My Dear Family in Christ,
We, the Pastor and the Finance Council of St. Mary’s Church in Rifle, want to thank you for your continued dedication and sustained support in these difficult times of the Pandemic.
As you already know we are at a stage where our income, in general, has decreased significantly due to this situation. We are behind in our weekly contributions which has caused a deficit in our weekly operations budget. However, we are not in debt. We are trying to avoid accessing our Archdiocesan savings to overcome this shortfall, which is why we continue to ask for your financial support. We are pleased to inform you we saw a significant increase in our collections last week and we thank you for your continued support and help.
Therefore, from the administration of St. Mary’s we stressed the importance of the need for all of us to work together in order to achieve success in this endeavor. We make an attentive call to your generosity asking for your help.
The Finance Council reports that the financial condition of St. Mary’s has been severely affected due to the following:
- The decrease in annual offertory contributions
- The decrease in attendance at Mass due to COVID 19
This has required the Church to make extensive reductions in overall operating expenses. Even though we have been continuously reducing our expenses, we are still in a financial deficit. I, along with the Parish Finance Council, ask you to prayerfully consider an increase in your financial donation in order to carry out our necessary mission and ministries here at St. Mary’s.
We will be closely monitoring and working within both the State of Colorado and the Archdiocesan guidelines for larger group gatherings and social distancing. Also we will continue sanitizing the pews and surfaces in Church after Mass, providing sheet music in their place, and training ministers. We have worked to make online donations easier for you. Just go directly to our webpage www.stmaryrifle.com and you will find the info below the Archbishop videos. Just make sure to select our parish name on the list: Saint Mary-Rifle.
Finally, we are committed to ensuring that our Parish remains serving the catholic community in Rifle and we are going to work through all of these issues. Thanks again for your full support during these troubling times.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Gerardo Garcia, Pastor
Mrs. Michelle Duran, President of the Finance Council
Miss Melissa Rodríguez, Business manager.
17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19
Donations can be sent to:
St. Mary Catholic Church
P.O. BOX 191
Rifle, CO 81650
Or can be done online at:
www.archden.org/supportmyparish
Select Parish: Saint Mary-Rifle
