Our Parish Mission Statement:

Rooted in the Most Holy Eucharist and the other Sacraments, St. Patrick Church of Merna welcomes all to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through stewardship, by loving and serving others through our God-given gifts.

In John 15, Jesus said “remain in Me” seven times! When something is repeated in Scripture, it is a good indication that it is of importance. The number seven means completeness. If we desire wholeness in our relationship with Jesus, we need to “remain in Him.” 

In the imagery of vine and branches, the analogy that we need to be pruned of anything that does not produce good fruit and to be healed of anything that may separate us from God, is Jesus’ way to remind us of His love, with the invitation to entrust ourselves completely to His divine providence. Thus, we can delight in this abiding with Him, even to the glories of eternal life. The modified definition of remain is to “continue to exist;” and  prune, “to eliminate unnecessary matter so that it will grow better in the future.” To “remain in Me,” to continue to exist and grow in Him and receive continual graces, we need our vines pruned.

How? In a recent homily, Fr. Schultz shared that our spiritual life is one of our ways to “remain in Him.” We were given the gift of Jesus in our souls at Baptism, but unfortunately, in our humanness, we sin, and those sins need pruning so as to not hinder our relationship with Jesus. Utilizing the gift of reconciliation, a sacrament of healing, is a way to ask forgiveness for our sins, the unwanted parts of the vine that won’t produce good fruit. Through this we are cleansed. 

Likewise, John 15 parallels that of John 6, “The Bread of Life Discourse.” The source of nourishment for our vines to thrive is to receive the Eucharist, Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, as often as we can so that He “remains in us” and “us in Him.” Remain with Him in Adoration, even for 15 minutes, or in quiet time at home, in your car or at work, as often as you can, and just talk to Jesus, Who is always with you.

According to one of Fr. Matt’s favorite authors, John Bergsma, “When we put our faith into action by performing deeds of love, then we know we are actually living in Christ and He in us.”  As the Easter season concludes, allow the Lord to “grow a garden of holiness within you” (adapted quote), as you grow in good habits, and the new vines you began in Lent that transformed and pruned you, so you “remain in Him” and He remains in you in this life and onward to the next.

In his homily on 11/12/23, Fr. Schultz discussed Stewardship and what it means for our Parish. Below are some highlights to consider as you move forward living a life Rooted in Christ:

  • The History 
    • Both Fr. Jerry and Fr. Greg had profound visions for our Parish and Fr. Schultz wanted to continue their visions while considering the current needs of our Parish. He introduced Stewardship under the theme of Rooted in Christ. 
  • Definition of Stewardship
    • Stewardship is a way of life. It is Rooted in Christ using the gifts of Time, Talent, and Treasure through Praying, Serving, and Giving.
  • Vocabulary
    • The addition of the verbs praying, serving, and giving were introduced to help parishioners better understand the relationship that Time is praying, Talent is serving, and Treasure is giving
  • Stewardship is Biblical
    • 1 Peter 10 “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve another as good stewards of God’s varied grace”
    • 1 Chronicles 14 and 16 “…For everything is from you, and what we give is what we have from you”; “Lord our God, all this wealth that we have brought together to build you a house for your holy names comes from you and is entirely yours.”



Click Here to View the History of Stewardship at St. Pat’s

Parish Stewardship Council Members

  • Father Dustin Schultz
  • Father Matt Deptula
  • Deacon Mike Pool
  • Lynette Mehall, Chair
  • Brenda Seger, Steering Committee
  • Jenny Cook, Communications
  • Jeff Lopez, Stewardship Director
  • Marylynn Meredith, Time
  • Janis Lancaster, Talent
  • Becky Foley, Finance
  • Rusty Schopp, Finance
  • Troy Morris, Eucharistic Revival
  • Bobbi Hassel, Religious Education
  • Bob Freitag, Adult Formation
  • Julia Nalwejaka, Youth Ministry