Hopes for generous participation in DAA

September 9, 2004

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There is an old adage that I, and perhaps many of you can remember, "No risks, no gain." We can honestly say that in our present age this is also true - that before we take on any new venture or task we do a lot of investigating and calculating - thus a present day adage could be, "No risks, no losses."

Unfortunately, this often is also true in our relationship with God and how we serve him. Every now and then it is good and helpful for each one of us to focus on a person in the Bible, a saint, or someone we know in our life who agreed to serve God, possibly without any hope of ever knowing if their service to God would make a difference to anyone. They did it because they believed this was what God wanted.

Let's try it! The point of our focus on that person is to help each one of us realize that our work in our parish church and our local diocese is done with the belief that what we have to give can favorably shape, change, and make a difference.

For the past 29 years, the Diocese of Sioux City has conducted a financial drive, the Diocesan Annual Appeal (DAA) to realize funds for various projects and programs on a diocesan level.

This Diocesan Annual Appeal is providing a way of stewardship in common for us all in this local church to choose the path outlined by God. It is a true act of wisdom. It is taken on faith. It is an encouragement for us all to make a difference. It is our choice of action to be a true witness to the Lord Jesus who has said, "Take a risk" on our common journey of faith.

You will soon be receiving a Diocesan Annual Appeal mailing. I hope that you will take some time to read it and then consider a generous donation to benefit this local church of Sioux City. I do encourage more of the faithful in our diocese to take part in this annual act of stewardship and solidarity.

Once you have reached your decision, kindly place your DAA envelope with the enclosed pledge and/or check in your parish collection.

I am grateful to all in the diocese for the generous assistance to DAA these past 29 years. You have taken "risks" and you have brought about "gains." Wisdom tells us the person you focused on made a difference because of their belief that God made a promise to bless them and he did. You also will see that God will follow through the promise he makes to bless you for your faith and generosity.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Rev. Msgr. Roger J. Augustine
Diocesan Administrator