Twenty - Seventh Week of Ordinary Time - St Hyacinth Catholic Church

October 1, 2020

by Fr. Reginald Samuels

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In as little as than two months we will celebrate the First Sunday of Advent. As we approach the feast of Christ the King and the end of the liturgical year, our reading turn to the parables and preach of Jesus ‘s final week in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. Each week we have an increase in the intensity of the gospel readings. Jesus is basically preparing himself, his disciples and we Christians to what lies ahead and his words take on a sense of urgency and intensity as each parable is presented.

On July 1, 2020 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 2019 - 2020 financial report are in the Narthex and or online at Sthyacinth.org.

I can report that STHY financial health is stable. However, going forward due to the COVID – 19 and the decrease in Church attendance, we will be challenged in the parish finances. The Church bills are being paid; we are in good standing with all of our Archdiocesan obligations. However, STHY’s finances going forward in 2021 will be challenged by the increase in the cost of ministry obligations and the increase in the cost of the maintaining the aging infrastructures of the main Church and parish facilities.

I thank each of you for your continued sacrifice, week in and week out, to support the ministries and operations of our parish. Only with your support are we able to do the work of the Gospel. Thank you very much.

The projected FY 2021 budget has been discerned to be drastically conservative in nature, with forecasted collections and revenue to be lower. Due to the lowered 2021 forecasted revenue and collections; we have further reduced the current parish FY 2020 budget by close to 5%. 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 50 year old Church building and 36 year old Guyot Hall building. The Main Church building, Guyot Hall, Guyot Hall kitchen, Religious Education Building, and infrastructures are aging and need major attention and repairs in the very near future.

I pray that you’re 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.

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 1044 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 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. We currently spend close to $10K a year on offertory envelopes and if we could use our electronic giving, this would reduce the expense of mailed offertory envelopes dramatically.

We are living in constantly changing times, but two things that are not changing are our devotion to our parish and it's needs. We know many of our lives have been turned upside down in the last 6 months. The STHY has been too. We need, same as you, to know what's coming in so we can budget what goes out. I'm asking you to give DIFFERENTLY. By going to the website and signing up for RECURRING online giving, you let the parish know we can count on your support weekly. Register for Online giving at https://membership.faithdirect.net/TX526. Thank you the time is NOW and the need is CRITICAL.

God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels