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Dear Parishioners,

In today's Gospel, Jesus asks to see a coin. He holds it up and says, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" They answer, "Caesar's." And Jesus replies, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God" (Matthew 22:20-21).

The coin bore Caesar's image, but God's image is stamped on us. We belong to Him. Everything we have is His gift, entrusted to our care for a time. That is the heart of stewardship: receiving what God gives, caring for it, and one day handing it on.

Our parish and mission are part of that trust. Those who came before us built this church and passed it on to us. Now it is our turn to care for it and prepare it for those who will come after.

I need to speak with you about our church's air conditioning. The current unit is original to the building. It has served us for decades, but it is worn out, and replacing it is now necessary. A new system, along with the electrical and ductwork updates required by code, will cost $115,000.

What weighs on my heart is not just the cost, but the thought of someone staying home from Mass in July because the church is too hot. For many, that heat is a matter of health. I want this church to remain a safe and comfortable place for all who come to worship. For this reason, we have begun the Keep Lourdes Cool: Air Conditioning Fund.

I know how faithfully so many of you already support Our Lady of Lourdes. I ask each household to pray about making a sacrificial gift to this fund, according to your means, so we can keep our parish cool, welcoming, and safe for everyone.

In today's second reading, St. Paul thanks God for the Thessalonians, remembering their "work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3). I give thanks for you in the same way. Caring for our church, including keeping it cool, is one way we love those who gather here now and those who will gather here long after we are gone.

If you are able to help, there are three ways to give:

• Through our website, ololscw.org (select Keep Lourdes Cool: Air Conditioning Fund)
• By directing a gift from your IRA's Required Minimum Distribution through a Qualified Charitable Distribution. The parish office can assist you.
• By check, placed in the collection or brought to the parish office. Please write "Keep Lourdes Cool: Air Conditioning Fund" on the memo line.

The psalm says, "Give to the LORD the glory due his name," and "Bring gifts and enter his courts" (Psalm 96:8). We do not buy our way into His courts. He has already invited us. We simply bring what we can, and we come in.

Your generosity has sustained this parish for many years. I am grateful for you, and I ask you to keep me in your prayers as we care for our parish home together.

May God bless you all.

In Christ.

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