A GENEROUS GIFT OF CATHOLIC-CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP : A NEW PARISH COMPUTER..........

In October a OLOL parishioner living in Rio Linda, contacted me about the open position of Parish Bokkeeper.  We met later the same day and discussed the position and her bookkeeping experience.  She is retired from the State of California, where she worked as an auditor and financial services coordinator for 29 years.  With her strong qualifications and experience, we proceeded to discuss what the parish could pay her, for a part-time, 4-6 hours a week position.  Then she totally surprised me with the response that she wanted to give her services to the parish, as a part of her Christian Stewardship.  And so she has, coming once a week to do the bookkeeping, accounting, bill paying, and all that the parish and diocese require for financial management, oversight, accountability, and transparency.  With my transition as the new Pastor and turnover in bookkeepers, she had substantial catch up work to do, to get us beyond Fiscal Year 2009-2010, and the to assure the Annual Parish Financial Report has fully accurate numbers.  In November, her brother, who is retired from Pacific Gas and Electric, and has extensive experience working with computers, came to see me about taking care of our Parish computers.  Within ten days he had a new Hewlett Packard laptop for me, and just today installed a new streamlined, desktop computer in my office.  The parish printer broke some three weeks ago, and he replaced it with a new laser printer.  Today, when I asked him what the parish bill is for the two computers and printer, knowing he purchased them for the best available price, he said, "Nothing", that it was the gift of his family, including their parents, again a generous act of Christian Stewardship.  In a world that is too often absorbed in, "Me, Myself, and I", instead of, "We, Us, Others", it is a refreshing and reaffirming reminder that there are still persons in the Church and the World, who truly care about the Common Good and Catholic-Christian Charity.  Isn't that what our Discipleship in Jesus the Christ is meant to be ?  As Pastor of OLOL, I am extremely grateful for the assistance with my pastoral and administrative ministries, these two computers will and are, providing me.  Even greater is the gift of their generosity to the Parish, as these donations of Time, Talent, and Treasure, help serve the responsibilities we bear to the parishioners.  Grateful Thanks and Heartfelt Appreciation to the Pennington Family.  One of the 261 registered familes in this fine, if economically challenged, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Del Paso Heights / Rio Linda / Elverta / Robla / Sacramento..........Fr.  Troy