Tithing
As you know a few years ago our parish began tithing 5% of our Sunday collection to aid worthy charities. Our first charity was to help the poorest of the poor in Haiti. We were able to have homes built and a few wells dug for the people.
Several months ago, as a parish council, we decided we wanted to begin assisting other charities with our parish tithe. I had recently received from the Congregation of the Missions (the Vincentian Order of Priests) their Province Report... detailing their mission work in Kenya, as well as their mission work in more than 100 parish communities in the U.S. They are celebrating 200 years of service in the United States.
Besides our own, very dedicated parishioners who minister in our St. Vincent DePaul Society in our parish, we have a lot of connections with the Vincentians who have been ministering in the Archdiocese of St. Louis for many, many decades.They also staff several parishes in the Archdiocese. And Sister Brenda, of the Company of the Daughters of Charity -- the sister order of the Vincentians -- has been bringing her gifts and talents to our parish as our Liturgical Music Director and with our Presentation Art Center (PAC).
So, we decided to begin assisting the Vincentians in their mission work with our parish tithe.
I received a letter from Fr. Ray Van Dorpe, C.M. the Provincial Superior of the Vincentians, thanking our parish for a $5000 gift to build a greenhouse at Makutano, Thigio in Kenya. Our "greenhouse" gift will be an ongoing and viable source of food and nourishment for their priests and parish community.
In gratitude for our gift our parish is being remembered in prayer by the retired Vincentian priests and brothers at St. Mary of the Barrens in Perryville.
SAMPLE GREEN HOUSE RECENTLY BUILT
IN ANOTHER AREA
PROPOSED SITE OF GREEN HOUSE
GREEN HOUSE TO BE BUILT AT HOLY SPIRIT MAKUTANO PARISH
These are photos of the computers and desks that were provided to the school children at the St. Vincent DePaul Academy school in Kenya.
This was made possible through our parish’s generous tithing to the Vincentians in their African missions.
All this is made possible because of your generous tithing to our parish