St. Michael's Parish

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FR. BILL'S HOMILY:CATHOLIC SHARING APPEAL

My first two years of priesthood were spent at Saint Francis de Sales Parish, Beckley. I was the associate pastor with the inimitable Fr. (now Msgr) Samuel S. Sacus. I would describe his homilies as exercises in "shock and awe." No one in the congregation ever knew what to expect from his homilies. On the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, Fr. Sam did not disappoint. He began his homily with these loudly-spoken words, "If I had my way, I'd tear this page out of the bible!" He said he felt uncomfortable as a good shepherd because he couldn't remember the names of the parishioners. In reality, in his 17 years as their pastor, Fr. Sam has been a truly excellent shepherd. He is a strong spiritual rock for his parishioners and the faith community has accomplished many wonderful things.

I must admit that last Spring I didn't really know my St. Michael Parish flock. Fr. McSweeney was hospitalized, so I spoke about the Catholic Sharing Appeal (CSA) at the weekend Masses. Since we had just completed a very successful "Double Blessings" campaign, I didn't know how much support we would muster for the CSA. You proved me wrong! We did extremely well.

Our former pastor and diocesan bishop, Bernard W. Schmitt, was like a surrogate father to me. My father was an alcoholic; although he was loving and hard-working, he was distant. Bishop Schmitt filled that void as my high school rector, my Latin teacher, and eventually my pastor and spiritual mentor when I was discerned as a lay director for one of our CRHP teams. He was extremely generous with his time and his material blessings. When the Diocese embarked on the 2003 Capital Campaign, he gave the first donation: $1,000,000.00! Our parish, as well as St. Francis of Assisi in St. Albans and Corpus Christi in Warwood, each received $100,000.00 from his Estate. His life motto was this: the more generous we are with God, the more generous God is with us. God's generosity can never be outdone!

Last year we attained 99% of our goal -- just $700.00 short. Also, we had by far the most donors among all the diocesan parishes: 173. However, that is to be expected since we are the largest parish. Likewise, we have been richly blessed in countless numbers of ways. For instance, look at our recent Stewardship Fair -- the number of ministries displayed, the awesome Eucharistic liturgies, and the fellowship for breakfasts and dinners. That weekend was a palpable sign of God's blessings on our community.

How does the CSA operate? The Director of Catholic Charities West Virginia, the Superintendent of Catholic Schools, and the Diocesan Comptroller submit their pressing needs to Bishop Bransfield who signs off on them. Our parish goal this year is $59,450 dollars. The first half collected goes to the Diocese for CCWVA, Catholic schools, and parish ministries. We keep everything above and beyond the $29,725 halfway mark. We will use our CSA monies to repair our sidewalks.

One of my seminary classmates and best friends, a priest from the Diocese of Pittsburgh, told me that their Diocese conducts an annual appeal as well. However, the parishes get zero back. Likewise, if they do not meet their goal, the parish pays the Diocese the difference. How fortunate we are here!

I ask that our parishioners be as generous as possible. Our living situations vary per family. We may not be able to contribute the same amount, but we can sacrifice equally. Fr. McSweeney, Fr. Raju, and I have already made our pledges to the CSA and we ask that you do the same. Please remember: God's generosity is never outdone. The more we give, the more God blesses us in return.

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