God’s gifts God’s worksUsing to do

Stewardship

prepared for the diocese of lafayettelafayette, louisiana

byconnie kleinpeter, director of development

©2005, diocese of lafayette

pastoral letter - bishop michael jarrell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3stewardship basics - thoughts from u.s. bishop’s pastoral . . . . . . 4

i. getting stewardship started in the parish

the pastor’s role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5forming a stewardship committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6how to select stewardship committee members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6duties of a stewardship committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8

ii. components of a successful stewardship effort

census . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9personal letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9homilies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9lay witness testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9prayers of the faithful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9bulletin articles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10bulletin announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10ministry fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10follow-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10thank-you letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10continuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10annual renewals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

iii. stewardship education modelcomponents, materials & implementation timeline . . . . . . . . . . 11begin the process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12bulletin article - introducing stewardship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13bulletin article - stewardship of prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14sharing gifts of prayer brochure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15commitment card - stewardship of prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16pastor’s letter - prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17pastor’s follow-up letter - prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18pastor’s thank-you letter - prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19bulletin article - stewardship of ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20sharing gifts of ministry brochure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21commitment card - ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22pastor’s letter - ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23pastor’s follow-up letter - ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24pastor’s thank-you letter - ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25bulletin article - stewardship of finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26sharing gifts of finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27commitment card - finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28pastor’s letter - finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29pastor’s follow-up letter - finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30pastor’s thank-you letter - finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

iv. help for the stewardship presenterhomily outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32tips for the lay presenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33tips for preparing and delivering a talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

v. appendix

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is Stewardship?

Stewardship is an expression of discipleship with the power to change how we understand and live out our lives.Disciples (followers of the teachings of Jesus) who practice stewardship recognize God as the origin of life, the giver of freedom, the source of all they have and are and will be.Good stewards know themselves to be recipients and caretakers of God’s many gifts.Good stewards are grateful for what they have received and eager to cultivate and share their gifts out of love for God and one another.

What is the Church’s Interest in Stewardship?

In recent decades many Catholics have entered into the mainstream of American society.This process has widened the “split between faith and life” which Vatican II saw as “the most serious errors of our age” (Gaudium et Spes, no. 43).The Church faces vexing questions:• How to use people’s gifts and charisms • How to empower the laity• How to recognize the role of women• How to affirm racial, cultural and ethnic minorities• How to overcome poverty and oppression, these and many

other issuesMany Catholics are generous of giving of themselves and their resources to the Church.Others do not respond to the need in proportion to what they possess.The Church now suffers a lack of resources which seriously hampers its ability to carry out its mission and obstructs the people’s growth as disciples.Church support by the people is important, including the sharing of time, talent, and treasure.Church support in its broader context addresses what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.Essentially, it means helping the Church’s mission with money,time and personal resources of all kinds.This sharing is not an option for Catholics who understand what membership in the church involves. It is a serious duty.

What Must a Person Do to Be a Christian Steward?

Recognize that stewardship is a long-term continuing process.Understand that stewardship, rooted in Christian Discipleship, is living a sharing, generous and accountable way of life.Express gratitude to God by sharing His gifts in justice and love with others.Recognize that stewardship is not about the Church’s need to receive but an individual’s need to give.

“Thoughts from U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral on Stewardship”

Challenges of aChristian Steward

Today’s dominant secular culture

contradicts Christian values.

Destructive “isms” exercise

powerful and seductive influences.

“Isms” such as materialism,

hedonism (devotion to pleasure),

individualism and consumerism.

Overcoming Challenges

1. Make a conscious, firm decision,

carried out in action, to be

followers of Jesus no matter what

the cost to them.

2. Beginning with a conversion of

mind and heart, over a period of

time, by committing one’s very self

to the Lord stewardship becomes a

way of life.

