Enlisting

Starting up adult life in a new place has come with its hefty burden of costs, and I don't mean emotional things in this case. My bank accounts have taken a huge hit thanks to moving and beginning new in a different state at a new job.

I've paid an urgent care clinic for a TB test, a Live Scan station for fingerprinting, the California DMV a large sum for new car registration, license plates, and a driver's license, my apartment complex for a credit check as well as a SureBond deposit, and probably a few others that have gotten lost in my mental shuffle.

I had set up a tentative budget for myself related to how I'll be paid, but I didn't fully appreciate the full force of footing all of these bills. The important thing to me in starting up here could have been easily overlooked - after finding an apartment, getting used to roads and directions, finding my grocery store, getting auto and renter's insurance, etc, I needed to find a new parish.

And for me, finding a parish wasn't just picking a place to show up to most if not all Sundays. I wanted to find a place I could call home and feel welcomed at, where liturgy and worship gave me the focus on God that I ought to find.

I found my parish, and after attending Sunday mass a few times, I registered with the parish. I think this is an important step, though one that some might choose to not take. Maybe some people don't want to settle down to one parish and commit to it indefinitely; maybe others prefer to remain anonymous, to not receive the mailings and pleas for money or time. I wanted all of that. I want to look in the bulletin and know that the calls for donations to charities, for ministers for the masses, and requests for prayers are directed at me. I want to a place that I can give to and receive from, and part of that is getting those pesky envelopes in the mail, putting a budgeted amount of money in them, and bringing them to Sunday mass each week for the basket.

It's not to say that it's wrong or sinful if you're not registered to a parish and a regular contributor; it must be a decision of your own conscientiousness. But I feel responsible to make a contribution (for now, $5/week) to help support the staff and outreaches and facilities of the parish. Moreover, as I begin a new job and have yet to get a handle on how my days and weeks will unfold in terms of time commitments, I am waiting to reach out to coordinators of ministries or other groups in the parish to offer myself for things going on in the parish. So for now, I really value the small contribution I can make in the basket each week as a way of beginning to manifest my commitment. It isn't meant to be loud or emphatic, but my God and I know the steps I am beginning to make.

A few months ago as I described my budgeting thought process to a friend, he cautioned against my focus on monetary contributions. I have been trying to be highly intentional about charitable giving in these first few years of independence so that I can make it a habit for my adult life. However, I must have used stronger language or tone when describing it because my friend made sure to push me back in the direction of giving my time. He wanted me to remember and appreciate the value that dedicating one's time can have, and for that emphasis to not get forgotten under the habit of giving money into the baskets.

At this point, I'm beginning with the dollars-in-the-basket approach as I feel out how my time commitments at my new high school will sort themselves out. Our school is Catholic, and my work will involve ministry and service quite heavily. However, I still want to be active in the parish as well. So I'll work my way toward finding and contributing a fitting combination of my time and treasure. And I hope we all can discern the combination that we are able to give.