Our Lady of Lourdes Stewardship Prayer

Lord of all creation,

We praise and thank You for all the blessings we receive. Everything we have is Your gift to us.

Through Your love for us, You gave us the greatest gift of all – Jesus Christ.

Filled with Your love,

we respond to Your call to be disciples of Your Son. Unite us as a community of missionary disciples.

Open our hearts and minds to Your abundant grace so that we might become good stewards of Your gifts.

As stewards, teach us to receive Your gifts gratefully,

nurture them responsibly, share them selflessly, and return them to You with increase,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please return your response cards by December 1st.

Use the envelope provided to mail or drop in the collection basket.

Our Lady of Lourdes’ clergy and staff thank you for your

generous commitment to our growing parish!

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!

“Wherever your treasure is … there your heart and thoughts will also be.”~ Luke 12:34

Dear Friends in Christ, Our community of faith at Our Lady of Lourdes is blessed in so many ways. As we conclude another year, it is important to reflect on our blessings and gifts. This past year provided many opportunities to celebrate our rich traditions, strengthen our foundation for the future, and to renew our shared life together as a community of faith. At the center of our parish community is the foundation of faith we share in Christ. As Christians, our greatest gift is Jesus Christ - our Lord and Redeemer. Out of great love, God sent his son, Jesus, into our world to enter into our humanity, to forgive our sins, and to lead us back to the Father. Christ calls each of us to be holy disciples who continue the saving and reconciling mission of God. Here at Lourdes, our tradition has been, and our future will be positively shaped by your intentional and generous commitment to live as Christian stewards. Stewardship is one of the most prominent themes in Scripture. It is not a slogan or a program. Rather, stewardship is a way of life and faith – the disciple’s fruitful response to God. The Christian who lives as a steward recognizes that all is gift from God. In response to the boundless generosity of God, we are called to receive our gifts gratefully, nurture them responsibly, share them selflessly, and return them to the Lord with increase. Our goal at Lourdes is to use our abundant gifts to become a stewardship parish. While we are on the way, this will only occur when each of us commits in faith to live as generous stewards and missionary disciples. This autumn, we are inviting parishioners and friends to prayerfully discern the generous offering of your gifts to our community of faith. As you can see from our annual report, our staff, finance council, and I have worked hard to be good stewards of the gifts you have entrusted to us. It is necessary for the good of our growing parish to increase Sunday giving to support the general operation of the parish, our vibrant formation programs, and the ministry and fellowship opportunities that have enriched our community of faith. In the past six years our community, programming, finances, outreach, staffing, compre-hensive communications, and administrative capacity have grown and strengthened. As you have no doubt experienced in your own lives, the parish also faces higher costs in utilities, maintenance and repairs, and other related expenses. Your generous commitment is needed to support and strengthen our vibrant and growing parish. As we seek to grow in holiness and generosity as a community of faith, our path forward depends on God’s grace and your commitment to live as Christian stewards. Please take time to prayerfully discern your gifts of time, talent, and treasure for this coming year. Please return the Stewardship Pledge Card either via mail or the collection basket by December 1, 2018. Thank you for your faith, your presence, and for your commitment to live as generous stewards! May Our Lady of Lourdes intercede for us and may God generously bless our parish community for many years to come. With Gratitude to God and to You,

Rev. Daniel Griffith -1-

Where are you needed? To what are you being called?

We have enclosed a simple, easy to use pledge card within this packet. Please mark your interest in the areas that most appeal to you, your time, and your talent. We will be storing this information in our parish database and someone will contact you regarding your inter-est. Pray and discern where you can best serve.

There are so many ways to share your gifts in our parish. The opportunities listed above are ways you can become involved now. We have also determined some of the areas that are most critical for us to “grow” as they are areas where we are experiencing the most need. If you have an interest in these areas, please contact the parish office directly.

