A Parish of Stewardship

"Who is a Christian Steward? One who receives God's gifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them in a responsible manner, shares them in justice and love with others, and returns them with increase to the Lord." ~ From the U.S. Bishops' Pastoral Letter on Stewardship

Many of us are familiar with the stewardship formula of "Time, Talent, & Treasure." It's a great way to summarize some ways we can practice stewardship in our faith community. Time speaks of the time we give directly back to God through prayer and adoration. Talent speaks of using our natural skills and abilities to further the work of the Church. Treasure speaks of giving generously from our wealth or poverty alike. In truth Stewardship doesn't stop here but expands to encompass all that God has given us. Sharing our gifts of time and talent is one way of giving thanks to God for the blessings He has bestowed on us. Please discern what God is calling you to do with these gifts.

Stewardship of Time

The time we've been given is one of our most valuable gifts from God. Each moment of each day is a new opportunity to turn towards Him, to recognize His presence in our lives, and to commit to accepting His will for us. We are called to set aside time each day to spend in prayer, relating our hearts to our Lord.

"How am I to pray?"

In July 2022, Father Nagel gave a homily series focused on answering the question “How am I to pray?” In these homilies he preached on the elements of meditation as an important component of our daily prayer lives. We encourage you to reflect on how you are doing in your Stewardship of Time. Have you committed to 20 minutes of prayer each day? Have you practiced recognizing the presence of God? Have you shared the workings of your heart with God? Have you listened for His response?

Homily One (from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

In the first homily of this series, Father talked about the need for perseverance. We practice perseverance in prayer when we commit to showing up, and by keeping our focus on Christ. Click here to watch a recording of Homily One

Homily Two (from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

In week two, Father preached on two fundamental steps of meditative prayer; First, acknowledging to yourself what is in your heart. Second, relating those movements to God. Click here to watch a recording of Homily Two

Homily Three (from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

In week three, Father continued on the theme of meditation and talked about the third (and crucial) step, receiving from God. “God, how are you loving me right now, in this moment?” Click here to watch a recording of Homily Three

Stewardship of Time & the National Eucharistic Revival

The U.S. Bishops have recognized the need to focus on and affirm the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Over the next few years, we will hear more about this movement and ways we can unite ourselves to the Eucharist as the source and summit of our Faith. The National Eucharistic Revival is a movement to restore understanding and devotion to this great mystery here in the United States by helping us renew our worship of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.” 

Friday Evening Eucharistic Adoration

Father Nagel extended an invitation for everyone to come to the church and worship the Lord together in exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. This opportunity for Adoration will take place every Friday evening from 6-7PM. Father Nagel will offer confessions throughout this hour, as has been offered previously.

Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel

Here at St. Monica, we are blessed to be able to adore our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament every hour of the week. Our Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel is located on the side of the church to the right of the main church entrance. It takes community and commitment to achieve true Perpetual Adoration, so please consider setting aside time to visit our Lord in the chapel each week. For security reasons the Adoration Chapel door has a locking keypad. For the chapel code, please contact the parish office. (Note: When Mass is in progress, the doors of the Adoration Chapel Tabernacle must remain closed).

Stewardship of Talent

There are many ways God calls us to do His good works. One of those ways is to use our God-given talents to advance the mission of the Church. When we talk about good stewardship, we must also consider how we are using our talents to serve others and help build up His Kingdom on earth. Stewardship is a way of responding to God’s call in every aspect of our lives. We want to invite you to consider sharing your talents through one of the many ministries here at St. Monica Parish. Click here to complete our 2024-2025 Stewardship of Talent Ministry Interest Form.

Stewardship of Talent & the National Eucharistic Revival

The National Eucharistic Revival is a movement to restore understanding and devotion to this great mystery here in the United States by helping us renew our worship of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.” Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, and as a community, the Eucharist must be our first priority; It is the source and summit of our Faith. It is where we are fed and from where we are sent. Therefore, as we talk about the stewardship of our God-given talents, it is appropriate that we concentrate first on the ministries which directly support the celebration of the Eucharist.

Below, we feature six liturgical ministries where we are in need of your assistance. Each of these, in its own way, points to the sanctity of the Eucharist and enables us to better welcome others to Mass.  Please seriously pray about joining one of these ministries.