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There are several steps a pastor should take before starting astewardship program in his parish:

Make the U.S. Bishop’s Pastoral: Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response a resource material, your stewardship guide. (See appendix for Bishop’s Pastoral)

Study, pray and reflect on the words of the pastoral.Internalize your beliefs on words of scripture pertaining to stewardship. Develop a better understanding of the spiritualityof stewardship.Make a personal and official commitment to teach stewardship as the key to Christian discipleship. Look for opportunities in readings and gospels to preach the messageof stewardship. Stewardship is not a program; it is a way of life that has the power to transform the souls of the flock and the life of the parish.Share your stewardship beliefs with your staff, parish leaders, volunteers and brother priests.Give your wholehearted support and be the leader of any stewardship plans and activities in your parish.Assess the needs of your parish and your parish family and create a personal vision of what your parish can be in the futureunder the auspices of practicing Christian stewards.Be the perfect role model for all aspiring Christian stewards in your parish. This includes loving yourself enough to put a priority on managing and caring for your emotional, physical and spiritual needs in addition to your pastoral and administrative duties.Gather together a core group of parishioners to pray and study the precepts of stewardship using pertinent scripture, meditation and discussion. (Use the U.S. Bishop’s Pastoral as a study guide.)Collaborate with your core group. Together develop a plan/a vision for stewardship in the parish.Form a stewardship commission by asking the most enthusiastic, committed, talented and willing members of your core group to serve.Delegate! Recruit a committed parish leader to work with you to start or renew a stewardship education program in your parish.Join the International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC) and participate in exchange programs and conferences.(See appendix for membership application)Incorporate Stewardship Prayers into meetings and other events. Write your own prayer or use existing stewardship prayers. (See appendix for stewardship prayers ordering info.)Be accountable. Parishioners need to know what is happening in the parish as a result of their sacrificial offerings of time, talent and treasure.

THE PASTOR’S ROLE

The Pastor’s Role

The pastor who teaches and preaches

the gospel of stewardship as a way of

life will experience the natural pride of

any parent as he watches his children

thrive, prosper and grow in to a new

dimension of Christian maturity and

spirituality. Much like parents who

work through the many stages, ages and

phases in their child’s life, it will take

time, patience and love on the part of

the pastor to work through the phases of

stewardship. The conversion to

stewardship as a way of life is no easy

trek. There is no quick way to infuse

the concepts of stewardship into the

minds, hearts and souls of the

parishioners. Pastors should not become

disheartened or discouraged during the

sure-to-come ‘dry’ phases of stewardship

activity. He should trust that his

teaching, preaching and sometimes

disciplining will eventually take root

and bear much fruit for the parish

family.

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The stewardship committee should exist under the direction ofthe pastor or the parish council. The stewardship committeeshould never exist under the direction of the finance committee.If a movement towards total stewardship in the parish is to takehold, it must be spiritually based. Stewardship cannot be cloakedin a disguise covering an ulterior motive; the church’s need toreceive, as in money or volunteers. Stewardship can only rootand thrive when the individual acknowledges that all he or shehas is a gift from God. That person will then give out ofgratitude, willingly and lovingly. Gratitude to a loving andgenerous God will then become the only motive for giving.Stewardship is then put in the proper context, it satisfies theindividual’s need to give, and not the church’s need to receive.

The number of members on a stewardship committee will varyaccording to the size of the parish and the number of peoplewilling to serve. Do not restrict the size of the committee.The more people involved, the broader the outreach and thequicker the conversion of individual’s hearts.

How to Select Stewardship Committee Members

The following draws a profile of a potential stewardship committee

member:• Deeply Spiritual - Your spiritual parishioners are easy to spot.

You see them at daily Mass. They display a great love for the sacraments. They exude an aura of serenity and peace that flows from an intimate relationship with Christ. These individuals will serve on a stewardship committee for all the right reasons. Their actions will be prompted by their deep love of Jesus and their gratitude for His gifts.

• Good Stewards - These people live the life of a good and faithful Christian steward. They are committed volunteers andserve selflessly in all aspects of their life, family, church and community. They freely give of themselves no matter what the cost. They are also generous with their financial blessings, always willing to share with those less fortunate. They, more than likely, are your most generous offertory givers.

• Visionary - People who are farsighted. They have the ability and imagination to envision what the parish can be under the auspices of stewardship. They will be able to develop a strategic plan for how the parish can grow spiritually, develop its ministries and increase its outreach. They can write a mission statement for the parish that will guide the goals and direction of the parish in the future.

• Action Oriented - The people selected should be committed, accountable, creative, good time managers, articulate, possess leadership qualities and be willing to get the job done.

