C-1 FAMILY OF PARISHES
STEWARDSHIP REPORT - 2022
FROM: FR. DAVID DOSECK

He was born as Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone in Assisi, Italy, in 1181 or 1182 and died at the age of 44 in 1226. In spite of his given name, his father was traveling in France at the time of his birth, so he opted to call him Francesco, which means “the Frenchman.” We, of course, know him as St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast day we celebrate on Oct. 4. Through our stewardship as the C-1 Family of Parishes, we give of our TIME, TALENT, AND TREASURE — and what we receive in return, just as was the case with St. Francis of Assisi, is beyond our comprehension. Your generous contribution helps to provide a salary for two priests and many staff members. The staff strive to be good stewards of the funds collected every Sunday to help us worship the Lord, to teach and pass on the faith through Religious Education and Adult Faith Formation, to help the grieved, the poor in our local areas, and ultimately to welcome all in the name of Christ through hospitality.

The following attached pages provide a full report with additional information and a breakdown of the financial picture for each parish within the C-1 Family of Parishes. I am greatly indebted to both of our Business Managers - Kay Hansen (Preble County) & Pam Burk (St. Mary, Oxford) for the details and summaries provided. I am also grateful for the advice and support of members from each parish on our Finance Councils as we journey together into a “Family Finance Council” in January 2023. None of these figures presented on paper would be possible without the support of all of our parishioners. Thank You!

I want to make the following observations and provide some encouragement to all of us. I am first concerned about the projected deficit in the actual revenue at St. Mary Church in Oxford. I promise to be transparent in our expenditures and ask parishioners at St. Mary Church to financially help in closing the gap between our current situation and our needs. I am encouraged by the strong financial support in each parish church in Preble County. All parishes are currently on track with their giving. We are in the process of continuing maintenance on each church building and the joint finance council has worked well in sharing costs so that we are better together.

The mission to be united as one family in Christ and continue to make more and more disciples for Christ is all possible because of your generosity. I am grateful to you who give generously, or are considering increasing your contribution, and especially to those parishioners who give a little with great love. A reminder to all that we have an online giving option and more information to sign up can be found on our parish websites. We will once again be distributing envelopes for weekly giving opportunities, please use the registration cards in order to have your contributions tracked for IRS tax purposes. I highly encourage you to register for online donations through your parish website as a quick, regular, and easy way of financially giving. Visit your parish website or call the Business Manager to set up an account.

A review of the wonderful and great things you have accomplished with your time, talents and treasure for loving God and one another. The Preble County Region came together and approved the renovation of the parish rectory in Eaton and the creation of new offices in Visitation Hall. We have completed that project and have now settled into our new offices. The rectory and offices will continue to highlight the generosity of many parishioners from past and current who desire that our facilities be updated and maintained as best as possible. At Visitation of BVM Church in Eaton we completed with a generous donation the lighting and sound upgrade and repainted the upstairs of the parish hall and widened the entry into the hall. At St. John in New Paris we updated the kitchen equipment and installed a TV system in the basement for faith formation and gatherings in the basement hall. At St. Mary in Camden, we did not have any scheduled maintenance but we did wash the exterior of the building and parishioners put some “sweat equity” into the front courtyard with the Mary statue. At St. Mary in Oxford, I am still new to things and learning every day. From the reports over the past year we have upgraded electricity in one of the rental buildings and we completed the major project at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Oxford with the Christmas Box Angel statue, the pergola, benches, and the beautiful statue of Mary. Since my arrival in July, we have purchased some new Altar Cloths and a set of vestments for the priest to wear on Sunday. As you can read above, this all happens through your generosity in financial support and the many volunteers and staff who helped make our dreams and future hopes a reality. I promise to be a good steward of the gifts that God has given.

Your kindness and generosity are greatly appreciated. Together we can continue the mission to proclaim the Good News of Salvation in Christ. Thank You!

Fr. David Doseck