St. Therese Parishioners Practice Good Stewardship

Hundreds of parishioners donate literally thousands of hours each year here at St. Therese of Lisieux.  Their gift of time and talent has a great deal to do with helping our parish develop the fine reputation it has. 

            Part of our remarkable reputation has to do with the manner in which our parish addresses finances.  From our earliest days, parishioners resisted the temptation to hold building drives and to “nickel & dime” our parish members. 

            As a result, many of our early parish members deepen their realization that “The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds”.   The consequence of this was that we embraced the biblical concept of tithing.  This Old Testament practice was verbally endorsed by Jesus, and taught to us, in the Gospels.

            So, our “pioneer parishioners” decided that we would all work toward “Catholic Tithing”.  This is defined as donating 5% of our income to our parish and at least another 5% to other charities or to the needy. 

            Because our founding parishioners demonstrated so clearly their commitment to this concept, Cardinal Maida, concurring with the recommendation of Consulters, made St. Therese of Lisieux the first parish to be exempt from the policy that 50% of the funds needed for building would have to be raised before that project could commence.

            Yes, our parishioners have realized that each of us is a steward of the blessings we have received.  God expects & trusts that we will share according to the degree of our blessings.

     Types of Givers 

• There are those who donate the same amount as they always have for years and years.

• There are those who give some of what they happen to have in their pocket or purse at the time.

• There are those who give according to the particular need of the parish.

These three types certainly help, but none reflects a generous relationship between their blessings and that which they return to God. 

Therefore, we urge all individuals, with an income, to become either a “tither” or a “sacrificial giver.”

Expanding the Concept

Tithing in the strictest sense is to give one tenth of one’s income.  People make their own decision as to whether that is on take-home pay, taxable income or whatever.  Many Catholics are unfamiliar with the practice of tithing and have financial commitments, So it may be difficult to start giving at 10% right away.  So, we expand the concept to say that “tithers” are those who give a set percentage.  That set percentage this year might be three (3%) percent to the Church.  Perhaps that could be increased by ½ of one percent each year until they reach a goal of tithing 10%.

The final type of giver is the “sacrificial giver”.  This person alters his/her lifestyle in order to generate a gift back to God.  An example is to eat at a less expensive restaurant or to purchase no-brand or local brand groceries & pharmaceuticals rather than national brands and donate the savings.

        We ask you to assess your income and consider sharing your treasures.  It’s a wonderful feeling to be doing what we know God expects.

What Type of Giver Do You Want to Be?

You are encouraged to use your envelope every time you attend Mass.  Your envelope each Sunday indicates your sharing of faith, time and participation with the community in prayer.  Whether you offer your financial support weekly, monthly or yearly, an envelope, even empty, indicates your participation and support.  Using the envelope is also a way we can track your charitable contributions to the parish for your tax purposes.

     Cashless Giving  

     St. Therese offers a convenient service called Cashless Giving.  Many people know it as Electronic Funds Transfer, automatic funds transfer, or preauthorized payments from your bank account to automatically pay monthly bills such as house, car or insurance payments.  St. Therese now offers this service through our bank whereby you authorize monthly or semi-monthly deductions to be made from your checking or savings account directly to the church’s bank account.  The funds are transferred electronically and eliminate writing checks or giving cash for weekly offertory.  You are notified of the deduction on your monthly bank statement.

     This service is provided by signing an AUTHORIZATION FORM indicating the amount and timing of your payment along with information about your financial institution.  The forms can found in the Information Unit outside the parish office.  The process is very simple and starts by returning the completed form to the parish office.

     You will continue to receive weekly offertory envelopes and special collection envelopes.  You are asked to continue to turn in a weekly envelope to show your attendance and support to the parish.  Please check the box on the envelope that indicates that you are a Direct Depositor. 

     Many find that this is very helpful way of giving back to the Lord and his works to make a consistent and planned stewardship offertory to your parish.

     You can print from this link the AUTHORIZATION FORM.   We ask that you mail or drop off the form at the parish office. 

 Make a Gift Through an IRA Charitable Rollover

         *** new information for 2008/2009 ***

If you are over the age of 70½, you must take a required minimum distribution from your IRA. Normally, the amount of this distribution is taxed as ordinary income. However, federal legislation enacted on October 3, 2008 extends the opportunity for you, for the remainder of 2008 and throughout 2009, to make a direct distribution from you IRA to a qualified charity, such as St. Therese of Lisieux Parish.  Such distributions, while not subject to income tax, will still count toward fulfilling your required minimum distribution.

For more information about how you and our parish can benefit from an IRA charitable rollover, please contact Paul Koncz in the parish office.

Annual Catholic Appeal

Grateful Gifts from Grateful Hearts
2009

The Catholic Services Appeal funds a number of important ministries in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Some of these programs include: the work at Sacred Heart Major Seminary and the vocations office, the Marriage Tribunal (where annulments are processed), chaplaincies for hospitals and correctional facilities, and communications provided through the Michigan Catholic and Mass for Shut-ins. CSA funds provide for many learning and training opportunities for parish staff and ministry volunteers that enable us to serve you better.

The CSA Brochure and CSA Pledge Card are formatted to be viewed in Adobe Reader. 
Please click here for the latest version.

Click here to view the "2009 Catholic Service Appeal" brochure.

 Click here to fill out and email a "2009 CSA Pledge Card".

Then click on the "Make a 2009 CSA Donation" button
below to complete your online CSA Donation.

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