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Funds Descriptions
As Christ illustrated to us,
and the Church has practiced for over two millennia, our primary
Christian work is to proclaim the Gospel by word and action. Jesus
commissioned us to feed his lambs and tend to his sheep (John
21:15-18), and in so doing, seek opportunities to improve the
quality of life and enhance the vitality of surrounding
communities.
Just
as we plan to ensure financial health for our families, we must
plan for the health of our faith families. The St. Louis Endowment
Funds are a true heritage gift opportunity for community members
who believe in sharing their life blessings and reaching out to
others to leave a legacy of care and support far and beyond their
lifetime. By supporting our Parish’s endowment funds, members are
taking strong steps to ensure the future of our spirit-filled
community.
St. Louis currently
has established four separately funded Endowment Funds. Below is a
description of each Fund’s mission, along with a list of
ministries that could potentially benefit from each Fund.
Life Long Faith Formation Fund
St. Louis
Parish has a long tradition of fostering and enhancing religious
learning and experiences. We believe that the values taught in the
Gospel are an essential component of our Catholic formation and
education. Our daily lives give us an opportunity to live out
these values.
The
ministry of faith formation extends to all parishioners in the
many areas of faith formation. The Life Long Faith Formation Fund
is available for a wide range of activities that would impact
faith formation for various age groups or stages of development.
It supports the Gospel call of Jesus to “go and teach all nations
… .” (Mark 16:15)
This fund
provides resources to fulfill the responsibility spoken to parents
as their child is baptized: “You are accepting the responsibility
of training your child in the ways of faith, by loving God and our
neighbor.” (Rite of Baptism)
Among the
opportunities this fund may support: national youth programs;
local youth programs to promote community among our young people;
family enrichment programs; marriage renewal opportunities; and
special needs for parishioners in faith development and formation.
Among the ministries of the parish that could benefit from this
fund:
-
Middle
and high school youth groups
-
St. Louis
School
-
Religious
education programs
-
Family-centered programs
-
Adult
education
-
Marriage
preparation opportunities
-
Vacation
Bible school
Joseph E. Bagale Social Outreach Fund
As
Christians, the Spirit of the Lord anoints us to seek
opportunities to provide care and relief for people who are
oppressed, materially poor, powerless, or otherwise disadvantaged.
Through Confirmation, we become rooted more deeply in our identity
as God’s children and commit ourselves to Christ. We accept the
message of the Holy Spirit to freely open our hand to our brothers
and sisters and generously lend to them sufficient for their needs
in whatever they lack. (Deuteronomy 15:7-8).
Joseph E.
Bagale, a parishioner of St. Louis Church, embodied socially
responsible living, and in both his words and leadership, extended
St. Louis’ spirit of caring and mission of stewardship beyond the
walls of the parish. Mr. Bagale believed social progress occurred
when people have access to opportunity. Inspired by his distinct
moral vision to provide for the poor and vulnerable and help in
the fight against hunger, poverty, injustice, and spiritual /
emotional impairment both locally and around the world, St. Louis
established the Joseph E. Bagale Social Outreach Fund in his
memory.
The mission
of the Joseph E. Bagale Social Outreach Fund is to support
projects related to the goals of social ministry within the
Rochester Diocese and beyond. In the spirit of Jesus, the Joseph
E. Bagale Social Outreach Fund deepens our parish’s commitment and
dedication towards fostering an active outreach to the poor and
vulnerable, increasing access to opportunity for those who are
under-privileged, and helping people achieve self-sufficiency.
Among the ministries of the parish that could benefit from this
fund:
Upper Room Fund
In
the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ last days with His disciples, they
asked Him where to go to prepare the Passover meal for Him. He
instructed them to find a certain house. There, they were to ask
the master of the house for the room for “the teacher” to use. He
told them, the master of the house would show them “a large upper
room, furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.”
(Luke 22:12)
At St.
Louis, our primary upper room is our Church building. The Church
is where we gather as a community of faith to celebrate the
Eucharist and other sacraments and liturgies. Our other “upper
rooms,” which we need to keep furnished and ready for Our Lord to
use, are: the Elementary School, Reddington Hall, the Manse,
Saints’ Place, 21 Rand Place, the Ministry Center, and the
Rectory.
Through
wise, planned and careful stewardship, we seek to maintain these
buildings and grounds for today’s ministries and keep them sound
for future service – keep them “furnished and ready” for the
Lord’s work.
The purpose
of the Upper Room Fund is to provide funds for major repairs,
large-scale maintenance, and improvements or special needs to the
buildings and grounds of St. Louis Parish which were not
anticipated and/or covered by the normal parish operating budget.
General Endowment Fund
Not every need falls within pre-set
categories. The General Endowment Fund provides a fund for those
needs which do not fit within the context of other parish
endowments. As a part of a changing Church, we recognize the need
for such developments as more specialized training for lay
ministers and further training for the professional staff in areas
of management and administration. This fund will focus on those
special needs that will unfold during the 21st century.
The General Endowment Fund will
focus on future contingencies, opportunities, and challenges. It
is our hope that the resources of this fund will address the needs
of tomorrow for St. Louis. Use of the fund will be determined by
the pastor in consultation with the Parish Council.
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