Enrich Your Faith - Strengthen Your Church

MASS TALK – OSV COMMITMENT WEEKEND
My name is Steve Vanderah and together with my wife Lori we have been members of All Saints for 20 years and we have 4 adult children:
Michelle, Melissa, Jonathan and Nicholas
 I have been a life-long Catholic. I remember going to Mass at St. Michaels which was located about 2 miles up the road in Carney, where the Sorisso Grille is currently located. My parents were founding members of OLIH in Ankeny. We were members of OLIH until 20 years ago when it was clear to us that we needed a new parish. After a short search we settled on All Saints, mostly because of how welcoming it was, and how much it felt like home.

Within a year of joining my wife Lori became a Catechist, and soon afterwards I felt a call to become a Lector, and have been one ever since.

My entire family has been involved in the parish one way or another.  My wife has been a Eucharistic Minister for many years, is once again a
Catechist. I am an active member of the Knights of Columbus. We’ve gone to adult faith classes, attended seminars and various parish events.
Our kids attended and then assisted with religious-ed classes and vacation bible school. Our boys were altar servers and my son Jon now
serves as both a Lector and Eucharistic Minister.

Years ago Father Aiello asked me to join the Parish Council and I said yes, eventually becoming the Council President. Later, Father Shoemann asked me to join the Finance Council and I said yes, eventually becoming the Council President. And because of my family’s involvement Father Harris asked me to speak today and I said yes…and it seems I need to learn how to say NO more often.

Last week Father spoke of getting involved in our parish because we are a family and that’s what families do. This has been so true for my
family. We have come to know many people over the years, people who we now consider friends. We care for them as if they were our real
family. We enjoy their company when we are together and we are concerned and worried about them if they haven’t been around.

Over these years, we could have simply come to Mass, sat in that back pew, and gone about our merry way. But we would not have met so
many wonderful people. Our involvement has not only benefited the parish, but WE have personally and spiritually benefited.
I can attest to these benefits because this spring I had a heart attack and I feel that the prayers that came from those in my parish family have
helped me in my recovery. For example, I have always wanted to, but have never had the motivation to stick to a diet or to do daily exercise. Having a heart attack by itself is motivation to make those changes, but I’ve been able to do better than I, my doctors or anyone else believed I could. I’ve lost 65 pounds so far and have strengthened my heart to where it is back to normal. I attribute this extra motivation and the extra results to the power of all those extra prayers, prayers I would not have been given had we not been active in the parish.

So being involved has benefited me and my family, much, much more than what I have given to the parish. I know that there are others who
are facing their own challenges and they are just as grateful as I am for their parish family. It is truly a blessing to know that we are not alone,
and I cannot even begin to put a price on that.

Our parish offers so many opportunities to get to know one another. All you need to do is take that first step. The brochure you received this
week lists some of those opportunities, as does our weekly bulletin, our website and our Facebook page. Come to an event. Come to a breakfast
or dinner. Come to Adult Faith. Become a Catechist, a Lector or Eucharistic Minister. Be involved in one or more of the various groups &
organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, St Vincent DePaul or the Altar & Rosary Society and help others both in our parish and the
community.

If we can find time to do so many other extra things in our lives, can’t we find just a little time to give to our parish family?

And today, you can take that first step by coming to Coffee and Donuts after Mass, sitting down at a table and getting to know someone you
don’t already know.

But showing our thanks to the parish is not only with the giving of our time and our talents. It also comes in the form of our tithing.

Over the years my family has periodically raised our tithing and we are going to commit to raise it again this weekend. Every time we have given
more, it seems that more blessings have been given to us……and often I wonder if I could give even more. And this has always concerned me.

I can’t help but think of that part of scripture, in Mark chapter 12, about how the rich put large sums of money into the temple’s treasury,
but an old widow put in just a few coins. Jesus said that this poor widow was blessed, because she put in more than all the others. Really?      Just a few coins was more than all the others? Jesus goes on to say she was blessed because the others gave from their surplus, but she gave from her poverty.

What would Jesus say about me? Would He say that I was blessed like He did the poor widow? Would He say that I am giving from my surplus,
or from my poverty? Am I doing all that I can? Those are tough questions for me to ask of myself, and just as tough to answer.

How often do we spend our money without batting an eye? Maybe it’s on those fancy foo-foo coffees several times a week. Maybe it’s
eating out more than we should or buying extra drinks we really don’t need. Maybe it’s on lottery tickets (that’s me, but don’t worry Father,
the parish will benefit if I win!). The point is, it seems like we have no problem spending our money so frivolously.....but yet we don’t spend it
on supporting our faith.

So really it’s up to us. WE, are what WE need. We can do several things that will help. To start, we need to pray for the parish and for each
other. We need to increase our involvement in our parish. Our organizations, parish programs and our events are only as successful as
the efforts and support put forth by all of us. We need to reach out to others who have not been to Mass in a while and are not active in the
parish. Invite them and welcome them back into our family. And yes, today we need you to commit to doing, what you are able to do, to either
begin or increase your tithing.

20 years ago when I first joined the parish, every Sunday Bill Frein Sr.  would say the prayer intention “In thanksgiving for our All Saints Parish
Family” and today at some of the Masses, others continue to carry on that tradition. 

The parish family we speak of isn’t just a group of a few people. It’s all of you here today. It’s all of those who are not here. It’s ALL of us, no
matter who you are and no matter your level of involvement. That’s family. We are family. 

So I end with an invitation for you to get involved. Again, join one of our organizations. Take part in one of the various small groups. Attend
our parish events. 

If you belong to another parish but come here for Mass and your spiritual needs, I ask that you consider becoming a member of the family you have already been a part of. I ask that everyone here today, invite someone to come back to church and become involved.I ask that you
stop by after Mass for donuts. I hear there will be freshly baked cinnamon rolls and sugar biscuits too!

I know I’ve asked you to do a lot, but just like me, you will get a lot more in return once you become involved.

The last thing I ask, is that you pray for and give thanks to God for YOUR, All Saints parish family.
Thank you for listening.