Twenty - Ninth Week In Ordinary Time

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
 
This weekend we will celebrate World Mission Sunday. This Sundays second collection will support over 1150 mission territories in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the pacific Island, and the Middle East.  According to Cardinal DiNardo, the funds collected this weekend second collection will go to support evangelization efforts, support for international seminarians, support future religious sisters, catechist, Catholic schools and healthcare centers throughout the world. Thank you for your generosity in supporting World Mission Sunday. 
 
On July 1, 2024 we began a new fiscal year at STHY as did all of the parishes in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. One of the chief responsibilities of a pastor is sound management of the Church’s temporal goods and prudent and balanced management of all financial responsibilities. Copies of the FY 2024-2025 financial report are online at https://www.sthyacinth.org/parish-financial-review .
 I can report that St. Hyacinth’s financial health is stable. However, going forward we are and are currently challenged in the parish finances. 
The good news is that Church bills are being paid; we are in good standing with all our Archdiocesan obligations and St. Hyacinth has NO DEBT.  However, STHY’s finances going forward in 2025 will be challenged by the dramatic increase in the cost of ministry obligations, inflation, and the dramatic increase in the cost of maintaining the infrastructures of the parish facilities. 
Currently, St Hyacinth is not meeting our weekly planned budget contribution goals of $16,833.42. (The weekly financial budget goals are listed in the bulletin and online every week). The planned budget contribution amount is the year (FY2025) budget amount broken down to a weekly amount. (52 weeks).  
The projected FY 2025 budget has been discerned to be drastically conservative in nature, with forecasted collections and revenue to remain flat. Due to the challenges, we face here at St. Hyacinth in the coming year, the budget cannot account for all of the major increase in the costs and expenses for ministry and to take care of our 56-year-old Church building, 40-year-old Guyot Hall building and Rectory. 
I pray that your continued giving will exceed our forecast. As our parish and ministries continue to do the work commissioned by Christ, we must all continue to be good stewards of God’s gifts so we can effectively serve those who seek to encounter Christ at STHY.
Yet, I want to thank each of you for your continued sacrifice, week in and week out, to support the ministries and operations of our parish. Thank you for your very kind generosity, however, I ask that you prayerfully consider reviewing your weekly giving to the parish, and if it has remained at a constant and consistent level the past few years, please consider increasing it.
However, I do want to address the approximately the over 1000 registered families here at STHY that we have no record of your giving to the Church. We do acknowledge that many are giving to the Church through the weekend collection; however, STHY needs you to start using your envelopes or move toward electronic giving. In this way we can account for all those who are a part of the parish that are truly giving, and it is an expense of the church for envelopes to be mailed to registered families. 
 Everyone’s gift of a weekly tithe in the offertory is a great act of Stewardship. And remember, you can do it in two ways, through your parish envelopes that are mailed to you or electronically through online giving. You can start your online giving journey on our website at  https://sthyacinth.org/online-giving
 
 
God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels