Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Over the next several weekends, there will be various opportunities for our community to help contribute and donate to certain ministries and charitable efforts. St. Charles is always generous in its support of such things, which is both beautiful and something to be mindful of when we try and schedule such things. Please know, that as your pastor, I am very aware of how your financial support to our parish and to other causes is the result of your own hard work and in many cases, represents going above and beyond on your part. As such, I try to avoid scheduling too many extra fundraising events and focus on ones that are both worthwhile and necessary. Allow me briefly discuss the two efforts that are coming up.
Once again, the Diocese of Trenton is having a special collection to support the retired priests. We’ve been blessed, first with Fr. Leo and thereafter with Msgr. Dubell, with the ministry they provide, even in retirement. To be honest, St. Charles could really use a 2 nd priest, between the school, our size, and other activity going on in the parish. But that’s not really a possibility right now and won’t be anytime soon. Instead, I depend largely on Msgr. Dubell and his ability to help out. But while the parish provides a stipend for hearing confessions and saying Masses, and this helps out the retired priests, many of whom help out in many parishes throughout the Diocese; it’s still not enough to live on alone. And so, the Diocese often helps to provide for the needs of their retired priests, and are responsible not only for a pension for them, but in many cases, providing medical care as well. If you can help support this, I would be quite grateful!
The other opportunity of the ongoing efforts of the Diocese of Trenton to help support the wider missionary efforts of the Church through an annual mission appeal. Every year, we are assigned a missionary group of some kind; sometimes a particular religious order such as last year when a priest of the Divine Word Missionaries came to us. Sometimes it’s for a specific project such as the housing facility/hospital in India that we heard about a few years back, and sometimes it’s a bit wider, helping missions more generally. But in every instance, our prayers, our donations, and our improved understanding of the evangelical efforts of the Church to bring the Gospel to every corner of the world and to minister in places that can be impoverished, or even hostile at times to such efforts, is not only worthwhile, but necessary. These missionary groups depend on such support to be successful. And our efforts to help, bear much good fruit, both for ourselves and for those in other corners of the globe.
Peace and Goodness,
Fr. Dan
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