Dear Fellow Parishioners, This month of October is our Annual Stewardship Appeal, the pooling of our gifts, skills, and talents; the sharing of our time, talent, and treasure. Each of us setting our Catholic GPS: Give, Pray, Serve. I am asking us all to bring out the best in each other and help share who we are with the larger community so that we are able to carry out the work of being the Catholic Community of Sacred Heart. Each of us has something to offer, and sometimes we hold back thinking we have nothing worthwhile to contribute, are too busy, someone else will do it, I don’t fit in, someone can do it better than I ever could. These are all excuses, and we need to sometimes help one another to see how important our individual contributions are to the community at large. The boy who offered the five loves and two fishes made a difference. Pope Francis profoundly addressing the need for everyone to be good stewards says” “Each of you can ask how do I react to the needs that I see all around me? Do I think immediately of some reason not to get involved? Or do I show interest and willingness to help? To be sure, you cannot resolve all the problems of the world. Yet you can begin with the problems of those closest to you, with the needs of your own community. Someone once told Mother Teresa, ‘What you are doing is a mere drop in the ocean’. And she replied, ‘But if I didn’t do it, that ocean would have one drop less’.” (Pope Francis) All registered members of our parish will receive a Stewardship packet describing all the opportunities for the sharing of time, talent, and treasure within our community. We clearly state the critical needs we have for ministry in many areas. There are many areas for young people to be involved in ministry. The younger we get involved in ministry the more we deepen our commitment to ministry and the community. I am asking everyone to prayerfully consider the ways you are able to contribute to the community at large as we move forward as a community of faith. Throughout the month we will be unpacking the experiences of some in ministry, answering questions you may have, and inviting you to take the leap of faith and join in ministry.