Dear Friends in Christ,
Stewardship is a way of life. My father would always tell me, "Money doesn't grow on trees." That money in your hand is the fruit of hard work, sacrifice, and a generous heart. In your heart is where you discover the real value of all our efforts. The gifts we share at our parishes often focus on financial and/or material gifts. I thank you for your continued commitment and increased support of our parishes in Preble County.

In this past fiscal year, we have come together and fixed many issues and deferred maintenance at our church buildings and grounds. At Visitation, your generosity helped fix one of the three A/C units, complete the renovation of the Confessional, re-seal the parking lot, and many more items. At St. John, with your donations we fixed some concrete issues on the front steps, re-sealed the parking lot, purchased a new sign in front of the church, and installed completely new appliances in the kitchen for the basement hall. At St. Mary, with your generosity we were able to update the HVAC system and put A/C into the church for the first time in its history. We are trying to make our church buildings up to date and on a maintenance schedule so that we don’t get behind on repairs that are needed. I am committed to being a good steward of the gifts you give the parish. The finance council representatives all meet together in joint meetings and we discuss what is needed and plan for a bright and healthy future.

Your financial contributions not only help maintain our buildings but keep our mission alive. With your generosity this past year, we have been able to raise the wages for every employee so that they are being paid in a more just manner. I was concerned since arriving here in 2019 that we were offering some of our employees less than what they deserved in justice. I consulted a national church advisor on compensation rates (NACPA - The National Association of Church Personnel Administrators) and consulted with the Finance representatives at each parish to arrive at an appropriate raise in rates for most employees. This is all made possible by your generosity with our Sunday collections. I have also worked with the finance councils from 1 Stewardship Letter Fiscal Year of 2020-2021 (Last Year) each parish to establish shared expenses for salaries based upon work being done for our parishes by clergy and staff. Our staff works tirelessly to help our parish run smoothly and give faith opportunities for all. In addition to paying salaries, the money we collect mostly on Sunday at Mass goes to help host bible studies, faith formation opportunities, RCIA classes, and summer opportunities for the youth in our parish. I encourage everyone to visit the downstairs of Visitation hall and see the newly renovated and updated “BOSCO 2.0” youth room. The kids worked hard over the summer of "CARE" week to paint the walls. A huge debt of gratitude and thanks goes to the Piekutowski family who became great stewards of the gifts God has given them and guided this project to completion.

All of our financial summaries for each parish and this letter are available on our website. See "Stewardship Reports" under the Home tab. I am grateful for each and every one of you giving of your time, talents, and financial contributions. For some of us, an increase in financial giving might be an option. For many of us, utilizing the ONLINE payment system on our website would help with one-time gifts and recurring gifts. Kay Hansen would be glad to help you set up online payments whenever most convenient for you. I hope you know that any amount given is appreciated and will be used responsibly. Maybe this year is an opportunity to give more of your time or talents. Whatever time you can give and whatever talents you have are ways to give God glory and help a neighbor in need.
With a grateful heart,
Fr. David Doseck
Pastor of Preble County Catholics