PASTOR: FR. KURT NAGEL

PAROCHIAL VICAR: FR. JOSEPH AKOR

4301 88TH AVE SE, MERCER ISLAND, WA 98040

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Stewardship

A Parish of Stewardship

"Who is a Christian Steward? One who receives God's gifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them in a responsible manner, shares them in justice and love with others, and returns them with increase to the Lord." ~ From the U.S. Bishops' Pastoral Letter on Stewardship

Many of us are familiar with the stewardship formula of "Time, Talent, & Treasure." It's a great way to summarize some ways we can practice stewardship in our faith community. Time speaks of the time we give directly back to God through prayer and adoration. Talent speaks of using our natural skills and abilities to further the work of the Church. Treasure speaks of giving generously from our wealth or poverty alike. In truth Stewardship doesn't stop here but expands to encompass all that God has given us. Sharing our gifts of time and talent is one way of giving thanks to God for the blessings He has bestowed on us. Please discern what God is calling you to do with these gifts.

Stewardship of Time

The time we've been given is one of our most valuable gifts from God. Each moment of each day is a new opportunity to turn towards Him, to recognize His presence in our lives, and to commit to accepting His will for us. We are called to set aside time each day to spend in prayer, relating our hearts to our Lord.

"How am I to pray?"

In July 2022, Father Nagel gave a homily series focused on answering the question “How am I to pray?” In these homilies he preached on the elements of meditation as an important component of our daily prayer lives. We encourage you to reflect on how you are doing in your Stewardship of Time. Have you committed to 20 minutes of prayer each day? Have you practiced recognizing the presence of God? Have you shared the workings of your heart with God? Have you listened for His response?

Homily One (from the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

In the first homily of this series, Father talked about the need for perseverance. We practice perseverance in prayer when we commit to showing up, and by keeping our focus on Christ. Click here to watch a recording of Homily One

Homily Two (from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

In week two, Father preached on two fundamental steps of meditative prayer; First, acknowledging to yourself what is in your heart. Second, relating those movements to God. Click here to watch a recording of Homily Two

Homily Three (from the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

In week three, Father continued on the theme of meditation and talked about the third (and crucial) step, receiving from God. “God, how are you loving me right now, in this moment?” Click here to watch a recording of Homily Three

Stewardship of Time & the National Eucharistic Revival

The U.S. Bishops have recognized the need to focus on and affirm the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Over the next few years, we will hear more about this movement and ways we can unite ourselves to the Eucharist as the source and summit of our Faith. The National Eucharistic Revival is a movement to restore understanding and devotion to this great mystery here in the United States by helping us renew our worship of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.” 

Friday Evening Eucharistic Adoration

Father Nagel extended an invitation for everyone to come to the church and worship the Lord together in exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. This opportunity for Adoration will take place every Friday evening from 6-7PM. Father Nagel will offer confessions throughout this hour, as has been offered previously.

Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel

Here at St. Monica, we are blessed to be able to adore our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament every hour of the week. Our Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel is located on the side of the church to the right of the main church entrance. It takes community and commitment to achieve true Perpetual Adoration, so please consider setting aside time to visit our Lord in the chapel each week. For security reasons the Adoration Chapel door has a locking keypad. For the chapel code, please contact the parish office. (Note: When Mass is in progress, the doors of the Adoration Chapel Tabernacle must remain closed).

Stewardship of Talent

Your talent is God’s gift to you. How will you use it for Him? Everything we have is a gift from God and we’re called to share these gifts with others. Sharing our talents is one way we can live a life of stewardship. God entrusted us with our individual talents to help build up His Kingdom. Every day, we are called to share through service and ministry. There are many ways within our parish community to use our God given talents. Visit our ministry page for a list of our current parish ministry opportunities. Thank you to everyone who serves in these ministries. An additional thank you to those who give of their talents in small ways, who are not recognized for their Stewardship of Talent.

Stewardship of Talent & the National Eucharistic Revival

The National Eucharistic Revival is a movement to restore understanding and devotion to this great mystery here in the United States by helping us renew our worship of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.” Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, and as a community, the Eucharist must be our first priority; It is the source and summit of our Faith. It is where we are fed and from where we are sent. Therefore, as we talk about the stewardship of our God-given talents, it is appropriate that we concentrate first on the ministries which directly support the celebration of the Eucharist.