For more information, please contact:

Joel Williams Liturgy Coordinator joel@stmonicami.org

Lector Ministry

Lectors boldly proclaim the Word of God at Sunday, daily, and Holy Day liturgies. We will hold a training for Lectors on Saturday, October 21, at 8:30AM. Please sign up at the tables in the vestibule and attend this training! A workbook is provided to prepare Lectors for the upcoming Sunday Scripture readings. (All Lector candidates must have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.)

Church Cleaning Ministry

Cleaning ministers prepare the church for the celebration of the Mass. They contribute directly towards upholding the sacredness of our church environment, allowing us to better participate in the Sacraments. Volunteers gather each weekend on Saturday mornings, from 8:45AM to 10:45AM. It is a wonderful time to pray with our Lord and help our parish!

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHCs)

EMHCs assist with the distribution of the Eucharist at Mass. These ministers are an important part of our Eucharistic celebrations. We will hold a training for EMHCs on Saturday, October 28, at 8:30AM. Please sign up at the tables in the vestibule and attend this training! (All EMHC candidates must have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.)

Hospitality Ministry

Hospitality Ministers ensure that we offer a welcoming and safe environment for our Sacred Liturgies. They greet and seat parishioners and visitors, take up the collection, and assist with various situations that arise. If you have a heart for inviting and welcoming others into fuller participation in the Eucharist, this ministry could be a good fit for you!

Stewardship of Treasure

Please note, this section is for 2023-2024. Stewardship of Treasure for this coming year 2024-2025 will be launching soon.

Over the month of November, we highlighted our Stewardship of Treasure campaign for 2023-2024, also known as Sacrificial Giving Renewal. We are asking everyone to prayerfully reflect on how we are called to continue to sustain our parish and the ministries that support the mission of Jesus Christ. We are thankful to everyone who has submitted their pledge card/form!

Click here to read Fr. Nagel’s Stewardship Letter

Click here to read St. Monica’s Community and Fiscal Snapshot

Living a stewardship lifestyle, being grateful and generous with our gifts serves a twofold purpose: One, it helps build God’s kingdom here on earth. Two, it helps us strengthen each other’s relationship with Christ. We ask that all our parishioners partake of that joy and submit their Stewardship of Treasure 2024 commitment pledge.

This can be done in two ways:

• Either fill out a Sacrificial Giving Renewal Card and return it in the collection or to the parish office. (These cards are available in the church pews.)
• Or complete the Sacrificial Giving Renewal Form online. Click here to access the online form.
• Once you've made your pledge, you can click here to make an online contribution towards you Sacrificial Giving Commitment.

Please prayerfully consider one of the thoughts below:

• If you are not currently giving would you consider making a weekly donation of one hour's pay or at least $5.00 a week?
• I pledged last year and will increase that amount by 5% or 10%.
• I will pledge a percent of my annual income:
• 1% (if my income is less than $50,000)
• 2% (if my income is $50,000 to $100,000)
• 3% (if my income is $100,000 to $200,000) 
  

Stewardship of Treasure 2024 - Sacrificial Giving Renewal

Over the month of November, we highlighted our Stewardship of Treasure campaign for 2024, also known as Sacrificial Giving Renewal. We are asking everyone to prayerfully reflect on how we are called to continue to sustain our parish and the ministries that support the mission of Jesus Christ. We are thankful to everyone who has submitted their pledge card/form!

Click here to read Fr. Nagel’s Stewardship Letter

Click here to read St. Monica’s Community and Fiscal Snapshot

Living a stewardship lifestyle, being grateful and generous with our gifts serves a twofold purpose: One, it helps build God’s kingdom here on earth. Two, it helps us strengthen each other’s relationship with Christ. We ask that all our parishioners partake of that joy and submit their Stewardship of Treasure 2024 commitment pledge.

This can be done in two ways:

• Either fill out a Sacrificial Giving Renewal Card and return it in the collection or to the parish office. (These cards are available in the church pews.)
• Or complete the Sacrificial Giving Renewal Form online. Click here to access the online form.
• Once you've made your pledge, you can click here to make an online contribution towards you Sacrificial Giving Commitment.

