Dear People of God, What a wonderful community God has given us through St. Mary Catholic Church! As your pastor, I have been deeply touched by your tremendous welcome and generous spirit. The people we serve in our area, and the ministries, programs and services we provide are what make our Faith Community truly special. We do all of this with the help of your financial support. I’m writing today to tell you about a new way you can offer your gifts to the parish. With the full approval of the St. Mary Finance Committee, we have launched Faith Direct, an electronic giving program that will benefit our church, your family and the beautiful world God has given us. By supporting our parish through Faith Direct, you will be part of an innovative new way of giving that saves time, money and resources. For you and your family, Faith Direct offers efficiency and simplicity: you can make all of your contributions to St. Mary Catholic Church via automatic payment from your checking account or credit card - just as you may do now with your mortgage payment, household bills and other expenses. Faith Direct offers a secure way for you to send, and our parish to receive, your regular contributions - even when vacation or business takes you out of town, or an illness prevents you from attending Mass.

For St. Mary Catholic Church, electronic giving will make it easier for us to track each gift without the risks of loss or error that come with tabulating checks and cash. Also, electronic giving helps bring consistency to our parish by allowing families to give as they wish, even when they’re out of town or unable to attend Mass. This gives us a better idea of the funds we will have coming in week after week so we can make our ministries and programs as far-reaching and effective as possible.

Consider this as well: Traditional envelope programs are riddled with waste. Most of the thousands of envelopes sent out go unused and are thrown away - and every envelope, whether it’s used to or not, means the destruction of trees and our natural resources. Through automated giving, you will not only be helping to strengthen our Church - you’ll be helping to preserve God’s green earth!

Because the tradition of the offertory collection is so important to all of us and to our liturgy, Faith Direct will provide you with a personalized “offertory card” that you can choose to place into the collection basket as a visible sign of your support.

All parishioners will receive in the mail an enrollment form for this exciting new way to support our parish family with your contributions. You may also want to visit the Faith Direct website at www.faithdirect.net, for more information or to securely enroll online by using our parish code: IL372. I have complete trust in this exciting new program. I hope you will give Faith Direct your prayerful consideration. However, please understand no one is obligated to make this change regarding our new option.

I am grateful to God that you are a member of St. Mary Catholic Church, and for all the ways in which you have been faithful and generous to our parish. Know my prayers are with your entire family.

In His name,
Father Greg

Feel free to call with questions or concerns!
Parish Office
847-864-0333
fax: 847-864-0354
office@stmaryevanston.org