Dear St. Luke's Family,
Over the summer you may have read of St. Luke’s need of your support to help push the wagon.
Over the summer you may have read of St. Luke’s need of your support to help push the wagon.
Traveling by stagecoach in “the good old days,” had a romantic aura. Eventually, however, most coaches either got stuck in the mud or had to go up a steep hill. That was when all the passengers got out and helped push the wagon to keep it going in the right direction.
In many ways today our church is slogging through the mud and facing an uphill battle.
Our Saint Luke family is not immune to what is happening. While attendance has remained reasonably steady, financial parish support has dropped significantly. We are facing a difficult financial challenge. We are looking at a shortfall of about $75,000 for the 2018-2019 fiscal year ending August 31. We have kept our expenses under a very tight rein and have held them flat for the last three years. We have continued to meet the rising costs of operations and staff, especially our health care responsibilities.
Our Saint Luke family is not immune to what is happening. While attendance has remained reasonably steady, financial parish support has dropped significantly. We are facing a difficult financial challenge. We are looking at a shortfall of about $75,000 for the 2018-2019 fiscal year ending August 31. We have kept our expenses under a very tight rein and have held them flat for the last three years. We have continued to meet the rising costs of operations and staff, especially our health care responsibilities.
Will you help push the wagon?
In 2020 we will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of Saint Luke the Evangelist parish. We would like to go into that anniversary year on a strong fiscal footing. Our very successful “Perfect Storm” collection in 2016 and an exceptional one-time gift made possible a very successful 2017-2018. We are asking for your help in the closing months of this fiscal year. Your commitment to sustain consistent support throughout the summer is needed. We have included a secure link below to make it more convenient for you to provide the additional financial push to get us through the end of the fiscal year at the end of August.
So many of you continue to provide the resources to keep us moving forward. But we really need each of our parish families to help push us forward with whatever they can afford. As a parish and church, we provide resources for Christian living and caring, not only to our parish family but also to the town of Westborough and surrounding communities. It is only through your participation, care and support that our Saint Luke’s wagon will climb this hill and move through the mud.
Christ’s peace and blessings,
So many of you continue to provide the resources to keep us moving forward. But we really need each of our parish families to help push us forward with whatever they can afford. As a parish and church, we provide resources for Christian living and caring, not only to our parish family but also to the town of Westborough and surrounding communities. It is only through your participation, care and support that our Saint Luke’s wagon will climb this hill and move through the mud.
Christ’s peace and blessings,
To help us on our way, please
click on the image of the wagon
to make a secure online donation using your credit card.
Thank you.
If you prefer to write a check, click to download and print out the "Push the Wagon Ticket" and return it with your donation. Thank you.
Our Saint Luke Prayer and Vision
Loving Lord, we pray that Our Saint Luke the Evangelist parish will be a faithful community where God’s love and mercy are celebrated and lived “extremely” well, where the worship of God is joyful and vibrant, where generosity, compassion and integrity of mind and heart are lived in the care of others, especially the poor, where people grow closer to God and one another by living and learning the Gospel way of Jesus Christ every day. Amen.
Msgr. Michael Foley, Pastor
St. Luke the Evangelist Church
70 West Main Street
Westborough, MA 01581
Phone: 508-366-5502