Parish Giving Series
This is the sixth and final week of our Parish Giving Series. Over five weeks we reflected on gratitude, sacrifice, stewardship, communion, and legacy, five ways of seeing one truth: everything we have is gift. This week we come to the response. What we have received, we are invited to return, freely and gladly.
Final Week: Response
The Widow's Mite, James Tissot
What Scripture Asks
In the Old Testament, the tithe was mandated by the Lord: His people returned a tenth of all they received (Leviticus 27:30). In the New Testament, Jesus referenced tithing (Matthew 23:23), and Saint Paul encouraged believers to give generously and cheerfully, each according to their circumstances (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Some of us are in a position to give more, and how we give speaks to the value of our faith. It requires sacrifice to promote the Kingdom.
The Precepts of the Church ask us to give of our time, talents, and treasure, and to contribute financially to the support of our parish and our priests.
Inflation
Every time the inflation rate goes up, the dollar buys less than it did before. It diminishes in its purchasing power.
1 year:
If in 2024 you purchased an item for $1,000.00 in 2025 that same item would cost: $1,026.31 Cumulative inflation: 2.6%
5 years:
If in 2020 you purchased an item for $1,000.00 in 2025 that same item would cost: $1,243.93 Cumulative inflation: 24.4%
10 years:
If in 2015 you purchased an item for $1,000.00 in 2025 that same item would cost: $1,358.31 Cumulative inflation: 35.8%
What Is Your Gift Worth Today?
Enter your weekly offering and when you last set it.
Based on cumulative U.S. inflation of 2.6% since 2024, 24.4% since 2020, and 35.8% since 2015.
Week 1 — GratitudeTrinity Sunday, May 31. The mutual self-gift of the Trinity as the source of everything we have. Before any conversation about giving, the recognition that nothing we have was ours to begin with.
Week 2 — SacrificeCorpus Christi, June 7. Jesus's gift of self through his sacrifice. The Eucharist is both gift and offering. What we have received, we return.
Week 3 — StewardshipJune 14. Honoring the gift, not squandering it. Preserving what has been entrusted to us and advancing the church's mission in the world as we find it today.
Week 4 — CommunionJune 21. Shared responsibility. The parish is sustained not by a few but by the participation of all who belong to it.
Week 5 — LegacyJune 28. This has all been handed down to us. Now it's our turn. What we inherited, we hold in trust.
Week 6 — ResponseJuly 5. Practical paths to give. Envelope, online, recurring, planned giving. Pick one you can sustain.
Parish Giving Series
May 31 – July 5, 2026 · Six Sundays
At Annunciation, we root our understanding of stewardship in the Precepts of the Church — the duties every Catholic is called to fulfill as a member of the Body of Christ. These precepts are not suggestions. They are the foundation of a practicing Catholic life, and they are what we commit to when we present our children for Baptism, when we are confirmed, and when we call this parish our spiritual home.
Fr. Felix has opened a six-week Parish Giving Series to walk through what these precepts ask of us — not just in theory, but in practice, here, at Annunciation. Each week's reflection is posted below and explored in the Sunday bulletin.
The Precepts of the Church
1. Keep holy the day of the Lord's Resurrection. Worship God by participating in Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation. Avoid those activities that would hinder renewal of soul and body — needless work and business activities, unnecessary shopping, and so forth.
2. Lead a sacramental life. Receive Holy Communion frequently and the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly — ideally once a month as a healthy practice. At minimum, receive Reconciliation at least once a year (obligatory annually only if serious sin is involved) and receive Holy Communion at least once a year, between the first Sunday of Lent and Trinity Sunday.
3. Study and advance the Catholic faith. Prepare for Confirmation, be confirmed, and then continue to study Catholic teaching and advance the cause of Christ.
4. Observe the marriage laws of the Church. Give religious training, by example and word, to one's children. Use parish schools and religious education programs.
5. Strengthen and support the Church. Contribute regularly and proportionally to the financial support of one's own parish community and parish priests. Give of one's time and talent in service to the parish. Support the worldwide Church and the Holy Father.
6. Do penance. Abstain from meat and fast from food on the days appointed by the Church.
7. Join in the missionary spirit and apostolate of the Church. Transmit the Faith to all people everywhere.