April 19, 2026, 12:00 PM
I’ll admit it. There are a lot of times when I ask you to do something. There are a number of times when I tell you to do something.
I tell you when there’s a holy day of obligation. I tell you you’re supposed to come to Mass on those days— and all the Sundays of the year. Sometimes I ask you to avoid a very crowded Mass (e.g., 4pm Christmas Eve) or to attend a very important Mass (e.g., the Easter Vigil). I encourage you to make confession on a regular basis. I’ll always tell you to pray. I’ll invite you to educational and spiritual offerings in the parishes. I’ll beg you to help out in all sorts of ministries. I’ll ask you to be good stewards of God’s blessings as you support your parishes and your diocese.
But, there is one thing that I have never asked a parishioner to do. One thing that I will never ask a parishioner to do.
I have never asked anyone to run out and buy gift cards.
I will never ask anyone to run out and buy gift cards.
If you receive an email from me, from Fr Dias, from the chair of the Pastoral Council that asks you for gift cards: it’s a scam.
I know sometimes these sound convincing. The email address looks a little bit like the one on the bulletin. The tale that I need them for gifts to the staff sounds kind of reasonable (until we consider that I’m quite capable of walking into any grocery store and purchasing gift cards). Not all the requests are completely ridiculous—you know, the ones where I seem to have drastically misspelled my surname or where I claim to be stranded in Portugal on a day when you just saw me crossing the street.
Smart people fall for these things. More importantly, caring people fall for these things. I’m sorry this stuff happens. But, be careful.
Bottom line: I will never, never, never email you requesting gift cards. Any email to the contrary is a lie and a scam. Delete it immediately!
Fr. McCreary