FORMING A STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE

Pastors should not neglect this very

important step in building a solid

foundation for parish stewardship. The

stewardship committee is a necessary and

indispensable element in the ultimate

outcome of a parish’s efforts to convert

parishioners to living out their faith by

being good stewards of God’s gifts.

Historically, parishes that have not used

an active stewardship committee to

implement the process have been doomed

to fail. The stewardship committee is as

important as any other commission or

ministry in the parish. For it is, after all,

good practicing Christian stewards who

fill the rosters of parish commissions and

ministries.

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Forming a Stewardship Committee

Stewardship Committee Membersmust be:

Deeply Spiritual

Good Stewards

Visionary

Action-oriented

Duties of a Stewardship Committee:

Note: It would be helpful to create small informal focus groups

comprised of a cross section of parishioners and/or commission members

to assess the needs of the parish and a plan for growth to assist the

stewardship committee in developing goals.Implement a yearly stewardship awareness drive in the parish. Typically, an annual stewardship drive or renewal will include, a homily by the pastor, witness by lay volunteers, two to three mailings to the parishioners (including thank-yous), printing of brochures, collection of commitment cards, placing bulletin articles plus other activities that may be included and designed to educate and communicate.Recruit couples and/or individuals to give pulpit talks sharing their personal testimony about stewardship. This personal witness has proven extremely effective in motivating other parishioners by delivering the stewardship message in a way that they can relate to. (Guidelines and pointers for giving a stewardship talk are included in this manual.)Prepare a catalog of committees, ministries and services offeredby the parish. You will want to publicize the number of opportunities that are available for those who will want to participate in stewardship of ministry. This will be a good timeto evaluate existing services and to add new services and ministries. Include all of your prayer ministries and other activities that provide opportunity for spiritual growth and renewal. Samples of ministry forms are provided and should be customized to fit your parish. (See Appendix.)Conduct a Ministry Fair. (Contact Diocesan Development Office for assistance.) Provide follow-up for stewardship of ministry and prayer components. It is critical that individuals who have volunteered for a ministry or prayer group are contacted and personally invited to become involved. It will be the responsibility of the stewardship committee to contact the various commissions, committees, services, ministries and prayer groups to follow-up and ensure that each and every individual who has volunteered has been contacted. The importance of this function cannot be overstressed. People who volunteer to become involved in parish ministry and are never contacted is one of the reasons many parishioners look upon stewardship as a gimmick for raising money and become very skeptical about the parish’s real reason for implementing stewardship.

DUTIES OF A STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE

•Implement a yearly stewardship

awareness drive in the parish.

•Personal witness by a lay person or

couple serves as a powerful motivator.

•A parish Ministry Fair is an excellent

way to recruit volunteers.

•Immediate follow-up is critical after

someone signs up for a ministry. Get

them on board right away.

•Seek opportunities to provide

stewardship education to parishioners

on a weekly basis.

7

Dispense educational materials on stewardship. The Development Office of the Diocese can provide many resources for brochures, pamphlets, video and audio tapes, newsletters and other educational materials pertaining to stewardship. Many resources can also be found in the appendix of this book. It is essential that the stewardship committee provide ongoing stewardship education. Many parishioners will have to hear the messages of stewardship repeated many times before they will begin to embrace the precepts.Use the parish Sunday bulletin to publish weekly stewardship messages. The committee may find interesting and appropriate material in stewardship publications or get creative and devise stewardship messages pertinent to your parish and parishioners.Include stewardship messages in Prayers of the Faithful at Mass. Collaborate with Liturgical commission to introduce stewardship messages when appropriate.Ask your pastor to include stewardship messages in his homilies on a regular basis. There are many readings and gospels that afford this opportunity over the three-year liturgical cycle. (See Appendix for Scripture quotes pertaining to stewardship.)Evaluate your stewardship efforts on an annual basis and communicate findings to the parish. How is stewardship working in the parish? Are the stewardship education materialsdoing the job? Are volunteers being contacted and activated inthe ministry or post they expressed a desire to join? Have any negative or positive comments/reactions from parishioners been properly addressed? Were your speakers effective? How can the process be improved?Formulate plans to begin stewardship education for children in the parish. Work stewardship concepts into religious education. Educate your religion teachers. Distribute children’s envelopes to the children in the parish and encourage their use. Children’s envelopes are available with entries to indicate good deeds performed for others, special prayers they might have said or portions of their allowance that they gave to God.Conduct annual recognition events for parish volunteers.Form a Hospitality Committee that will welcome and visit newparishioners. New parishioners should be presented with ministry opportunities, a financial commitment card, and church offering envelopes. The visit could include a letter of welcome from the pastor and a small welcome gift.

