A budget inserted presented in the fall. A five-year trend report published in January. Now "Faith in the Present, Hope for the Future". Isn’t this a lot of talk about money? Isn’t this the kind of thing that makes people say the Catholic Church only cares about the money? Yes, sometimes—certainly not always—we talk about money. But, that’s because you—the Church, the People of God—have a right to financial transparency. What if we didn’t talk about money at all? What if we let a deficit grow? Or what if we hid a down turning trend (which, I emphasize, we do not have!)? You’d have every right to say then: Why didn’t we know? Why didn’t you tell us? Remember, we only talk money to strengthen the mission of the Church—the proclamation of God’s word, the celebration of his life-giving sacraments, the service of those in need, the invitation to every person to know Jesus Christ. Your pledge—however much it changes or doesn’t change—lets us know what we have to work with in the coming year. Your pledge confirms our common faith, shapes our future hope.