If you’ve been here at All Saints for a while, you know that I never preach about money and that I rarely ask for money.  The simple reason for this is that I don’t think your experience of church attendance should be like those emails you receive from the exiled prince offering tens of millions of dollars if you’re willing to put up a thousand dollars of “good faith money.” 

Occasionally, there are exceptions to my rule about not asking for money.  Examples of those exceptions are when the church roof needed to be replaced about six years ago and, annually, when we do the Catholic Ministry Appeal. 

The Catholic Ministry Appeal is an annual campaign that supports the many ministry activities done by the Diocesan central offices.  Your support of the Catholic Ministry Appeal is one of the ways our parish participates in Jesus’ ministry of proclaiming the good news of salvation.

In today’s Gospel reading, the people were amazed by the power of Jesus’ words.  His preaching was compelling, and his commands cured illness.  He demonstrated power over evil by bringing good into the lives of those whom he met.  His preaching produced the good of stronger faith and his healing miracles gave evidence of his God-given vocation.  Today, the Church continues Jesus’ ministry of teaching and healing.  The various ministry activities of our diocesan central offices are some of the ways in which our local church community participates in Jesus’ ongoing work of sanctification and healing. 

This year, our goal for the Catholic Ministry Appeal is $85,569.  This represents a 12% increase over the previous campaign year.  The increase is the result of the fact that our weekly offertory is returning slowly to pre-pandemic levels. 

If you are on the diocesan mailing list, you have already received information about pledging to this year’s campaign.  You might have noticed one change in the pledge process. You can no longer enter your credit card information on the pledge envelope; this is to prevent theft and fraud.  You can, however, still use your credit card to pledge on the diocesan website; a link to that pledge page is on the homepage of our parish website. 

If you’ve pledged in the past, please repeat what you pledged before.  If you have not pledged in the past, please consider doing so this year.  If you’re able to do so, an increase in your pledge will help us meet our increased goal this year. 

The parish goal is just that, a goal, not a bill to pay.  It is, however, considered to be something of a referendum about the pastor.  Pastors who meet the goal are judged to be effective parish leaders.  So, if you think I do an acceptable job as pastor of All Saints, please make a generous pledge to the campaign.  If you really can’t stand me and would love to see me transferred out of the parish, please make an even more generous pledge.  The bishop might interpret that as a sign of great skill on my part and have me transferred to a parish that is judged to be under-performing. 

In Mark’s Gospel, the unclean spirits, like the one which troubled the man in today’s reading, called Jesus’ name in an attempt to exercise control over him.  This was based on a belief in the ancient world that knowing a person’s name gave one control over that person.  Jesus demonstrated absolute control over the unclean spirits by casting them out and silencing them.   

Jesus didn’t cure every sick person in the world, nor did he banish all sickness and sorrow. Rather, his miracles were signs that pointed to something greater, that is, God’s offer of universal redemption. We are called to continue Jesus’ work of making known God’s mercy to all people. 

The Catholic Ministry Appeal is a way for us to participate in the universal Church’s ministry of casting aside evil by promoting evangelization, catechesis and education of children, Sacramental preparation for children, youth, and adults, advocacy for the unborn and the vulnerable, and the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.   

Pledge envelopes are available in the Narthex and the parish office; as I mentioned, there is a link on our parish website that will take you to the online pledge page.  I support this campaign fully because of the good it does throughout our diocese. Please join me in supporting this worthy cause.