DUTIES OF A STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE

•Include stewardship messages into

homilies on a regular basis.

•Provide stewardship education to the

children of the parish - stewardship is

not just for adults.

•Conduct annual recognition events for

volunteers.

•Conduct official installation

ceremonies for new committee members.

•Evaluate parish stewardship plan on

an annual basis.

•Form a hospitality committee to offer

new parishioners volunteer

opportunities and sign up to receive

offertory envelopes.

•Stress the use of offertory envelopes as

a way to “‘wrap” gifts to God.

8

Have you ever noticed how a company who wants to advertise anew product or service uses a multi-media approach? Ads for anew soap or cereal or soft drink will appear on television,billboards, in magazines, radio, newspaper and more. Ads arenow appearing on the internet and even in restroom stalls. Thecompetition for attention and patronage of products, services orideas is frantic. The average person is exposed to thousands ofmessages and impressions each day. In order to impact a person’sthoughts or habits, a consistent, ongoing, positive, action-inspiringmessage must be repeated many times.

The secular analogy applies in basic principle to what we try toachieve as we spread the message of stewardship in the parish.

Communication tools that will achieve lasting results:

Census

Keeping track of parishioners, families, age groups, occupations,talents, preferences and such helps the pastor and parish leadersto communicate effectively.

Personal letters

When communicating messages of stewardship, there is no moreeffective way than a personal letter from a pastoral leader aboutthis very personal topic. It is a very personal matter when youask someone to acknowledge God as the Creator of their giftsand remind them that it is an obligation to share their gifts inproportion to what they have received.

Homilies

The pastor or associate pastor should present the Biblical basis forstewardship during the parish stewardship effort. Many gospelsand Sunday readings pertain to stewardship and present manyopportunities throughout the liturgical year to preach thestewardship message.

Lay Witness Testimony

Stewardship testimony by a lay person or couple providespowerful motivation for others.

Prayers of the Faithful

Using prayers of the faithful to call parishioners to live as goodstewards of their gifts of time, talent, and treasure is a goodspiritual motivator.

COMPONENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL STEWARDSHIP EFFORT

•Personal letters are the most effective

way to deliver a stewardship message to

a parishioner.

•Never overlook the opportunity to use

gospels and readings to encourage good

stewardship.

•People who generously volunteer their

time, talent and treasure are usually

eager to share how stewardship has

changed their lives.

9

Bulletin Articles

Bulletin articles are excellent materials to elaborate on thestewardship message. Besides the articles included with theDiocesan manual several resources are listed in the Appendixthat can be used for education and motivation throughout theyear.

Bulletin Announcements

The Sunday Church Bulletin is an excellent way to communicateweekly stewardship messages. Many stewardship resources plusyour own creativity will easily achieve this.

Ministry Fair

Many parishes throughout the United States and in our owndiocese have begun putting on Ministry fairs to attract volunteersfor the parish. Contact your Diocesan Development Office forhelp in getting a Ministry Fair started.

Follow-up

Follow-up for every stewardship effort in the parish is critical. Ifa person volunteers to become a part of a ministry, contact by aperson on the ministry committee should activate the volunteerimmediately. The same applies to someone wanting to join aprayer group, rosary group, etc.

Thank You Letters

Commitments, either verbal or written, by a parishioner shouldalways be followed up by a thank you letter.

Continuity

Parish leaders should always publish and /or announce the resultsof any stewardship effort, i.e. #____ volunteers signed up, #___offamilies or individuals turned in a written financial commitmentto the church. Weekly bulletins should publish weekly offertory.

Annual Renewals

Use every opportunity to talk about stewardship throughout theyear and conduct annual renewals so people can renewcommitments.

COMPONENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL STEWARDSHIP EFFORT

•Church Bulletins are excellent

vehicles to communicate with

parishioners. Use them effectively.

•Ministry Fairs are growing in

popularity as a means of showcasing

ministries and spiritual growth

opportunities as well as recruiting

volunteers.

•Stewardship leaders remind the

faithful to develop an attitude of

gratitude. The same goes for the leaders.

Create occasions to say Thank You!

10

Stewardship Leaders:Be PersistentBe Insistent

Be Consistent

Components:

•Printed Brochures & Commitment Cards or•Photocopied Brochures & Commitment Cards•Bulletin Articles•Pastor’s Letter•Pastor’s Follow-up Letter to non-respondents•Pastor’s Thank You Letter•Telephone and personal follow-up

Materials:

•Complete updated census•Letterhead and envelopes in sufficient quantities to

accommodate all mailings•Response envelopes to return commitment cards•Prayer, Ministry, Finance Brochures & Commitment Cards•Stamps for all mailings•Photocopies of Bulletin Articles

Recommendations for Introduction:

• Prayer should always be the first component introduced in a total stewardship effort. Introduce Prayer in Lent or Advent: These are solemn times when we are called to a deeper spiritual level in our faith lives, making a commitment to prayer during Lent or Advent is a way of preparing us to answer the call to a fuller and richer prayer life.

• Ministry: Early spring or right after Easter is a good time to conduct the Ministry portion of a total stewardship effort. Most committees or ministries slack off during the summer months. Volunteers who sign up can ease their way into full service. Spring and summer months are ideal for orientations and planning the year’s activities.

• Finance: Introducing Finance in November (Thanksgiving/ Harvest/first fruits) is conducive to the Gospel messages of sharing our surplus, bounty or first fruits. An alternative can be to introduce Finance in early January, at the beginning of a calendar year,or in the month that marks the beginning of the parish’s fiscal year is a good time to receive financial commitments to assist in planning the yearly budget.

HOW TO USE STEWARDSHIP EDUCATION MODEL

Timeline Overview• Hold a planning meeting,

determine dates for education

session. You will need to block off a

four-week period to introduce

each element of stewardship plan.

• Allow 8 weeks to prepare. Count

back eight weeks from starting point

of stewardship effort.

• Review Components and

Materials.

• Assign tasks to planning

committee members.

• Begin gathering materials needed

according to the number of

parishioners.

• Determine if you will use an

outside printer or copy your

materials in-house. Place your order

with printer at least 6-8 weeks

before pastor’s letter is mailed.

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BEGIN THE PROCESS

This timeline will apply when introducing each stewardshipcomponent - prayer, ministry, finance.

Three Sundays prior to Commitment Sunday• Place Bulletin Article: “Introduction to Stewardship” in your

Sunday bulletin. (This article will only appear once prior to first phase introduced.)

Two Sundays prior to Commitment Sunday• Pastor gives homily on Stewardship of Prayer, Ministry or

Finance (See Homily Notes, page 30)

• On Monday, (the day after the Pastor’s Homily), the Pastor’s letter on prayer, ministry or finance mails to parishioners. This letter will include brochure, commitment card and response envelope.

One Sunday prior to Commitment Sunday• Lay witness gives testimony on whatever phase of

stewardship process is being covered.

• Bulletin Article for appropriate phase is placed in Sunday Bulletin.

• Announce that next Sunday is Commitment Sunday. Ask that Commitment be turned in either through the mail (in response envelope you provide) or in second collection basket at all Masses. It is appropriate to make a big “show” ofCommitment Weekend through bulletin and pulpit announcements.

Follow-Up After Commitment Sunday

• After commitment Sunday, all people who responded are marked off the list and sent a Thank You letter or card.

• All people who have not responded are sent a follow-up letter with another commitment card and another response envelope.

• If following up on ministry phase, have new volunteers contacted immediately to be welcomed, affirmed and activated. This may also apply to ministry of prayer if someone indicates they want to join a prayer group, Bible study group, etc.

• Follow-up on finance phase, send envelopes to anyone who indicated they want to receive them.

BEGIN THE PROCESS

Commitment Sunday

•Pastor calls for commitments.

