As I mentioned in last week’s article, I will be taking a few weeks in my articles to discuss the year-end financial reports for our parishes as well as talk about upcoming needs in our parishes. Even though I have been presenting the reports and current needs at each of our parishes over the last month, if you weren’t there that given weekend you didn’t get to hear from me. Furthermore, within our mission field there are many people who go to a parish because of the Mass time, but they want to financially support another parish. These next few articles will allow everyone in the Catholic Parishes of East Duluth to know the needs of each of our churches and to be able to contribute as they feel called.

St. Joseph’s in Gnesen had a good year last year, ending the fiscal year on June 30, 2025 with a surplus of $39,436 of income over expenses. We made our goal for the Ministries Appeal and there aren’t any outstanding bills from projects that were done last year.

Ordinary giving is up slightly this year, and we are well on our way to making our Ministries Appeal goal again this year. As of our last bulletin, St. Joseph’s needs to raise just a little under $5,000 to make our goal by December 31st, 2025. If you haven’t yet made a Ministries Appeal contribution this year, I encourage you to do so and to be as generous as you can to help us make our goal for St. Joseph’s in Gnesen. Thank you to all who contribute so generously to St. Joseph’s in Gnesen, and I ask for your continued support to keep our historic parish beautiful and in good repair.

St. Benedict also had a good year this last fiscal year, with a surplus of $44,200 of income over expenses. We were able to pay of one of our loans earlier than scheduled which was the loan for green colored house that Fr. Lepak lives in. We also exceeded our Ministries Appeal Goal.

Thanks to generosity this last year, and generosity for past years to our building fund, we were able to fully pay for a new boiler for the church which cost about $90,000. We have paid for that in this current fiscal year. Our building fund is now depleted, so I ask for your generosity to help build it back up. When looking at the financial needs of our parish, another thing to keep in mind is we have a remaining balance of $43,365 on the loan from 2007 for our gathering space. It would be great to have this loan paid off so that we could focus our resources on ministry. We are getting close to our Ministries Appeal goal this year with just under $12,000 to raise by December 31st, 2025. Lastly, our ordinary giving is right on track for this current fiscal year. I ask you to please continue to be generous to St. Benedict parish again this year, to help with the needs we have. It is through your stewardship that we are able to accomplish what we can.

Lastly, St. John also had a very good year ending with a surplus of income over expenses of $33,046. We accomplished a lot with the addition of the new parking lot and maintenance building. St. John was the first parish in the diocese to meet their Ministries Appeal goal, and we far surpassed it!

This year we have once again surpassed our Ministries Appeal goal! Great work! For this current fiscal year, I ask for your continued generosity to our parish of St. John. So far this year we have had several expenses incurred in the last fiscal year but paid during this one. These include $33,000 of unanticipated extra expenses for the maintenance building, $5000 of unexpected elevator maintenance, and HVAC expenses for the gymnasium of $10,000. In addition to these we have a need to improve security for our church, especially as it relates to our church and school being one connected building. Items that have been identified are: security cameras for the church, automatic locking system for the main outside doors so that in the case of a school lockdown all of the doors can be locked automatically, replacement of the security door by the parish office into the school to be a solid door, and doors in the basement from the parish social hall to the school cafeteria that can be locked and secured. We want to get these things done as soon as possible so that we can have our church open more regularly for anyone to come in and pray, but for now when we don’t have the office open and it is a school day the church will be locked to ensure safety for the school. Please help donate for this project which is estimated at over $20,000. Lastly, we have a water leak in the northeast stairwell that needs work involving excavation, water proofing, and insulation for $6000. We are slightly behind on ordinary giving at this time, so I ask for you to prayerfully consider increasing your giving to St. John’s parish as well as consider giving to these needed projects.

Thank you to all of our givers in all of our parishes. We cannot do the ministry we do nor maintain the buildings we have without your stewardship. I am grateful to you all. I will continue next week giving updates on more of our parishes. 

God Bless. – Fr Seth

St. Michael: Join the Knights of Columbus for a delicious pancake breakfast this Sunday, October 19 in the Fellowship Hall at St. Michael.  Breakfast will be served starting at 9:30 a.m. and continue after the 11 a.m. Mass.  Cost is $9 per person with a maximum of $20 per family.  All are welcome to come and enjoy good food and fellowship! 

Star of the Sea: First Pancake Breakfast of the season at St. Mary Star of the Sea will be Sunday, November 2.  

We are in need of altar servers at St. Michael.  Anyone interested grade 4 or older is invited to a training with Fr. Jacob at St. Michael on Monday, November 3, from 5–6 p.m. Current servers are also asked to attend.   Call the St. Michael office to sign up at 218-525-1902.  

Our parishes are participating in a baby bottle fundraiser this October to support the Christ Child Society of Duluth, whose mission it is to assist under resourced families in our community. Besides providing for the material necessities for clients served at the Women's Care Center, the CCS also gifts layettes to newborns at the center and parishes who partner with them and provides for needs at the Star of the North maternity Home and other programs. Please pick up a bottle and fill it with change, bills or checks (made out to the Christ Child Society). Please return all bottles by Sunday, October 26.

Stella Maris Academy has received funds to support tuition assistance needs for Sentinel families.  This fund- the Catholic Religious Education Endowment Fund provides for the financial support of educational opportunities for the enrichment of faith and the spreading of the gospel by the laity, deacons, priests, and Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Duluth. Support and more information of this fund can be found at: https://dioceseduluth.org/creed.  We are grateful for the continued support of CREED at Stella Maris Academy.  

All parishioners can unlock free Creighton Model FertilityCare™ instruction through this special opportunity! Charting is beneficial for family planning and for monitoring and supporting reproductive health at all stages of life. Sign up for a free Creighton Model Introductory Session by visiting www.northlandfertilitycare.com.  The upcoming schedule for Introductory Classes is