Stewardship

Stewardship is a complete lifestyle.
Stewardship asks us to put God's priorities before our own. Good stewards give the first portion of their gifts of time, talent and treasure to the Lord's work in gratitude for His many blessings. This practice of giving of our "first fruits" incorporates the aspect of sacrificial giving. "I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the temple treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood." (Mark 12:43-44)

At Sacred Hearts, we believe that each of us is responsible for the time, talent and treasure that God, our creator, has given to us. As good stewards, we see ourselves as caretakers of all God's gifts and we are excited to share them with others. We encourage this from our children and our adults. We offer ample opportunities to volunteer our time, talent and treasure. And in doing so, we not only minister to the parish members of Sacred Hearts and build a sense of community, but we grow in our person relationship to Jesus Christ.

We look forward to sharing with you.

School Endowment Fund

What Is An Endowment Fund?

An Endowment Fund is a legal and financial agreement which accepts donations of cash, securities, property, life insurance benefits, trusts, bequests and other gifts. By the Fund agreement, the principal is never expended. It is a gift which never stops giving. Our current fund balance is in excess of $1,500,000. The original fund is now called Section A of the Endowment Fund. All monies in Section A and all future monies donated to Section A of the Endowment Fund, will be administered in perpetuity exactly in accordance with the 1981 resolution. The interest and dividends from the Endowment Fund, Section A will only be used as income in the school budget.

Each year in October, we present a check from the interest on the School Endowment Fund to a family that accepts the check on behalf of the school. This year our Endowment Check was for $107,708.67 Thank you to all of the people and parishioners that give to our School Endowment Fund. We received $109,617.36 in total donations. The children of Sacred Hearts School thank you. We couldn't do it without you!

Sacred Hearts School has long been committed to Catholic education. Today, Sacred Hearts is blessed with a fine building, full enrollment and a certified staff. As with other educational institutions, the school is faced with rapidly escalating costs. Projections show that inflation will continue to be our most challenging problem.

If you would be interested in giving a gift to our Endowment Fund, you may contact our Development Office and we will be glad to show you how you can put your investment to good use. Be sure to visit Sacred Hearts School on the web!!

Parish Development

Welcome to the Development Office! Our office works with the parish and school in helping it to further its Stewardship Program. Lisa Gorecki concentrates on development and stewardship for the parish, Jill Conaway works specifically with the Sacred Hearts School Endowment Fund while Barb Rogan works with the Christian Formation Fund.

Plan to get involved with us - and please consider a gift or a remembrance in your Living Will to Sacred Hearts Parish or School.

Remember, we accept gifts of cash, stocks, bonds, land, property, collectable art and other items of value. Let us know if we can be of assistance.

All About EFT - Electronic Funds Transfer

We are pleased to offer you a service designed to better help you in your busy lifestyle. As I have learned from the International Catholic Stewardship Conference, and other Catholic churches, the Direct Contribution Plan is an excellent way for Sacred Hearts to assist our members in their contribution commitments.

Today, many of us use Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT) to pay our mortgages, gas bills, water & light bills, telephone bills and life insurance payments. We write fewer checks and buy fewer stamps and never miss a due date. With this in mind, Sacred Hearts would like to give you the opportunity to give your church contribution through EFT.

This will not only help us meet our commitment to God in a timely and convenient manner, but it will also help us when we are sick, on vacation or out of town. It helps us to make our commitment to God a priority in our budget. It helps level out our giving throughout the year and saves us with trying to play "clean-up" at the end of the year.

Here's How It Works...

We authorize contributions to be made from your checking or savings account on the 15th of each month. Our proof of contribution will appear on your bank statement and on your church's annual giving statement. Authority we grant to charge our contributions to your account remains in effect until you notify Sacred Hearts to increase it for the next year or discontinue it. The Direct Contribution Plan is dependable, flexible and convenient.

To take advantage of this new service, you can download the authorization form at the bottom of this page. The form is in PDF format, and will require the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. If you do not have the software installed on your machine, you can download and install a free copy by clicking on the Adobe logo.

Please complete the authorization form and return it to the church via mail, via hand delivery to our office or in an envelope which can be placed in the Sunday collection. If you have any questions, or need help in some way, please feel free to give Mrs. Lisa Gorecki - Director of Parish Development 837-7381 ext. 234 a call.