Father Gervan Menezes & 2026 Financial Report

St. Philip Catholic Church: There's a moment in today's gospel that I think most of us can understand. Peter is walking on water. Think about for this for a moment. He's actually doing it. Jesus says, Come, come, Peter gets out of the boat, and for the few few extraordinary moments, Peter is doing something he never imagined he could do. And then Matthew tells us. When he saw how strong the winds the wind was, he became threatened. Peter takes his eyes off Jesus. He looked at the wind, he looks at the waves, he looks at the storms, and suddenly he began to sink. I think there is a lesson there for us as individuals, but also for us as a parish community. Because this weekend We are going to hear our parish financial report. Now normally when a priest says the word financial report, nobody thinks wonderful, that's what I came to church for. But this year, I think we should hear our financial report a little bit different. We should hear it as an opportunity to give thanks. Our parish is a strong and healthy financial, and this is a good news. But more important behind every number in that report, there is a story. Behind the numbers are families who faithfully support this parish. Behind the numbers are people who give quietly and generously. Behind the numbers are volunteers who give not only their money, but also their time. Behind the numbers are people who teach our children, prepare couples for marriage, visit the sick, serve the poor. Welcome people at the doors, proclaim the scriptures, seen, serve at the altar, maintain our building, organize ministries, and do countless things that most people will never see. Our financial report gives us numbers, but the gospel give invites us to see what is behind the numbers. What is behind then it's faith, it's generosity, sacrifice. stewardship and ultimately is the grace of God working through his people. That is why today I simply want to say thank you. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for believing in the mission of this parish. Thank you for making this parish a spiritual home for so many people. And thank you especially for those who generously is known only by God. But there is also something important we need to remember. Financial strength can create its own temptation. When things are difficult, we know we need God. When the wind is blowing, the waves are high, our prayer comes very naturally, Lord, save us. But when things are going well, we can begin to think that we are walking on the water by ourselves. We can begin to think, Lord, Look what we have accomplished. And that can be a mistake. Peter was not walking on the water because Peter suddenly discovered a hiding talent for the walking on water. Peter would walk on the water for one reason. Jesus told him, Come. And as long as Peter remained focused on Christ, he could do what seemed impossible. And that is also true for our parish. The greatest measures of health perish is not how much money we have in the bank. It is not how beautiful the buildings are and how many programs do we have. Those things matter. Don't get me wrong. We should take good care of them. We should be responsible stewards of everything God has entrusted to us. But they are not our mission. Jesus Christ is our mission. The purpose of every dollar. Every building we maintain, every ministry we support, every resource we possess is ultimately the same. To help people to know, love, and serve God and our neighbors, to encounter Christ, to help a child know that God loves him. To help a teenager discover that faith can give directions for his life. To help a young couple build a marriage center in Christ. To help someone. Who was who has been away from the Christ find the courage to come home. To help someone grieving know the death does not have the final word. To help someone who is struggling hear Christ say, Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid. This is why stewardship is much more than paying the bills. Stewardship begins with a very simple simple realization. Everything that we have is a gift. Our lives are gifts, our families are gifts, our abilities are gifts, our time is a gift, our parish is a gift from God, and yes, our financial resources are gifts. The Christian question is never simply, how much do I have? The Christian question is: Lord, what do you want me to do with what you have given me? And perhaps. That is where our first reading helps us. Elijah is waiting for God. There was a strong wing, but God was not on the wing. There was an earthquake, but God was not on the earthquake. There was a fire, but God was not in the fire. And then comes the tiny whispering sound. And Elijah's recognized the presence of God. We often expect God to work through something dramatic, but most of the times God builds his church quietly. One person praying, one family giving, one volunteer say I can help, one catac teaching a kid, one person bringing communion to someone who cannot come to mass, one parishioner noticing someone sitting alone, one kind of act of generosity for after another. And slowly, most invisibly, God builds something beautiful. That is what we are celebrating this weekend. Yes, we are grateful for our parish is financially healthy. But even more, we are grateful for the faith that has made that possible. And now the Lord says to us what he said to Peter come, keep going, keep trusting. Keep serving, keep giving, keep welcoming, keep bringing the gospel to the next generation. Because a healthy parish should never simply ask, How can we preserve what we have? A healthy parish should ask, Lord, where are you calling us next? There are still people outside of this church who need Christ. There are still families. Who need a spiritual home. There are still young people sharing, searching for meaning. There are still people carrying burdens that nobody else knows about. There are people still who think they are too far from God that they cannot come home. And perhaps God wants to reach them through us. So today we give thanks. We give thanks for the generosity of this parish. We give thanks for the sacrifices of the people have made. We give thanks for wise stewardship. We give thanks for the good financial position in which we find ourselves. But I go above all, we give thanks to God. Because the moment a parish begins to look only at itself, it begins to sink. Our eyes must remain in Christ. And when the storms come, sooner or later they would do come, we remember the words he speaks to his disciples. Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid. And perhaps our response can be the response of those disciples at the end of the gospel. After the wind dies down, they look at Jesus and said, Truly, you are the Son of God. That is ultimately what our parish exists to proclaim. Not look what we have built, not look how successful we are, but look what God has done. Look what He is doing and imagine what God can still do through a community that keeps its eyes fixed on Christ. For all has been, thank you, Lord. And for all this still to come, we say. Jesus, we trust in you. I invite Mike Grant to come forward. Mike is one of the members of our finance board and he's gonna share with us. And remember, Mike has a promise. If we are doing good, his stock gets smaller and smaller every year. Thank you, Father, and good morning, everyone, and good morning to those of you online. To know, love, and serve God and our neighbor. That's our wonderful parish's mission statement. Now you see it on the banner on the bulletin, and you it's the first thing that comes up when you look at the website. To know, love, and serve God and our neighbor. Your kindness enables us to support our parish mission. Each and every day. Our investments in religious education and other youth and adult programs help us to know God. Through our support of our priests and the sacraments, we show our love of God. We serve God through our commitment to the many ministries that we have here at St. Philip. We serve our neighbor through our many charitable and outreach initiatives. Your caring gifts directly support. Our Catholic faith. We're incredibly grateful to you for your generosity. Regular giving in 2026 was almost $2.6 million, or just under $50,000 a week. This was about 3% better than our budget and an increase of 5% over last year. Our administrative team continues to display great stewardship in helping us to control spending. Our operating results Showed a surplus of $78,000. It was $48,000 better than our budget. Over 65%, almost two thirds of our spending was for items that directly support our parish mission. And we're thankful for every one of your kind gifts. But I would especially have liked to acknowledge the $573,000 that we received to support the transformation of our sanctuary. And this surrounding space. New altar, new baptismal font, upgraded confessionals, a freshening of the walls, and new flooring. We're also blessed by the beautiful replica of the Pietà in the North X. Each time we enter, it reminds us of Christ's great love in giving his life for us, and our blessed mother, who tenderly holds her son. And each of us in her care. It's such a beautiful welcome into our sacred space. Now let's look at our budget for the financial year that just started on July 1st. We've decided to make several critical investments to grow and support our faith. These include three full-time priests, additional investments in religious education, and furthering our commitment to support our diocese. In Father G's recent video, he spoke to you about considering your gifts in three categories or three buckets: regular giving to our parish, diocesan support, and our global commitment to Haiti, India, and Honduras. He asked you to prayerfully consider your commitment to each of these areas of faith. Now I'd like to focus on regular giving to our parish. We've set a target for this year. Of $55,000 a week to support our mission, to know, love, and serve God and our neighbor. Now, this is an increase of a little bit more than 10% year over year. Now it might seem like a lot, but how do we measure the true value of what we're witnessing? Each week we see greater participation in mass, deeper discipleship, stronger ministries. And a growing commitment to serve our neighbors and support our diocesan initiatives, including our seminarians. For most of you, meeting this request will require you to give just a few dollars more each week. If you're new to St. Philip, or even if you're not new but don't routinely give, we ask you to consider making a regular gift to our parish. Saint Philip is such a wonderful and holy place. We need your support. Please keep an eye on the weekly and monthly giving trackers in the bulletin. Green means we're doing well. Red means we need your help to get back on track. If you see red, please act. Now, before I finish, I'd like to share a brief story with you. Back in the 1980s, a good friend of mine invited me to play basketball with him and his brothers at a small park in Linden, New Jersey. Now, his brothers were teenagers. I was probably just a little lighter than I am right now. My go-to move was to take the ball and back down on these shorter, thinner kids until I was under the basket and then turn around and shoot a layup. Fast forward a dozen years. He invited me to come over and play basketball again, this time at his new house in Pennsylvania. His brothers were there and I hadn't seen them in a long time. The first time I tried that same move, one brother swatted the ball into the bushes. He must have had a long memory. I tried that same move on the other brother, and he had a long memory too, because the same thing happened. You see, George was now six foot three, and John played college basketball. He was six foot six. They both grew and their names ch or their games changed. I knew I needed to respond to the challenge and play better. I ended up spraining my ankle later in the evening. So I did the only sensible thing in response. I took up golf. Our parish is growing and changing, and we're asking you to respond as well. Please prayerfully consider updating your regular gift to our parish to help us to meet our 2027 target. Remember, your generous gifts are used to help all of us to get to heaven by knowing, loving, and serving God and our neighbor. Please also prayerfully consider donating your time as well as your treasure. If you've ever thought about volunteering, now is the time to act. The budget details are in the bulletin. If you're able, we have some new transformation projects that need your support. These include updating our sanctuary lighting and upgrading our sound system. I'm blessed and humbled to be able to speak with you today. Thank you so much for your time, and God bless you.