•Stress the importance of coming

together as a parish family by

making a tangible sign of

commitment. Commitment cards

should be collected in offertory

basket or mailed in.

12

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United States and abroad. They havetaken their commitment one step furtherby saying in the Stewardship Pastoral, “Werecognize our obligation to be models ofStewardship in all aspects of our lives. Wemust be stewards in our prayer and worship,in how we fulfill our pastoral duties, in ourcustody of the Church’s doctrine, spiritualresources, personnel and funds, in ourlifestyle and use of time and even in suchmatter as the attention we give to personalhealth and recreation.”

By the U.S. Bishops’ definition, “TheChristian Steward is one who receives God’sgifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them in aresponsible manner, shares them in justiceand love with others and returns them withincrease to the Lord.” “Receives God’s giftsgratefully” - Scriptures read “But who am I,and who are my people that we shouldcontribute so freely? For everything is fromyou, and we only give you what we havereceived from you…O Lord, our God, all thiswealth that we have brought together to buildyou a house in honor of your holy namecomes from you and is entirely yours.”(Chronicles 29:14-16) David was favored byYahweh and was allowed to prevail over hisenemies, build a huge empire and hadprosperity promised to his descendants.David knew, without question, that all of hissuccess, prestige, power, and honor were giftsfrom God. In return, he amassed all of hisresources, both human and material, and gaveback to the Lord, in gratitude for his manyblessings. He also influenced his people bysaying “Give Yahweh his due, families ofpeoples, give Yahweh his due of glory andpower, and give Yahweh the glory due to hisname!” (1Chron. 16:26-29)

We must ask ourselves, are we like David?Do we acknowledge that all we possess aregifts from God or are we stubborn andunbending? Do we live by society’s standardsand adhere to the beliefs that our materialbelongings are because we are “self-made” or“we built it from the ground up” or “weearned it the old-fashioned way?” Do weattribute our good health to “good genes” or“clean living?” In our heart do we reallybelieve that we can be anything or doanything without the loving generosity of ourheavenly Father? Health, wealth, vocations,professions, education, job, talents, family,church, environment, and yes, even the air webreathe are gifts. ‘Cherishing these gifts andtending them in a responsible and

accountable manner’ - Once we recognizethat who we are and all we are is a result ofGod’s goodness, do we take our gifts forgranted? Do we believe these gifts are ourGod-given right? Do we squander ourmaterial resources on needless luxuries whilewe observe so many living in abject poverty?Do we take our health for granted and abuseour bodies with excesses of food, beveragesand chemicals? Do we neglect ourenvironment and contribute to the depletionof our natural resources? How do we treat ourmost precious gift of all…our family? Do wegive to our children, our parents, our brothersand sister the love, time, attention andprotection that they deserve? Or, are we toowrapped in our personal wants and needs andself-gratification, hobbies, addictions,forsaking all others? How about our faithcommunities? Our church? Do we feel thatthe tending of the church belongs to thepriest, the sisters, the old, and the retired? Dowe feel that the needs of the church aresomeone else’s responsibility and somethingwe might do later when we have more timeon our hands?

We are reminded of the story of the “LittleRed Hen”. Remember, the little red henplanted the seed, harvested the crop, groundthe wheat and baked the bread. Throughoutthe story she asks for help from the pig, thecow and the horse. No one was willing tohelp her in her mission until the very endwhen the wonderful aroma of the freshlybaked bread permeated the farmyard, thensuddenly everyone was anxious to participatein eating the bread. The little red hencherished her gift of seed; she planted,tended it and transformed the simple gift intosomething wonderful and delicious that couldbe enjoyed by all. She treated her gift in aresponsible and accountable manner. Notonly that, she was willing to share her gift injustice and love with others. We can just hearthe Lord saying to the little red hen, “welldone, good and faithful steward.” If the storyof the little red hen described our faith lifewhere would we fit? Are we like the little redhen? Have we used the Lord’s gifts in aresponsible and accountable manner andshared them in love and justice with others orare we like the barnyard animals that onlywant to come to the table when all the work isdone?

he Diocese of Lafayette extendsfrom the Bayous of the Teche andVermilion to the coastal wetlands of

