Stewardship for Mission: Building Our Parish’s Future
Dear Parish Family,
This weekend, we observe Stewardship Weekend, our annual opportunity to share the financial report of Mary, Mother of Our Savior Parish. You will find this year’s report toward the end of the bulletin, and I encourage every household to take a few moments to review it.
Stewardship is about much more than dollars and cents. It is about recognizing that everything we have is a gift from God, entrusted to our care for the sake of His mission. As your pastor, I believe you deserve an honest accounting of how we use those gifts, the challenges we face, and the decisions we make on behalf of our parish family.
Over these past three years, we have worked to strengthen the financial and operational foundation of our parish. This has required difficult decisions, careful planning, and a willingness to reconsider how we use our buildings, personnel, and resources. Through it all, one conviction has guided us: Our resources exist to support our mission, not the other way around.
I am especially grateful to Mike Taft, Chair of our Parish Finance Council, for his outstanding leadership and dedication. I also thank our parish trustees, Dan Swider and Sheila Ambrose, and Finance Council members Frank DuRoss, Gene Quadraro, Joanna Greco, Mike Brych, and Tony Paolozzi for their generous service and professional expertise. My sincere gratitude also extends to our business administrator, Heather Starsiak, for her invaluable work. Their partnership is a wonderful example of clergy and lay leaders sharing responsibility for the life and mission of the Church.
Our financial decisions are increasingly guided by Vision 2031: A Parish on Mission, with its call to Encounter Jesus Christ, Grow as His Disciples, and Go Forth on Mission. Through its four strategic pillars Evangelization & Invitation, Formation & Discipleship, Community & Belonging, and Next Generation & Families we are intentionally directing resources toward youth and family formation, adult discipleship, and our parish’s defining charism of hospitality.
This requires thoughtful choices. Every ministry is valued, but responsible stewardship means establishing priorities and making investments that will bear lasting spiritual fruit. At the center of everything remains the Eucharist, our sacramental life, and our call to serve others.
We are not simply reorganizing to maintain what we have inherited. We are positioning our parish for mission, evangelization, and growth.
I welcome your questions, feedback, or requests for clarification at marymotherutica@syrdio.org. Transparency, accountability, and trust are essential to our life together.
Thank you for your generosity, prayers, and partnership. Together, guided by the Holy Spirit, we are building a parish where every person who encounters Mary, Mother of Our Savior Parish encounters Jesus Christ.
Your Servant in Christ,
Father Jason C. Hage, Pastor
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
Mary, Mother of Our Savior, pray for us!