"Among our tasks as witnesses to the love of Christ is that of giving a voice to the cry of the poor."
Pope Francis, Address to the Archbishop of Canterbury, 6/14/13
Stewardship is utilizing and managing all of our gifts, talents, resources that God provides us to the glory of God and the betterment of His creation. Stewardship means generous giving of time and talent as well as treasurers to serve others in the parish, in the community, in the diocese, in our country and in the nations of the world. Faithful citizenship in God's kingdom means constantly and consistently practicing stewardship through our actions and active participation in our faith community by volunteering our time and talents in parish ministries:
- Evangelization - share our faith at every opportunity by talking with family, friends and even strangers about the Good News in the Bible and how Jesus came to save us and set us free of our bondage of sin.
- Inviting family and friends to mass.
- Supporting and encouraging those who are interested in becoming Catholic to further investigate our faith with our R.C.I.A. program.
- Encouraging those Catholics who have been away to return home to church.
- Encouraging those over 18 who have not completed all of their Eucharistic sacraments to join our Adult Confirmation classes.
- Encouraging parents within the parish to enroll their children in our Religious Education classes to prepare their children to receive their sacraments.
- Service and Outreach Ministries - serve and help others in the parish and in our community
- Prayer Ministries - pray for and with others - regardless of your circumstances, you can always pray for someone else!
- Pastoral Care Ministries - minister to those in need
- Liturgy and Worship Ministries - serve the parish in many ways during Mass
- Volunteer to help in the parish office or Religious Education office or the parish facilities and grounds crew
- Give consistently, generously and often to Regular and Special Collections
- Seek opportunities to serve others for the kingdom of God
Stewardship is a Way of Life that has many rewarding experiences waiting for you.
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 25:21
"There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.
To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy;
to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.
As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many... But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended.
If they were all one part, where would the body be? But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.”
Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this.
But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,
so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.
If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.
1 Corinthians 12:4-26