Below, we feature six liturgical ministries where we are in need of your assistance. Each of these, in its own way, points to the sanctity of the Eucharist and enables us to better welcome others to Mass.  Please seriously pray about joining one of these ministries.

For more information, please contact:

Joel Williams Liturgy Coordinator joel@stmonicami.org

Lector Ministry

Lectors boldly proclaim the Word of God at Sunday, daily, and Holy Day liturgies. We will hold a training for Lectors on Saturday, October 21, at 8:30AM. Please sign up at the tables in the vestibule and attend this training! A workbook is provided to prepare Lectors for the upcoming Sunday Scripture readings. (All Lector candidates must have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.)

Church Cleaning Ministry

Cleaning ministers prepare the church for the celebration of the Mass. They contribute directly towards upholding the sacredness of our church environment, allowing us to better participate in the Sacraments. Volunteers gather each weekend on Saturday mornings, from 8:45AM to 10:45AM. It is a wonderful time to pray with our Lord and help our parish!

Sacristan Ministry

Sacristans assist the clergy in preparing the vessels and vestments for the celebration of Mass and special liturgies. The sacristan then cleans and puts away the vessels and vestments, after Mass has been celebrated. Sacristans sacrifice their time by showing up early for Mass and staying afterwards. (All Sacristan candidates must have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.)

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHCs)

EMHCs assist with the distribution of the Eucharist at Mass. These ministers are an important part of our Eucharistic celebrations. We will hold a training for EMHCs on Saturday, October 28, at 8:30AM. Please sign up at the tables in the vestibule and attend this training! (All EMHC candidates must have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.)

Hospitality Ministry

Hospitality Ministers ensure that we offer a welcoming and safe environment for our Sacred Liturgies. They greet and seat parishioners and visitors, take up the collection, and assist with various situations that arise. If you have a heart for inviting and welcoming others into fuller participation in the Eucharist, this ministry could be a good fit for you!

Choir Ministry

Saint Augustine, the son of our patron Saint Monica, is quoted to have expressed “He who sings prays twice.” With this insight into the value of singing, we invite you to join our choir! The choir provides music for the 9:00AM Mass on Sunday mornings as well as other special liturgies. Rehearsals are held in the school music room at 8:15AM on Sunday mornings. All are welcome!

Stewardship of Treasure 2024 - Sacrificial Giving Renewal

Over the month of November, we highlighted our Stewardship of Treasure campaign for 2024, also known as Sacrificial Giving Renewal. We are asking everyone to prayerfully reflect on how we are called to continue to sustain our parish and the ministries that support the mission of Jesus Christ. We are thankful to everyone who has submitted their pledge card/form!

Click here to read Fr. Nagel’s Stewardship Letter

Click here to read St. Monica’s Community and Fiscal Snapshot

Living a stewardship lifestyle, being grateful and generous with our gifts serves a twofold purpose: One, it helps build God’s kingdom here on earth. Two, it helps us strengthen each other’s relationship with Christ. We ask that all our parishioners partake of that joy and submit their Stewardship of Treasure 2024 commitment pledge.

This can be done in two ways:

Please prayerfully consider one of the thoughts below:

  • If you are not currently giving would you consider making a weekly donation of one hour's pay or at least $5.00 a week?
  • I pledged last year and will increase that amount by 5% or 10%.
  • I will pledge a percent of my annual income:
  • 1% (if my income is less than $50,000)
  • 2% (if my income is $50,000 to $100,000)
  • 3% (if my income is $100,000 to $200,000) 

Stewardship of Treasure Witness Talk

Our Stewardship Witness Speaker for our 2024 campaign was Catherine Moe. On the Sacrificial Giving Renewal kickoff weekend, she shared her experience of living Stewardship. You can watch her talk in the embedded player below or click here to watch it on Vimeo.

Stewardship of Treasure Homily

For Commitment Sunday, Father Nagel gave a homily on the theme of Stewardship, and related parish Stewardship to the dynamics of a healthy family. You can watch the homily below in the embedded player below or click here to watch it on Vimeo.

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