Volunteer Coordination Welcoming and Registration of New Members

Baptism Hosting Pastoral Outreach

-6-

Parish Choir Altar Servers Greeters

Ushers Sacristan Lectors

Church Environment Fellowship/Hospitality Event Planning

Meat Pies Event Set Ups/Clean Ups Block Party

Church History & Tours Faith Formation Teacher Phone Calls/Mailings

Marriage Mentors Wedding Coordinators RCIA Sponsorship

Rosary Leading/Making Justice & Charity Office Assistance

Gardening/Landscaping Maintenance Projects Communications

Snow Removal Meal Prep/Serving Writing/Artwork

Photo/Video Fish Fry Funeral Lunch Assistance

Ways to give...

For each one of us, there are ways that we can give to Lourdes that “speak” to our hearts. Listed below are various other ways of giving to the parish and the life of Our Lady of Lourdes that may speak to you… Gifts of Cash: Nothing is as simple and direct as giving cash. You can make a general donation which will be directed towards our greatest current need. You can give cash in many ways. Your personal check, money orders, cashier’s checks, and just “plain old cash” are always welcome, or you can participate in our electronic contribution. Use of this method will automatically withdraw funds from your checking or savings account and be transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes. Planned Giving: We ask you to prayerfully consider including Our Lady of Lourdes in your planned estate giving. More information will be coming soon regarding this opportunity. United Way: Although area United Way Agencies support many social causes that we in the Catholic faith do not champion, many of you may work where there is a United Way drive and your participation is necessary or even required. The United Way form has an area that asks specifically where you would like to direct your funding. Please consider designating Our Lady of Lourdes. Include address: 1 Lourdes Place, Minneap-olis, MN 55414. You can be sure we are using funds in a manner supportive of Catholic values. Gifts of Stock/Securities: For many people, the opportunity to give a charitable donation to Our Lady of Lourdes happens once a year. One way to participate in financial stewardship is through giving the gift of appreciated stock or giving the proceeds from the sale of depreciated stock. As always, Our Lady of Lourdes puts all donations to very good use in expanding and refining our many education programs, meeting financial operating expenses, and being able to provide faithful and meaningful liturgy.

Matching Gifts: Many employers offer matching gifts as their part in supporting the community in which they operate. Please check with your employer to see if they have this program. Should your employer offer a matching gift program that will support educational funding or building funds for religious organizations, please obtain the necessary form from their offices. Your contribution (made payable to Our Lady of Lourdes) and this form should be turned into the parish offices for processing. If you’d simply like to mail it in or email it in, please send it to the attention of Mary Asp, Parish Administrator and Chief of Operations.

Practical Use Giving: There are always hidden needs throughout the parish. Your generosity providing donations and service to any of these areas are welcomed. Funding for technology upgrades (call for current needs); Funds for or donations of actual office supplies; Participation in the events and activities that call for donated raffle or silent auction items for Lourdes Gala, Block Party and other events through the year) and ALWAYS Prayer for good stewardship within our Parish! -5-

Occasions for Gratitude and Celebration!

In 2017-18 we had 85 new families join our Lady of Lourdes! WELCOME!

Children’s Faith Formation doubled its students this year! Children’s Liturgy of the Word is also bringing the children to Christ!

8 people were received into full communion with the Church through RCIA in 2018! Our Lady of Lourdes extends joyful CONGRATULATIONS!

We celebrated 24 Baptisms - lots of new babies at Lourdes!

There were 24 weddings from July of 2017 through June of 2018!

Our courtyard continues to be a place of great fellowship - hundreds gathered for the Block Party, Mass for the City, National Night Out, young adult gatherings, and various other events. The neighborhood comes alive with parishioners, visitors, and tourists when we open the gates! Join in the fun and watch for upcoming events!

Our Adult Formation offerings continue to challenge our minds, our hearts, and strengthen our faith. In 2017, we began work in the area of restorative justice, and offered a stellar session on human trafficking. Check out this year’s brochure for the full listing of Adult Formation for the rest of 2018 and 2019!

