CATHOLIC CHURCH
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.” ~ St. Francis of Assisi
FINANCIAL GIVING
Living a stewardship way of life means we recognize that everything we have comes from God and it is our responsibility to care for all the blessings that God has bestowed on us, including money and possessions.
EVERYTHING BELONGS TO GOD
As followers of Christ, everything we are and have belongs 100% to him. God is the owner; we are the manager, the steward.
The key to stewardship is constantly reminding ourselves that we are his. Everything we own and will own is his; every dollar, every hour, every talent, every dream, every gift, our family, our recreation, everything.
Sharing God's gifts means giving off the top first, not giving what's leftover. It's not ours to hoard or waste.
WAYS TO SHARE GOD'S TREASURE
AUTOMATIC BANK WITHDRAWALS
Set up recurring automatic withdrawals from your checking or savings account by providing your banking details on the Treasure Intention form.
Return the form along with a voided check to the parish office by mail or place it in an envelope in the weekly offertory basket.
CASH OR CHECK
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Cash and check offerings can be placed in the offertory basket at Mass or mailed directly to the parish office.
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Contact the parish office to receive personalized weekly envelopes.
FINANCIAL GIVING FAQ
HOW ARE CONTRIBUTIONS USED?
As a Total Stewardship Parish, St. Francis of Assisi is a community of parishioners who generously provide their gifts of time and talent, treasure and prayer. Through your generosity of time and talents, we do not pay for extra staff to do work like cleaning and performing maintenance on the facilities. This means your financial gifts go directly to the needs of the parish community and diocese, and also to help those in need.
Contributions to the parish’s weekly offertory can be designated for operating expenses, for the long-term building fund, or divided between both funds. Operating expenses include utilities and money spent on liturgical celebrations and faith formation programs. In 2017, St. Francis of Assisi parish successfully paid off the mortgage for our current worship space, land and rectory. As our Catholic Nixa community rapidly grows, the parish is now saving for future expansion to a larger permanent church building with our building fund.
WHY AM I ASKED TO PROVIDE MY FINANCIAL GIVING INTENTION?
As a financially responsible parish, the Finance Council creates a yearly budget based on planned money coming in and money going out. Each year we ask our parishioners to pray about how they are sharing their financial gifts and complete a Treasure Intention form.
We know your financial situation can change due to family, career and health events so we simply ask that you provide your financial giving intention. In other words, please estimate what portion of your family or personal budget you plan to share with St. Francis Parish. You can set up recurring, automatic withdrawals to make this easier to manage, or use the traditional weekly envelopes.
Giving of our treasure is rooted in scripture as tithing, the setting aside of 10% of our income to return to the Lord. Of the 10% mentioned in scripture, our Finance Council suggests giving 5% to the parish, 1% to the diocese and 4% to charities of your choice. Of course, your actual contribution is between you and God.
WILL I BE ASKED FOR MORE MONEY?
Being a Total Stewardship Parish means that we do not have second collections and we do not have fundraisers. A portion of the yearly budget is set aside to contribute to ministries designated by the diocesan using the regular weekly contributions from parishioners.
Offertory contributions received on holy days that do not fall on Sundays throughout the year are donated to Catholic-related charities.
In 2023 these contributions will be distributed to:
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January 1 (Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God) - Lifehouse Catholic Charities
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February 22 (Ash Wednesday) - Nixa Care to Learn
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April 6 (Holy Thursday) - Christian County Enterprises
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April 7 (Good Friday) - Holy Lands
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August 15 (Assumption of Mary) - Catholic Charities Veterans & Families
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November 1 (All Saints) - Christian County Volunteers in Medicine
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November 23 (Thanksgiving) - Least of These
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December 8 (The Immaculate Conception of The Blessed Virgin Mary) - Christian County Salvation Army
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December 25 (Christmas) - Seminary and Diocesan Retired Clergy
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There are contributions not part of your regular offering to St. Francis parish. Separately, the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau encourages parishioners to contribute yearly to the Diocesan Development Fund (DDF), which benefits more than 45 ministries in southern Missouri. As for the Diocesan Capital Campaign, it raises funds for youth formation, retired priests, and seminarian education.
ARE ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS SAFE?
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Yes! St. Francis has two options to safely, conveniently and reliably make your contributions.
First, we have partnered with our bank to provide secure automatic withdrawal from a checking or savings account. Bank to bank transfers are a free option that ensures all of your contributions go to the parish. To sign up for electronic withdrawals, complete the Treasure Intention Form and return it along with a voided check to the parish office by mail or place it in an envelope in the weekly offertory basket.
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Second, we have partnered with WeShare to offer a secure website for managing recurring and one-time payments with credit and debit cards. These payments incur a small transaction fee for the parish. View the WeShare informational flyer or new users guide for more information.
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You can cancel or change your contributions at any time. Best of all, it saves you time and helps us keep our budget on track throughout the year.