Stewardship: A Way of Life

We acknowledge the gifts God has given us and show our gratitude through praying constantly, participating actively, and providing for our community.

Read Fr. Nathan’s 2025 Stewardship Letter:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This past year has been a wonderful year to refocus on how God is calling us to grow as a community. As you may know, we went through a strategic planning process and came up with a plan entitled: Enkindle the Fire. This was a chance to take stock and recognize all the opportunities God is giving us to live out more deeply our parish’s mission and invite others into it as well. One highlight from implementing the plan has been the hiring of an Enrollment and Marketing Specialist for our school. Another is a new monthly prayer opportunity where we have Adoration and music in the church. You can read more about Enkindle the Fire here.

All of this has been made possible by God’s abundant blessings and your support through our 2024 Stewardship collections. Stewardship is not just a card you fill out once a year, but a way of life. It is about reflecting on how God has blessed you, and how you respond to His blessings through your gifts of prayer, service, and financial support. We are loved by God and are called to continue the work of Jesus within our parish and broader community.

What is stewardship and how do I support our Holy Spirit community with my generosity?

Living as a good steward is acknowledging that God is the Creator and the Distributor of all good gifts. Christian stewards see themselves as caretakers of God’s gifts. Our prayer, worship, offerings, and action express gratitude for these gifts. We thank God for our blessings through stewardship by returning a portion of the many gifts God has given us. As a lifestyle of accountability and responsibility, stewardship begins in prayer and leads us to know God as a friend.

During our 2025 Stewardship Campaign, I am asking each Holy Spirit community member to:

• Prayerfully discern how God has uniquely gifted each one of us.

• Reflect on what priority God and His Church play in our lives.

• Decide how we plan to share these gifts with God and His Church.

• Make an intentional, planned gift to God and His Church in prayer, financial support, and service.

Included with this letter, you will find our 2025 Stewardship pledge cards. Please reflect on the gifts that God has entrusted to you and determine how you can share these gifts to serve others. Your generosity remains essential to the ministries of our parish in worship, education, pastoral care, and outreach to people in need.

I invite you to prayerfully consider your support of our church and school and join with other parishioners by completing and returning your 2025 Stewardship pledge at Mass on our Stewardship Commitment Weekend, October 26–27 (or simply by mail if you will not be able to join us that weekend). My hope is that every family/household from our Holy Spirit community participates by returning their pledge.

If you are not signed up for online giving, the card has instructions on how to enroll. You also can fill out your bank information and we can enroll for you. If you are already enrolled, you can update your giving by going to the online giving page on our website (holy-spirit.org/donate). Once on that page, you can log in and click “profile” then “edit” under “my scheduled transactions.” If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Justin Carrick at (651) 698-3353.

Together, with your generosity, we shall continue to fulfill our mission of enkindling the fire of God’s love in our lives through worship, discipleship, and service. May God bless you for sharing your gifts of prayer, financial support, and service in fulfillment of this mission.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Father Nathan Hastings

P.S. Please note that we added an additional card to this year’s Stewardship Commitment pledge. Please indicate your household interest in volunteering with the following ministries:

• Faith Formation: Keep the Fire Burning, First Reconciliation/Communion Preparation, Confirmation Preparation, Discover Catholicism (OCIA), Small Groups

• Liturgy: Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, Lector, Sacristan, Usher, Adoration

• Music: Children’s Choir, Contemporary Choir (8:30 a.m. Masses), Traditional Choir (10:30 a.m. Masses)

• Outreach: Blood Drives, Habitat for Humanity, Catholic Charities Family Service Center, Neighborhood House, Loaves & Fishes

• Parish: Men’s Club, Women’s Club, Cub Scouts (K–5), Boy Scouts (5–12), Girl Scouts

• Pastoral Care: Funeral Lunches, Homebound Ministry

• School: PTA, Playground Supervision, Lunch Supervision, Night of Spirit