a small donation can be more meaningful than a large one. So there is good reason to use envelopes
in making even small donations…they
may be large sacrifices. Through giving anonymously you have disregarded the fact
that – Those who make known their support through the use of envelopes give a sign that they
are concerned in other areas of parish life as well. Your rightful
income tax deduction – In acknowledging the importance of church support, the government grants
a deduction on all contributions. In other words, your gifts afford you a savings. However, in order to claim your rightful
deduction you need proof of your donations. Again, if you have been a regular envelope user, this proof is confidentially available through your pastor. A
final word to the anonymous giver… When you present a gift to someone you care for, you know
that it is not the value of the gift which truly counts but the fact that it came from you. What really matters is that you
care – and that someone has been pleased by your consideration. Had your gift been anonymously given, would either of you have received true satisfaction from
it? Your offerings to the Church are much like the tokens of affection which you present to a close friend. In acknowledging
your sacrifice you show your concern – in giving anonymously, you deny both your parish and yourself the full fruits of your sacrifice.
Prayer for the Beatification of Venerable Father Louis Brisson, OSFS
Lord
Jesus who has told us, “Ask and you shall receive.” We address our prayer to You through the intercession of Your
priest, Louis Brisson. Attentive to the signs of the times and in obedience to Your will, he founded the
double family of the Oblate Sisters and of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. Confident in Your providence and joyful in
hope, he knew as a good father how to make himself all things to all people. Grant us, through his intercession, the favors
which we ask of You. Especially… May Holy Church rejoice in glorifying this priest after Your own heart
who gave himself totally to Your love.
Amen
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Friday, July 9, 2010
Dear
Friends of St. Joachim Parish,
Thank you for visiting our parish website. I hope you will take the time and send us your feedback regarding the parish website.
Some of you visiting our site may be former parishioners. Perhaps you have moved away and are no longer are able to join us
for liturgy or visit with us. Others may have visited our church and decided to receive other information by way of our website.
I extend a warm welcome to you all.
St. Joachim Church has served the Catholic community in Frankford since 1845. The community has grown much smaller over the
years. However, there seems to be a younger generation of new families and people attending our liturgies and participating
within our community. Wonderful things are happening here at St. Joachim’s. This is a great sign as well as exciting
time within our parish. As with everything else, things change. Some of our families have moved away, some have died and others
are no longer able get out due to health related issues.
We need your help. I am asking if you would please consider helping us by contributing a financial gift of $10.00 or more
to the parish. At this time, we are in need of some repairs in the church as well as addressing some other issues within our
facilities, including the parish cemetery. Over the past year, we have accomplished a great deal. We began to renovate and
repair a few areas within the church itself. We need to continue to do more. I invite you to look at the photo gallery to
take a look at some of the pictures provided. You can see what we have accomplished. At the Easter Vigil, we were blessed
with five new members who were received into the church, a blessing indeed to our parish.
I would like to see us continue to serve the needs of the Catholic community of Frankford for many more years. As with everything
else, we need to continue to support ourselves financially. We are however, proud of the fact that St. Joachim Church is no
longer receiving financial support from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. We are finically self sufficient at this time, something
that has not been possible since before 1993. We are truly blessed by the hard work of the people of this parish and the efforts
made by many to stay vibrant which enables us to continue serving this Catholic community.
I invite you at this time to please consider my invitation to support us and our continued ministry with your prayers and
financial support. Please forward any correspondence to;
Father Steven
P. Wetzel, O.S.F.S.
Pastor St.
Joachim Catholic Church 1527 Church Street Philadelphia, PA 19124
Once again,
thank you for visiting our parish website. Come visit us again soon!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Welcome to Saint Joachims Blog Page!
Welcome to our new Saint Joachims Web Site Blog Page! We welcome your feedback
on our web site. Stay tuned for more blog messages from Saint Joachims and Father Steven Wetzel!
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2010.07.04 |
2010.02.07
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FROM
THE PASTORS DESK
Dear Parents/Guardians: Each year in July, I am asked
by the Catholic High Schools and Holy Innocents
(Aces) to verify the status of those families, (our parishioners) whose children attend their school. This coming school year (2010-2011), the families of St. Joachim who
are designated as a contributing parishioner by me will receive a reduction in tuition. Consequently, the parish in the form
of an assessment pays this portion
of the tuition to the schools. In addition, the parish also pays a subsidy per child to attend Hi-Aces, our regional Elementary Grade School. As we make plans for the 2010-2011 school years, I urge you to please be
mindful of your current status as a parishioner in regards to our parish guidelines pertaining to tuition rates. Remember,
according to parish policy, in order
to maintain a contributing parishioner status for tuition, registered parishioners are expected to give of their time, talent
and treasure in supporting the parish. This support is accomplished by: •
Weekly participation at our parish celebration of the Sunday Mass • Giving of your time to volunteer in the parish •
Participating in, and supporting the fund raising efforts of the parish (Example): Parish Lottery, Dinners etc. •
Contributing at least $500.00/year by using the Sunday Collection Envelopes this would average $10.00
a week. For those families that support our parish, I want to thank you for your participation.
For those parishioners who have received or will receive a non-contributing parishioner status for the 2010-2011 school years, it is never too late. If throughout
this current year, you follow this policy, you will receive a contributing parishioner status and will receive the reduction
the following school year. As always,
I encourage anyone with financial concerns to please contact me. Please Note: Please remember that the monies to pay our subsidy come from the general collection
of the parish. In fairness to the people of the parish, it is important for us to follow these guidelines. CC: Parish Pastoral Council, Parish Finance Council
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