We are extremely grateful for the support of parishioners during the past year as we faced unique challenges created by the pandemic. The parish responded generously to maintain St. Catherine’s operations and preserve its financial position. Please click on the article title to read our Semi-Annual Parish Financial Update for more detailed information on our financial status. Please contact Alan DeMars at ademars@stcatherinesiena.org or Father Mark at FatherMark@stcatherinesiena.org with any questions, concerns, or if you would like greater detail.

New! We have a "Text to Give" option at the Parish through Vanco. Click on the article title to check out our flyer for more information. Email Al DeMars at ademars@stcatherinesiena.org or Linda Reaume at lreaume@stcatherinesiena.org with any questions.

All 2020 tax statements with contributions totaling more than $500 will be mailed by January 25. Tax statements with less than $500 in contributions can be mailed or emailed upon request. Email Al DeMars at ademars@stcatherinesiena.org with any questions.

All Charitable donations must be postmarked no later than December 31, 2020, to be included on your 2020 tax statement. Any donations postmarked or received after December 31 will be credited to your 2021 tax statement. Due to the varied processing times of the credit card companies and banks, credit card and ACH check donations made at the end of the year may not be processed before December 31, 2020, and will be included in your 2021 tax statement.

During the holiday season, your donations to this congregation are needed and so appreciated. We offer many convenient ways to give whether you are giving in person, online, or via text. For more information on online giving, please visit our website for more information at http://www.stcatherinesiena.org/give. To use "Text-to-Give" simply text the amount of your gift to (844) 311-5105. For example, if you wanted to give $10, text the number 10 to 844-311-5105 and follow the instructions on the reply text. We hope you enjoy this new, easy-to-use service! Questions? Please contact Linda Reaume (lreaume@stcatherinesiena.org or (269) 978-2346).

In response to the pandemic, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress and includes a provision that waives required minimum distributions (RMDs) for 2020. While RMDs are waived for 2020, Qualified Charitable Deduction, or QCDs, remain a viable tax strategy. Also, during the pandemic and reduced parish attendance, your QCD could be more valuable than ever to the Parish. We’ve compiled a few frequently asked questions about this program. Please click on the article title to read these questions and answers. If you have any other questions, please contact Alan DeMars at ademars@stcatherinesiena.org or 978-2338 or Linda Reaume at lreaume@stcatherinesiena.org or 978-2346

All charitable donations must be postmarked no later than December 31, 2020, to be included on your 2020 tax statement. Any donations postmarked or received after December 31, 2020, will be credited to your 2021 tax statement. Due to the varied processing times of the credit card companies and banks, credit card and ACH check donations made at the end of the year may not be processed before December 31, 2020, and will be included in your 2021 tax statement. If you have any questions, please contact Al DeMars (ademars@stcatherinesiena.org or 978-2338) or Linda Reaume (lreaume@stcatherinesiena.org or 978-2346).

Recently, the Michigan Catholic Tribune highlighted our Pastor, Father Mark, and his appeal to our parish to support this year's Bishop's Annual Appeal (to read the article, please click on this news item's title). We only have a few weeks left until the "pledge" portion of the 2020 Bishop's Annual Appeal (BAA) Campaign is done for the year. We hope you will consider supporting our parish by contributing to the 2020 BAA Campaign! Thank you all for your support and your prayers during this time and always. Our Parish BAA Goal: $283,014 Total Pledged: $185,560 Total Paid: $133,331 Number of Pledges: 387

Thank you to the 252 families who have pledged about $122,000 toward our parish's 2020 BAA goal of $283,014! We're incredibly grateful for your generosity and your support. As a reminder, once 50% ($141,507) of our parish BAA goal has been *paid* (not just pledged), any contributions beyond that amount will be returned directly to our parish to support our mission and our programming. As mentioned at this weekend's Masses, Father Jeff has created a video on his experience as a Bishop Annual Appeal supported seminarian (before becoming a priest) and how he ministers today in many of the BAA supported ministries. To view this video, please visit http://bitly.com/FrJeffBAA2020. To learn more about the Bishop's Annual Appeal and what it funds, or, to make your pledge, please go to the Bishop's Annual Appeal page of the Diocesan website: https://diokzoo.org/bishops-annual-appeal.

Our 2020 Bishop's Annual Appeal campaign continues following last week's commitment weekend. Have you returned your pledge card or pledged online yet? Please visit the Bishop's Annual Appeal page of the Diocesan website ( https://diokzoo.org/bishops-annual-appeal) for more information on this year's campaign and a link to their online donation portal. Remember - once our parish reaches 50% of this year's goal, every dollar paid thereafter comes directly back to our parish to directly support our ministries and programs. Thank you in advance for your generous support.

This weekend we make our commitments to the 2020 Bishop's Annual Appeal campaign. All registered households in the Diocese should have received a letter and a pledge card from the Diocese of Kalamazoo in the mail. Please bring that completed pledge card with you when you come for Mass this weekend and drop it in the dropbox near the Baptismal Font. If you didn't receive a pledge card or need another one, you can find one here: https://bit.ly/2020BAAPledge. Remember, once the parish reaches 50% of its 2020 goal, every dollar donated beyond the 50% point is returned directly to the parish to support our own programming and ministries. To learn more about the Bishop's Annual Appeal and what those funds support, please visit the Diocesan website: https://diokzoo.org/bishops-annual-appeal. Thank you in advance for your support and your generosity!