Why should I give?
St. Luke tells us that there were many people who followed Jesus as His disciples, and they provided temporal support for Him and His apostles: “Accompanying him were the Twelve….Joanna, Chuza, Suzanna and many others who provided for them of their resources.” (Lk. 8:1,3) Surely those early disciples felt privileged to be able to support the Son of God in his earthly ministry of proclaiming the Kingdom of God.
We have the same privilege of supporting Jesus since He lives in the Catholic Church. Our parish continues the work of Jesus and we give because of our faith in Him and our desire to serve Him. The best motivation for our sacrificial giving to St. Ignatius Church can only be gratitude for the blessings God has bestowed on us, and a strong desire to see the gospel spread to all people.
Such giving, far from impoverishing the giver, actually brings the blessings of peace and joy as we put God first in our use of material wealth.
How much should I give?
The Bible suggests a tithe: the first ten percent of every dollar to be given to God. In the Archdiocese of Mobile, the modern tithe is understood as 5% to the parish, and 5% to other charities. We have untapped potential at St. Ignatius and are only scratching the surface of what we could do for the work of the
Church with a full commitment to the Biblical practice of stewardship on the part of every parishioner.
The 5% recommended tithe should serve as a guide in planning your giving. It is up to each person to determine what to give, as St. Paul explained to the Corinthians: “Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9: 7-8)
How is my Stewardship pledge different than my pledge to the Capital Campaign?
The response to our capital campaign, “Building Something Beautiful for God,” has been phenomenal. To date, we have received $16.2 million in pledges and gifts from 586 parish families and individuals. All of these funds are restricted to the construction of the new church and other buildings specified in our master plan.
Annual giving to the parish, through our stewardship program, is designated for the ongoing work of the parish as described below. As we look forward to the dedication of a new church and the construction of new educational facilities and a parish hall, we can only anticipate a growth in our regular ministries. For this reason, we are asking every parishioner who has made a capital campaign pledge, to maintain, or possibly increase, their annual stewardship commitment.
How will my gift be used?
At St. Ignatius, we are committed to an open and transparent process for the management of the funds you entrust to us. The parish finance council meets every month and reviews all financial reports. Any expenditure over $25,000 must be approved by the Archbishop. Also, monthly financial reports are available to all parishioners at the back of the church.
The parish operating budget for 2018 is $2,125,265
St. Ignatius is a large and active parish, and this budget supports a staff of twenty-five, a parish school, as well as the upkeep and maintenance of our 12-acre campus. The campus includes over 115,000 square feet of maintained building space. We have an annual education subsidy that is paid to the school of $500,000. There are a wide variety of ministries offered at our parish, including prayer groups for men and women, sacramental preparation, 1st-12th religious education and RCIA, Bible studies, CYO sports and numerous school and service activities.
You can truly take pride in your gift to St. Ignatius Church where, at the heart of all these ministries, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered at least twice daily and all is done “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam….to the Greater Glory of God.”
Faith Direct
Faith Direct users: You must complete and turn in this pledge card for us to count your pledge! If you make changes to your pledge form, you must also make changes in Faith Direct.