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December 16, 2022I’ve asked Delia to print off some extra copies of our Christmas schedule this week. And I’d ask you to post them and drop them off to your neighbors and to your friends who own businesses on our little island. We want as many people as possible to know that all are welcome to join with our faith community in celebrating the birth of our Savior. This was a great year, as we shared Christ’s love and hope with our neighbors here on Tybee and our Church around the world.
Gratitude
As we come to the end of 2022, I want to thank you for your generous gifts throughout the year to support the ministries within and outside the boundaries of Saint Michael Catholic Church. From experience, I know we are always running behind in our budget as we approach the end of the year, and yet so often in the past your generosity at Christmas has helped us to catch up. In the midst of an uncertain economy the catch-up might be more difficult this year. I am praying that those who are able will be generous in helping to bridge the gap. Advent is the perfect time of year to give a gift in honor of Jesus’s birth!
Presently, we are working on fixing the drainage problem in our parking lot. Please excuse the mess or any inconvenience this project may cause. And the Building and Grounds Committee under the leadership of Susan Ason is working on plans for a Columbarium in the Grotto area. So, in terms of finances, I am hoping to finish 2022 strong and create positive momentum going into the new year. In terms of your support for the idea of the Columbarium Project, we’ll have a Town Hall Meeting on Sunday, January 8th at 5pm in Church to share the plans and to see if there is enough enthusiasm to move forward.
I think our Parish “Year of the Family” has been well received. I love our Holy Family Shrine and I hope you liked our use of the painting in the 8th St. vestibule for this year’s Christmas card. St. Nick aka Bishop Boland had a wonderful meeting with our families in the parish gym on December 5th, the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas. And I am looking forward to a Family Christmas Sing-Along in the Churchyard on Friday evening, December 30th, which this year is the date of the Feast of the Holy Family. It has been exciting to see our faith community rise up to take a fresh challenge to share Christ with the young families in our community. We are indeed focused on reaching everyone— families, children and youth for Christ. Your partnership in faith, prayer and giving makes the difference.
Thank you for being accepting of the mission Jesus has for us and for prayerfully considering how you can make a difference with a special year-end gift.
When making year–end donations to St. Michael Church and other charitable organizations, the IRS dates a contribution by “the time of its unconditional delivery.”
- With our Online Giving system, you may quickly make one-time donations or set up recurring gifts at the top left of the page on https://saintmichaelstybee.org/
- For a check that is mailed, that is considered the date you mail the check.
- For a donation that is hand-delivered or put in the collection, the “unconditional delivery” date is the date that the donation was dropped off or the collection was taken. Therefore, a contribution put in the collection on Dec. 31 will count toward your 2022 tax deductions; a contribution put into the offertory on Jan. 1 will count toward your 2023 tax deductions.
On the Way Home: In today’s Gospel God reassures Joseph in a dream that the child in Mary’s womb was conceived by “the power of the Holy Spirit.” It may not be quite as dramatic, but are there times in which you recognize ‘the power of the Holy Spirit” acting in your life? Are you willing to share those graced moments with your family or friends?