Please prayerfully consider one of the thoughts below:

• If you are not currently giving would you consider making a weekly donation of one hour's pay or at least $5.00 a week?
• I pledged last year and will increase that amount by 5% or 10%.
• I will pledge a percent of my annual income:
• 1% (if my income is less than $50,000)
• 2% (if my income is $50,000 to $100,000)
• 3% (if my income is $100,000 to $200,000) 
  

Stewardship of Treasure Witness Talk

Our Stewardship Witness Speaker for our 2024 campaign was Catherine Moe. On the Sacrificial Giving Renewal kickoff weekend, she shared her experience of living Stewardship. You can watch her talk in the embedded player below or click here to watch it on Vimeo.

Stewardship of Treasure Homily

For Commitment Sunday, Father Nagel gave a homily on the theme of Stewardship, and related parish Stewardship to the dynamics of a healthy family. You can watch the homily below in the embedded player below or click here to watch it on Vimeo.

Knights of Columbus

Knights of Columbus is a fraternal service organization of men founded under the principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. It provides men with a vehicle for building up the parish community through events like Buffet Breakfasts, and the Italian, and Irish Dinners; for charitable works such as seminarian and novitiate aid; for youth contests, educational and faith support; and for fellowship of Catholic men. Welcome all Catholic men to join us. 

For more information, please contact:

Leo Zipp (Parishioner) leozipp57@gmail.com

Legion of Mary

The Legion of Mary is a world-wide movement of lay people, who propose making Faith the goal of their life in an effort to achieve personal sanctity. Legion work is under the direction of our Pastor, Fr. Freitag. He has asked the Legion to take Holy Communion to the homebound, providing the Real Presence of Jesus to them. The virtue of Holiness in the life of the members of the Legion is promoted under the influence of Mary and the Holy Spirit. This becomes the source of inspiration for Legion work. 

For more information, please contact:

Julee Neyer (Parishioner) 425-747-7487; jmneyer@gmail.com

Helga Osborn (Parishioner) 206-232-2328

Youth Group Leadership

Youth Group allows for Middle and High School teens to learn and develop a deeper relationship with God in our community. Small group leaders play a huge role in this by developing personal relationships with these teens and guiding them along this journey. Youth Group hosts a number of events for the youth in our community through out the year. Potential Youth Group Leaders are those who are committed to developing a deeper relationship and understanding of God with fellow leaders and teens, through Prayer, the Sacraments. They are willing to commit to 2 hours a week of active engagement in Youth Group and 1 Youth Group Leader meeting a month to help plan the lessons and events for that month. 

For more information, please contact:

Rachel Borda (Youth Minister) youthminister@stmonicami.org 206-232-2900 ext. 117

St. Vincent de Paul Society

St. Vincent de Paul is a ministry here at St. Monica inspired by Gospel values. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul. SVdP is one of the major outreach programs not only at St. Monica but also in the City of Mercer Island. We work very closely with the City's Mercer Island Youth & Family Services that also helps MI residents with housing, utilities, food, and any other urgent needs. The St. Monica, St. Vincent de Paul Society would like extend our sincerest thanks to all who have donated to our ministry. Your generosity has allowed us to help those in need. St. Vincent DePaul society is a nonprofit group. Contributions qualify as donations to a 501(c)(3).

If you would like to donate to the St. Vincent de Paul Society via a credit card go to Donate Today on the Seattle St. Vincent de Paul website. In the purpose line of the paypal form please be sure to allocate your donation to the "St. Monica Conference".

For more information, please contact:

Mary Tourangeau (Parishioner) 425-255-4017

Liturgical Ministries

Liturgical ministry is an excellent opportunity to fulfill your baptismal call of service to one another. Our liturgies should utilize the talents and gifts that God has given this community, to the fullest extent. Whether participation is through “behind the scenes” preparation and planning, or through a public role of service within the Mass, parishioner contributions help our liturgies to be truly life-giving celebrations.

For more information, please contact:

Anna Budinick (Assistant Liturgy Coordinator) anna@stmonicami.org

Liturgical Music Ministry

For more information, please contact:

Gretchen Rillos (PA for Liturgy & Music) 206-232-2900 ext.101; gretchen@stmonicami.org

Liturgical Cleaning Ministries

Cleaning ministers help prepare the church and liturgical items for the celebration of the Mass. They contribute directly towards upholding the sacredness of our church environment, allowing us to better participate in the Sacraments.

