Reflections in Generosity
A few highlighted stories from our donors…
When my husband and I moved to Valrico 19 years ago we knew we had found the religious home for our young family at St. Stephen. In 1998 when our second child was diagnosed with autism and a seizure disorder, the church rallied around us. Most people were kind as we struggled to keep him quiet in the pews, but almost every week there was someone who didn’t understand. Many times we were asked why we didn’t leave him at home and every week we had to deal with the unintentional stare or the “I can’t hear” stare or the usher feeling responsible to keep the church quiet stare. As hard as it was we never missed Mass. By the time he was 15, it was just too much. Twelve years had worn us down. Fr. Bill told us it was alright because children with disabilities complete the family. This was so sweet, but we knew the stress was just too much for everyone. So… with permission we stopped bringing him. That was four years ago… The new church will have a place for our whole family. Similar to when you leave a family home for a new one, there will be so many things you miss. When the home no longer has all the things you need for your family, however, you have to move to a new home. It will be hard for us to leave this building with all its memories, but our church family has outgrown this space. Our family has needs that this building cannot provide. I thank you for supporting the Building our Future Together Campaign. We gave our sacrificial pledge because we believe that everyone should have a place in the family home. That is what we are doing, building a new parish family home!
Yours in Christ,
Faithful parishioners D and P
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Dear Father,
I really care about our new church. I really want the new church because I don’t like having Mass in the Flex Room – it is too small. All of the grades should attend Mass together instead of as separate groups. Building the new church and St. Stephen Center would also let us have lunch in a big room instead of in class and in the halls. A new church means we will see deacons and priests more, too.
P.S.-I’ll also get my very own name on a plaque in the new church!
Faithful student O at St. Stephen (age 8) who made a pledge
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My husband and I were part of our church's restoration in Brooklyn, N.Y. and we felt it was an investment for our family's future. When his Dad passed away and we had his funeral Mass there, we were so happy to see the beauty and warmth of the restored church. It looked brand new and we feel the same way about St. Stephen. The pledge for the new church is an investment for our family again, this time for our grandchildren who attend St. Stephen Church. Eventually, they will marry and be so proud to be a part of their new church. We also look forward to celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary in 8 years at our new St. Stephen Church!
God Bless you all,
Faithful Parishioners J and S
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Why did we get involved in the Building Our Future Together campaign? After much discussion and prayer, we felt like God was leading us to participate both financially and physically. We felt like it’s our turn. We’ve belonged to a number of other parishes where the churches were built by others long before we arrived. Why not us? Why shouldn’t we help build our own church for us and those that will come after us? It’s been both challenging and rewarding but most of all it’s been spiritually uplifting. We’ve met and gotten to know so many people that we “only saw on Sundays” and have been genuinely touched by their generosity and their sacrifice. As the campaign has gained momentum, we have felt the excitement level rise. Our children have gotten caught up in the excitement as well and decided to make their own personal pledges. Much of our lives center around St. Stephen and the parish family, so we decided that this is the best way we can show our appreciation and support for the future.
God Bless! Faithful parishioners J and M
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We were members of many parishes while in the military, and we benefited from the generosity of others who built the churches in which we worshipped. We were fully prepared to make a contribution when the campaign for a new church began at St. Stephen, but the amount we were asked to give was substantially more than what we originally had in mind. With one of us working less than full-time, and an ongoing family crisis draining some of our resources, we did not know if we would be able to pledge the amount requested. After much discussion and prayer—not to mention a good deal of number crunching—we were able to separate out funds truly needed for our family’s welfare from discretionary items we could sacrifice, and we were able to commit to the requested pledge. Fulfilling our pledge has not been easy, but we know the sacrifice we are making today will help benefit the many families worshipping at St. Stephen, both now and for generations to come.
Yours in Christ, Faithful parishioners R and M
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As a retired couple, my wife and I
face some challenges that are not always obvious. Our retirement income
does not change and increases in food prices and gasoline (to name a few) means
that our disposable income is actually getting less. Making a long term
pledge to build a new church was a difficult decision which we gave significant
prayer. Then we made the decision that if not us, WHO? So in spite
of the financial obstacles and the idea of planning for the next three years,
we stepped up and made the decision to offer our spiritual pledge to assist
those that come after us to worship in a church worthy of our Catholic
faith. We would ask any retired couple at St. Stephen and indeed everyone
to consider making a pledge. Imagine how you will feel knowing that
you have supported your children, grandchildren and even your great
grandchildren in building a new House of Worship for them as well as others.
God Bless you all,
Faithful Parishioners J and P
Dear Father,
Remember the video you played about building a new and improved church? I want to help you follow that dream. Here is some money from my family’s yard sale! I sold a bunch of my toys. I wanted so badly to spend some of it, but I knew a new church was way more important than me. I hope the $59 will help.
From,
Faithful little girl K
P.S. I didn’t spend a penny!
I joined St. Stephen three years ago. Shortly thereafter I met my husband and we have been married for 15 months. While we were engaged, we visited several parishes near our future home. We found none that compared to the warmth, openness and family atmosphere of St. Stephen. It was an easy decision to make St. Stephen our home, even though our drive is over 45 minutes one way. In our short time as parishioners, we have seen the need for more space and fully support building the new church. We had no idea how much we would pledge, however, we liked how Fr. Bill described the giving of a “sacrificial” gift. My husband worked on a 5 year rough budget and we said many prayers to help us determine our pledge. We submitted our sacrificial gift with much joy and anticipation for what the future holds here at St. Stephen. We pray every day for all St. Stephen parishioners and hope that with God’s grace, you are able to make that sacrificial gift as well. We will leave the rest in God’s hands!
Yours in Christ,
Faithful parishioners T and J