Dear Parishioners: Many parishioners have commented to me about the new budget envelopes. We changed budget envelope companies beginning this January and you will notice a new style envelope in your package. This new envelope is little more attractive and much easier for the counters to read. Also you will now find an Outreach envelope in your budget packets each month. This envelope has no specific date and can be put in the basket at anytime. The purpose of this envelope is to provide a regular funding source for all of our OLM Outreach efforts for the poor and needy.
Your financial support of the OLM Outreach through this envelope isn’t meant to replace the food items that are regularly collected but rather to further enhance our efforts in helping and supporting the good works for the poor and homeless. Using the Outreach envelope eliminates the need to place cans in the back of Church or have extra collections after Masses as people leave Church. It is my hope that your regular financial support of OLM Outreach will provide the necessary support to fund such charities.
The generous support of the poor and needy like McAuley House, Emmanuel House and House of Hope has always been a hallmark of Our Lady of Mercy Parish. This also provides us a steady source of funds to help local people who find themselves in need of assistance with food, heat, prescriptions or utilities. Unfortunately in these tough economic times, their number continues to grow. The Outreach funds collected through the monthly envelope will only be used to support outreach efforts and not for the operational needs of the parish. It really is the modern version of the Poor Box that so many Churches have traditionally used to help the needy. I am hopeful that your generous assistance to the poor and needy will continue with this new avenue of support. In their name, I offer my thanks and gratitude.
Also this month we have launched a new way to financially support the parish through online giving. The Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) enables you to have your contribution automatically debited from your checking account or credit card through secure transactions over the Internet. Parish Giving provides the online support for this safe and secure way to regularly contribute to the support of the parish. There is no fee for using EFT and it is a more convenient way for many parishioners to regularly contribute to OLM. There is a link on the parish website where you can directly sign-up or you can go directly to the Parish Giving webpage (www.parishgiving.org) and sign up under Our Lady of Mercy Parish.
Many other parishes in Rhode Island and across the country use EFT and it has proved to be helpful for those who regularly pay their bills and conduct their financial affairs online. This is not meant to replace the budget envelopes but serves only as another option for those who would like to use online giving. You can designate the amount of your support, the regularity of it and can also designate which second collections you would like to support. There will be more information coming in the weeks ahead. But I assure this is a great way to financially support the parish, I know because I was the first to sign-up for EFT at Our Lady of Mercy!
I also wish to announce that our longtime Parish Accountant, David Cote, will now serve as the part-time Business Manager of Our Lady of Mercy Parish and School. David has a vast amount of experience in parish administration and great professional background in both parish accounting and finance. In his new role he will help us in the financial administration of our parish and school operations.
Again let me thank you for your generous financial support of OLM. Your ongoing support is truly appreciated and I am grateful for your generosity. Have a great week! God Bless. Go Pats!! Let’s hope they have more luck than the Irish did on Monday!!!