We have very dedicated volunteers who take care of our lawns, shrubs, and plantings during the spring, summer and fall. We couldn’t last through the winter months without the help of our snow crew who come and clear steps and walkways! Our Lady of Lourdes thanks you!

The beautiful new grotto continues to draw people to prayer. Many thanks to our dedicated florists and gardeners who take care of the grotto floral displays! The final efforts on the renovation of the interior of the Church were finished in February 2018 and we were grateful for the renewed sense of beauty.

We are growing! We have welcomed Senior Associate, Fr. David Haschka, S. J.; Jennifer Wenzel, our new Finance Associate, and Christine Griffith, our Director of Marriage Ministry to our staff. We are delighted to have them all on board! We are always grateful for the “behind-the-scenes” players and wish a heartfelt thank you to our weekly money counters, our candle caretaker, our liturgical linen stewards, and the numerous helping hands that come together for all of our events, liturgies and activities! God bless you!

Matthew 25 Fund continues its generous support to the Tijuana Mission, John Paul II Catholic School, Abria Pregnancy Resources, Rachel’s Vineyard, Habitat for Humanity, St. Stephen’s Shelter, Sharing & Caring Hands and the Lourdes hunger ministries. The continued support and volunteerism of our parishioners and friends to those most in need is truly humbling!

“As each one has received a gift … use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” ~ 1 Peter 4:10

-2-

Our Lady of Lourdes Statement of Revenue & Expenditures for Year End June 30, 2018

Revenue Fiscal 2017 –18 Actual YTD Budgeted

General Operating $ 548,077 $ 582,950

Gain on Sale of Rectory 73,260 0

Festivals 151,783 93,300

Music 25,694 35,500

Parish Outreach 20,941 19,000

Youth/Adult Formation and Vespers 2,125 4,800

Total Revenue $ 821,880 $ 735,550

Expenditures Fiscal 2017 –18 Actual YTD Budgeted

General Operation 659,816 628,788

Festivals 72,915 42,600

Music 37,770 37,741

Parish Outreach 25,593 22,500

Youth/Adult Formation and Vespers 7,014 3,000

Total Expenditures $ 801,108 $ 734,409

Net Operating Surplus/(Deficit) $ 20,772 $ 1,141

Capital Campaign 2016 through June 30, 2018

Total Since Inception

Capital Fund Revenue 759,719

Capital Fund Expenditures 943,408

Net Capital Fund Surplus/(Deficit) -3- $ (183,689)

Our Lady of Lourdes Statement of Financial Position for the Year End June 30, 2018

Balance Sheet June 30, 2018 July 1, 2017

Assets Ending Balance Beginning Balance

Cash $ 267,377 $ 502,280

Accounts Receivable, Prepaid Expenses & Other ST Assets

7,997 7,748

Land 17,000 17,000

Building-Church 5,359,399 5,359,399

Building-Rectory 0 250,000

Building-Parish House 849,000 849,000

Equipment Total 634,090 634,090

Furniture & Fixture Total 8,203 8,204

Total Assets $ 7,143,066 $ 7,627,721

Liabilities Ending Balance Beginning Balance

Accounts Payable Total 36,597 17,342

Other Short Term Liabilities, Deferred Revenue

4,995 9,530

Accrued Archdiocesan Obligation 0 50,814

Rectory Mortgage 0 202,452

Total Liabilities $ 41,592 $ 280,138

Total Net Assets $ 7,101,474 $ 7,347,583

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church ran a $20,772 operating surplus this year due in part to a $73,260 gain on the sale of the Rectory. General Operating Revenue (mostly Sunday/Holy Day Collections) was $111,739 below General Operating Expenses. The Jubilee Capital Fund, since inception, has a $183,689 deficit and as Jubilee pledges are received, we project to be at or near break even. Total net assets decreased during the fiscal year, primarily due in part to the sale of the Rectory and a reduction in cash. The Rectory mortgage was paid in full. We have zero debt and $267,377 in cash. Our goal is to build our reserves to $400,000. ~ Linda Harty, Finance Chair - 4-