A Note From Father Eickhoff
March 2, 2025
This is another weekend when I as a priest did not need to spend much time preparing a homily. Which is good because hopefully (I am writing this bulletin article on February 18th) I have spent the past week sitting on a beach not thinking about preparing a homily. Now the reason I can get away with not preparing a homily is because this weekend I am asking you to contribute to the 2025 Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal during all the Masses.
Now the Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal supports the activities of the Diocese of Joliet to which St. Anne Parish belongs. Some of these activities are of the important, but mundane variety that the supporting literature and videos you have read or watched do not cover. For example, employees of the Diocese of Joliet assist and support the business managers of all the parishes in the diocese in handling parish finances. This is important work, but I admit it does not make for inspiring pictures of charity in action that the mailings you have received contain. The Annual Appeal does support charitable activities done in the name of the people of the Diocese of Joliet. These charitable activities are important in that they represent help to the less fortunate that no one parish has the resources to provide, but which can be done with the combined resources of the people of the diocese. The Appeal also supports the education and preparation of young men preparing to be priests for our diocese.
For this reason, I encourage you to support the 2025 Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal. If you are reading this bulletin article before Mass begins there will be an opportunity during the Mass to make a pledge or one time donation to the Appeal. If you are reading this after Mass and you did not make a pledge during the Mass you attended, don’t worry you still have the ability to donate to the appeal. If you took an envelope home with you the envelope can be returned next weekend and placed in the collection basket. Or you can go to the Diocese of Joliet website and make a pledge or donation online (if you do, please remember to indicate St. Anne – Oswego as your parish so that our parish gets the credit. We don’t want some other St. Anne Parish to be credited for your generosity. Our generosity only goes so far). Last year St. Anne Parish exceeded our goal amount by a comfortable margin, and I hope that with your help we can do that again this year.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Stephen Eickhoff
Pastor