“Prayer and Christian life are inseparable,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church. But as anyone who has e ver tried to pray on a regular basis will tell you, prayer can be hard work. That’s why we are to make a firm commitment to be persistent. Just as we learn to budget our money or schedule occasions for service, we also ha ve to be very specific when we ma ke time for prayer. Many people set some time aside to read scripture or go to daily Mass. Others pray a rosa ry on the way to work. Still others pray wi th their children before bedtime or pray with their spouse before retiring for the evening. Whatever the format, the important thing is that we make a conscious effort to spend time wi th God.

“For Catholics, stewardship of time should include setting aside periods fo r family prayer, for the reading of scripture,

for visits to the Blessed Sacrament, and for attendance at Mass during the week whenever this is possible.”

U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral Lette r on Stewardshi p.

“Give and gifts w ill be given to you… For the measure with which you measure w ill in return

be measured out to you.” Luke 6:38

E very wee k, Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is buzzing wi th acti vity. There are groups that pray together, groups that minister to othe r parishioners, and groups that reach out to the community. We have dozens of ministries to choose from! Part of being an active member of our parish is to find your niche - the ministry where your pe rsonal talents can best be put to use. Reflect on your skills and interests. Prayerfully consider how much time you can commit to helping. There are over 80 ministries at Presentation to become invol ved in. This is what St. Peter meant when he wrote, “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good ste wa rds of God’s va ried grace.” (1 Peter 4:10)

ACTION STEPS FOR FINANCIAL GENEROSITY • Make a decision, after consideration and prayer, of the total amount of stewardship dollars you are able to commit to Presentation for the 2013 calendar year. Consider

5%. For an annual household income of $50,000, that would be $ 2,500 for the year. • Decide what portion of that commitment you want to designate for Sunday Giving and for the RENEW Fund. We recommend a 80% and 20% split (or 4% and 1% of annual income): In the case of our example, that would be $ 2,000 for Sunday Gi ving and $500 for the RE NEW Fund.

• Decide the frequency and method you want to make your contributions and complete the Commitment Card. Among the many options, the most common are: once a year by stoc k donation, once a month by E lectronic Funds Transfer, or weekly using envelopes.

• Remain open to some special gifts over and above your Stewardship commitment.

These would include special collections, support of the Spring Festival and Fall Auction, giving to the Angel Program for Tuition Assistance, E aster Flowers, etc.

• Consider beginning your new commitment right away. E ven though the fulfillment of

your pledge doesn’t begin until January, you can help us catch up in the first half of our fiscal year with your generous gifts now through December.

• Think even further ahead—what you might want to leave Presentation as a legacy. Consider making a planned giving commitment with respect to your estate.

Ha ve you e ve r created a family budget? At

the top of most people’s list of expenses are

big items like the mortgage, car payments,

and tuition. Other expenses are food, credit

card payments, and entertainment. But

how about the Church? Does Presentation

of the Blessed Virgin Mary ha ve a place in

our family’s budget? Throughout scripture,

we a re taught to give to God our “first

fruits” or the “choicest portion.”

Annual Income 5% Weekly 5% Monthly 5% Annually

20,000 20 85 1,000

30,000 30 125 1,500

40,000 40 170 2,000

50,000 50 210 2,500

75,000 75 315 3,750

100,000 100 420 5,000

125,000 120 520 6,250

200,000 195 835 10,000

ACTION STEPS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

• Make Mass your top priority on Sunday

• Schedule time for daily prayer • Pray together wi th family and

loved ones • Attend Daily Mass whene ver

possible • Talk to your children about

your faith

ACTION STEPS TO INCREASE YOUR INVOLVEMENT • Re-commit yourself to your

current parish ministries • Choose at least one ne w

ministry to join

• Train your children to serve in the Church

• Plan to attend parish- wide

e vents announced in our bulletin

STEWARDSHIP OF TIME Persevere in Prayer - Romans 12:12

Lord, quiet my soul so that I can spend time with

You in prayer.

STEWARDSHIP OF TALENT Serve One Another - John 13:15

Come, Holy Spirit. Fill me with your gifts so that I can serve others.

STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE Tithe in a Spirit of Joy - Sirach 35:8

O God, give me a generous heart.

He lp me to put You first in my finances.

Guide for Giving 5% (rounded to the nearest $5)

Whenever faithful Catho lics devote themselves to daily prayer, to service, and to financial generosity, they have practiced stewardship. In essence, whenever we use our personal gifts to serve

the Lo rd, we are be ing Christian Stewards.

2012 STEWARDSHIP RENEWAL OFFERING GOD OUR TIME, TALENT & TREASURE

CHURCH OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 1725 Kennard Street, Maple wood, MN 55109 651-777-8116 | www.presentationofma ry.org

September 28, 2012 Dear Parishioner, Each year, we as a parish take some time to re-e valuate our Ste wa rdship...to answe r the question, “Ho w shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?” (Psalm 116:12) But this year’s Ste wa rdship Rene wal is particularly important in light of wha t we ha ve recently accomplished and in light of wha t is ahead for us. This June we celebrated the elimination of our debt that had been a burden to our parish for nearly ten years. Now we face the challenge of successfully sustaining our parish’s opera tions, while at the same time making some much-needed repairs and improvements to our facilities (the first on the list being our parking lots). Since we ha ve chosen to face these challenges (for the time being) without a ne w capital campaign, it all rests on the commitment we will make during the upcoming month in this Ste wardship Rene wal. The refore, we are requesting a different approach this year to the financial decision we ask of our parishioners: that is to include all contributions to the parish (both Sunday giving and capital giving) in one annual commitment, based on household income. This will require a ne w calculation...and a ne w le vel of generosity. Please take some time to consider ho w you might be able to rene w your generosity in all the areas of ste wa rdship: Time, Talent, and Treasure, and please be ready to join your fellow parishioners in making that commitment at Mass on the weekend of October 13-14. Sincerely in Christ, Fr. Mark Huberty

YOUR COMMITMENT TO PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Please Bring Your Commitment Card to Mass on October 13-14th.

All families in our parish are asked to complete a Ste wa rdship Commitment Ca rd. Many of our parishioners are already invol ved in ministries and also faithfully contribute each week or month. If you are one of these parishioners, thank you! Just let us know that you plan to continue by filling out your commitment card. If you’re not currently invol ved in our parish, or if you feel that God may be calling you to do more, this is a great opportunity to become a more active member. Ask the Lord to help you spend more time in prayer. Talk to your spouse or your children about which groups or ministries they would like to join. Try to budget a consistent wee kly gift of five percent of your income. In all three areas, filling out your commitment card is a good wa y to take a step for wa rd. Over time, as each person embraces their personal commitments, our parish can become a powerful witness to the abundant life that Jesus has promised.

Your Commitment Card allows you to make

commitments to prayer, parish ministries, and

Sunday giving.