Last winter, I visited a country store in a small town in Maine. It is one of those stores that sells a little bit of everything: clothing, food, hardware, and even wedding gowns. It also carries a great selection of refrigerator magnets and one of them caught my eye. It read: “A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.” When I saw the magnet, I didn’t buy it but its message remained with me and provided some food for thought as winter faded into spring. Nevertheless, given that life is busy and time passes, the message seemed to pass from memory until just recently.

Each year, the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport asks all parishioners to prayerfully consider giving to the Grand Annual Collection in either Holy Family Parish or Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish. These fundraising campaigns are essential components of our parish budgets and they are vitally important to the financial stability of both parishes. This year, our goal was to raise $45,000 at Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish and $75,000 at Holy Family Parish. These goals were lofty, but necessary to ensure that our bills could be paid and our budgets balanced in each parish.

As the end of the fiscal year approached, it appeared that we might not reach our goals in either parish. It wasn’t just that parishioners seemed slow or reluctant to give. It was also that for some reason, our pastoral team and finance councils (myself included) seemed reluctant to ask for donations this year. Finally, I was encouraged to ask you again to dig deeply and to give generously to the Grand Annual Collections. And suddenly, amazing things began to happen! Donation envelopes began arriving! Some were posted by mail. Some were placed in the collection baskets. Some were hand delivered. Some were even personally handed to members our pastoral team before and after weekend Masses.

In all honesty, your generosity was simply overwhelming and miraculous! At the close of business on June 30th, which marked the end of the fiscal year, we raised $46,369 at Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish and $77,188 at Holy Family Parish. For the first time in our four-year history as the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport, both of our parishes reached and surpassed their goals! And although it will still take several weeks to reconcile all of our accounts, it seems safe to say that for the first time in our four-year history, both parishes should have balanced budgets!

Credit for this good news belongs to every parishioner who gives their time, talent, and treasure to make our parishes spirit-filled, vibrant, and welcoming communities of prayer, fellowship, and service. Credit for this good news belongs to everyone who prays for our parishes, our pastoral team, and our fellow parishioners. Credit for this good news belongs to everyone who gave a bunch and to every person who could afford to give just a buck or two. Most of all, credit belongs to the Holy Spirit who inspires us and gives us the courage to live the Gospel, share God’s love, and rebuild the Church.

A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles! It seems strange to take spiritual guidance from a refrigerator magnet. But at this point, it seems more strange not to do so, because my heart is so grateful to you and for you and for so many small miracles of faith, hope, and love that surround us each and every day. Let us pray together in thanksgiving for our blessings and for our challenges. Let us pray together in thanksgiving for each other. And let us pray that each one of us, in our own way, may have grateful hearts that are mag- nets for miracles in our homes, in our workplaces, in our communities, in our country, and in our troubled world! Peace and blessings to all!

Reverend James M. Achadinha, Pastor
Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport
Contact: frjim@ccgronline.com

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