For more information, please contact:

Gretchen Rillos (PA for Liturgy & Music) 206-232-2900 ext.101; gretchen@stmonicami.org

Grounds Keeping Ministry

St. Monica's beautiful grounds are the product of many hours by faithful volunteers. There are weekly work parties to maintain the garden spaces and trees around the church building.

A separate team of volunteers mows the St. Monica's playfields. Time involved is a few hours once a month. A great way to pray and adore in solitude while out on God’s Lawn! Enjoy the fun of operating a riding mower without owning or storing one! April thru September.

Additional grounds keeping projects including grotto maintenance are scheduled as needed.

For more information, please contact:

Greg Mahoney (PA for Parish Administration) (206)232-2900 ext. 122; greg@stmonicami.org

Monica's Table

Monica's Table ministry is a group of volunteers that offer meal preparation and delivery for families in need due to illness, the birth/adoption of a baby, or a family member's loss. If you know of a family in need, please contact one of our co-chairs or the school office. Our network of cooks is ready to prepare and deliver a meal to those in need. This Ministry, initially started by a group of parishioners, is now administered through Parent Club at the School.

For more information, please contact:

Olivia Lippens (2020-2021 Co-chair) olivia@lippens.com

Alexis Katsis (2020-2021 Co-chair) boyda02@gmail.com

School Office 206-232-5432 

Rosary Makers

Rosary Makers is a wonderful group of people who get together every week on Wednesdays in the St. Augustine Room to make Rosaries for the Catholic missions. All are welcome to come and make rosaries or gather the materials to work at home. 

For more information, please contact:

Joyce Kaifer (Parishioner) 425-644-2518

Stewardship of Treasure

Everything we have is a gift from God and we’re called to share these gifts with others. This is stewardship. Within our parish we can sow the seeds of stewardship and watch them grow. What seeds will you sow for the parish? Please prayerfully consider God’s gifts to you and make your pledge.

By now, everyone should have received Father Nagel’s stewardship letter as well as our Parish Annual Report for 2021-2022. This “Snapshot” document is a resource that St. Monica provides to parishioners as a way to look back at the past year of parish life and financial stewardship.

Click here to read Father Nagel's Stewardship letter.

Click here to view our Parish Snapshot document.

Click here to watch Father Nagel's homily from November 13, 2022 - the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, where he speaks about stewardship.

Stewardship Witness Speaker

On October 29 & 30, our parish heard from our Stewardship Witness Speaker, Megan Slivinski. Megan spoke on what Stewardship means to their family. She reminded us that: “Together we are the church and we each individually contribute to taking care of the community.” If you were not able to present to hear Megan speak, we encourage you to watch a recording of her talk by clicking here: Stewardship Witness Speaker

Sacrificial Giving Renewal

God gives it all, and we return what we are able with gratitude. Each year we ask our parish families to fill out a Sacrificial Giving Renewal Form.

Click here to fill out your 2023 Sacrificial Giving Renewal Form

Click here to make an online contribution towards you Sacrificial Giving Commitment

Please prayerfully consider one of the thoughts below:

• If you are not currently giving would you consider making a weekly donation of one hour's pay or at least $5.00 a week?
• I pledged last year and will increase that amount by 5% or 10%.
• I will pledge a percent of my annual income:
• 1% (if my income is less than $50,000)
• 2% (if my income is $50,000 to $100,000)
• 3% (if my income is $100,000 to $200,000) 
  

Stewardship of Time

The time we've been given is one of our most valuable gifts from God. Each moment of each day is a new opportunity to turn towards Him, to recognize His presence in our lives, and to commit to accepting His will for us. We are called to set aside time each day to spend in prayer, relating our hearts to our Lord.

Stewardship of Talent

Your talent is God’s gift to you. How will you use it for Him? Everything we have is a gift from God and we’re called to share these gifts with others. Sharing our talents is one way we can live a life of stewardship. God entrusted us with our individual talents to help build up His Kingdom. Every day, we are called to share through service and ministry. There are many ways within our parish community to use our God given talents. Visit our ministry page for a list of our current parish ministry opportunities. Thank you to everyone who serves in these ministries. An additional thank you to those who give of their talents in small ways, who are not recognized for their Stewardship of Talent.