On May 20, we returned to Ordinary Time. During this period of our church year, we are called to deepen our relationship with Christ by listening and learning from the stories and teachings of his earthly life. The readings reveal to us, in a more human and understandable way, the importance of inclusion as he reaches out to those who have been excluded or marginalized. We learn about his daily works to remove the barriers to realizing justice where all are treated fairly and with dignity. We also experience his abundance of self-giving love through acts of kindness, caring and compassion with nothing asked in return other than to love one another and love God.
We are fortunate and blessed to experience Ordinary Time in an Extraordinary Place. At The Basilica, our spiritual home, we are blessed to not only hear these stories in a beautiful space and through inspiring liturgies, but we are able to live these stories. We do so through our ministries, sacraments, learning opportunities and advocacy for justice. It is also witnessed as we care for each other, and those who are nearby, that may need a helping hand, a warm embrace, new direction or just a place to find rest, peace and compassion.
We are grateful for the gifts of our parishioners and staff who work endlessly to reflect the lived reality of Jesus. They are shining examples of how to serve others with humility, kindness and a generosity of spirit. Today, The Basilica remains a beacon of hope for the community and your continued support is very much appreciated and needed.
Basilica Fund Matching Gift
Through a generous contribution, we are able to offer a match for any new financial gift given on June 1 and until the match is complete. Through this program your new gift to The Basilica Fund will be matched dollar for dollar until we reach the $20,000 goal. Envelopes for the matching gift can be found in church pews or you can contribute on-line on the “Give” page. Please prayerfully consider a matching gift to help us continue our ministries and liturgies.
If you are new to The Basilica or have not yet made a recurring gift, we would ask you to consider that commitment at this time as well. This also can be easily accomplished by going to the “Give” page of our website mary.org/give.
Your gift is greatly appreciated and needed. As you may be experiencing yourself, the cost for basic services and needs has gone up. Over the past five years, our revenues have increased by 9%. Over the same time, our expenses have increased by 17%. As a result, over the past two years we have relied significantly on our Parish reserves to balance our annual budget. We will likely need to do the same in this current financial year, closing June 30. We recognize that this cannot continue and are working toward a plan of greater sustainability.
Your contributions to The Basilica Fund help us to continue providing salary and benefits to our talented and dedicated staff and clergy. In addition, the Fund allows us to heat, cool and light the church and other campus buildings, it provides for liturgies, learning and Christian life ministries, allows us to communicate with parishioners through a variety of ways including our website and printed materials and keeps our campus clean and safe.
We recognize that in these challenging times, many are needing to prioritize how they spend their financial blessings. If you can find it in your heart and budget to include The Basilica Fund as one of your priorities, we would be grateful. Know your contributions will help sustain the ministries and outreach to those in need and help us to remain an extraordinary place with extraordinary people living a life of service exemplified by Jesus in the stories of Ordinary Time.
Tom Paul
Trustee
The Basilica of Saint Mary