STEWARDSHIP – A Way of Life
Stewardship is not a program or a fundraising effort or a capital campaign. It is about a life of Christian discipleship and there are astonishing implications for our relationships and daily lives. We can experience life-shaping changes of mind and heart when we commit ourselves to the Lord. We may ask ourselves, “What does Stewardship mean in my life?” Our gratitude for God’s many gifts can be expressed through our prayer, worship, offerings and action. Christian stewardship is actively returning to God a portion of the many gifts – our time in prayer, our talent and our treasure – that we have been given.
As God’s faithful servants, we are called to Stewardship as a way of life by:
- Prayerfully discerning how God has uniquely gifted each one of us
- Reflecting on what priority God and His Church play in our lives
- Deciding how we plan to share these gifts with God and His Church
- Making an intentional, planned and proportionate gift in the areas of time in prayer, talent and treasure.
Here are some links for your further consideration of how you can give first fruits back to God in the areas of PRAYER (time), PARTICIPATION (talent) and GENEROSITY (treasure).
PRAYER, PARTICIPATION and GENEROSITY
Living out our Christian discipleship means that we are good stewards – that we are truly thankful, responsible and generous caretakers of God’s many blessings. As disciples, we are called to follow in Jesus’ example of his complete self-gift by:
- Receiving God’s gifts gratefully
- Cultivating them responsibly
- Sharing them lovingly and in justice with others
- Returning them with increase to the Lord
God has entrusted us with the gifts of material creation, our individual vocation, and the living out of God’s mission through the Church. Gratefully caring for these gifts leads to these tangible examples of stewardship in our daily lives:
- Stewardship of Creation: Respecting life, protecting the environment and developing our world through noble human labor
- Stewardship of Vocation: Faithfully carrying out our unique individual roles in God’s plan
- Stewardship of the Church: Prayerfully sharing our time, talent and treasure to fulfill the mission of the parish, archdiocese and universal church
Click on Msgr. McGread's picture to hear his message about stewardship.
The late Msgr. Thomas McGread is often called the “Father of Stewardship.” He was instrumental in the drafting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pastoral letter, Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response. Watch the video (click on the photo above) to hear Msgr. McGread explain the spirituality of stewardship and the amazing story of how stewardship forever changed Msgr. McGread’s parish — St. Francis of Assisi in Wichita — expanded to the entire diocese of Wichita and has now impacted other parishes across the country.
Living Our Faith... Sharing Our Blessings
Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire - ENGAGE.
FREE for our Faith Community!!!
Our parish has access to premium video content from Word on Fire! These films and videos feature Bishop Barron who has been hailed as “one of the Church’s greatest messengers" - 2nd most-followed Catholic in the world behind only Pope Francis! You can also sign up for one or both of the following Lenten groups:
Interested??? CLICK HERE OR, just text "grateful" to 84576