Vermilion Parish to the rolling, verdantprairies of Acadia, St. Landry andEvangeline Parishes. The mostly rural areais dotted with more cosmopolitan citiessuch as New Iberia, Lafayette, Abbeville,Opelousas and Crowley. It is a region richin culture, steeped in tradition andpredominantly Catholic. There are 90,000Catholic households comprised of 350,000Catholics (figures by Diocesan Office ofResearch & Information.) The Diocese ofLafayette has 143 churches and missions.These houses of worship range from thehistorical; the first church, St. Martin deTours, built in 1765 and St. John Cathedral,quaint country churches like St. John’s inHenry and St. Leo in Robert’s Cove, tomore modern architectural facades such asSt. Joseph in Milton and St. Edmond’s inLafayette.

These churches, no matter the opulence orsimplicity of the structure have one commonthread. These centers of parish worship werebuilt with the love, commitment, toil, humanand material resources of our ancestors andour contemporaries. They were built by goodChristian stewards ‘of God’s varied graces’(1Peter 4:10). It is only today that we definethese acts of religion as acts of Stewardship.Stewardship is really a nouveau word foractions that have been performed, overgenerations and even centuries, by those whohave gone before us.

What does Stewardship mean in our Churchtoday? Prompted by their concerns for thefuture of the Church faced with decliningmaterial and human resources, the UnitedStates Bishops authored a Pastoral Letter in1992, entitled “Stewardship – A Disciple’sResponse.” This pastoral, in essence,empowers the laity to take a more active role,as Christian stewards, in the future directionof the Church by saying, “if Christiansunderstand Stewardship and strive to live itfully, they grasp that they are no less than‘God’s co-workers’ (1Cor. 3:9) with their ownparticular share in His creative, redemptiveand sanctifying work.”

Our Bishops are taking the leadership roleby initiating Stewardship efforts, throughtheir Diocesan Development Offices, inarchdioceses and dioceses throughout the

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I n t r o d u c t i o n t o

STEWARDSHIP

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S t e w a r d s h i p o f

PRAYERbetter results. They became role models,and I had help in living my life by seeinghow they lived theirs. For those who don’thave the opportunity or don’t want to makecontact with a Church-approved renewalmovement group, I would recommendgetting in touch with solid believers whoselives show signs of peace, joy, serenity,balance, and total commitment to God, theChurch and love of neighbor. I wouldcaution against becoming involved withthose who are too caught up in themiraculous, somewhat like spiritual thrill-seekers, or those who concentrate too muchon such matters as “the end times”. Aconcentration on holiness and on doing thewill of God is what is essential in thespiritual life.

Because of the solid teaching I receivedand because these people in the renewalmovement were praying for me, I cameinto the real spiritual dimension I had beenseeking for so long. I began to have muchmore peace and serenity. I had previouslyheld Our Lady at arm’s length, but now Ihave received the grace of a strongrelationship with her. Above all, I foundout that God means what he says, and so Imade a commitment to live up to hisrequests and commandments. I began toreally try to avoid all serious sin and asmuch as possible venial sins. I realized thatGod gives us everything, and we still havenine-tenths of this when, simply becausehe asks us, we give one-tenth of it back tohim. Then he blesses us because we honorhim in this way. As for prayer, I would notsay everyone has to follow my prayerpractices, but I have made the commitmentto pray the rosary every day because OurLady asks for this in many of her Church-approved apparitions. I also say the DivineMercy Chaplet and try to go to weekdayMass when I can as well as Sunday, ofcourse. And I try to have some time to bewith God every day. For me, it’s before Igo to bed at night. For most people, itwould be when they get up in the morning,or whatever. The length of time doesn’t

matter as much as the regularity and theintention to be in contact with God. I usedto pray together weekly with a group ofpeople, but now I pray with a friend once aweek. Ideally, it is good to pray with familymembers when it is possible – notnecessarily lengthy prayer, but some formof prayer – being in touch with God andwith each other.

I have witnessed and experienced thealmost incredible – healings and seeminglyimpossible needs being met, and especiallyconversions of heart. Those are noteveryday occurrences, but when theyhappen, they encourage us to know thatGod is real – and to trust him. He reallydesires our trust. I have also seen God inthe “dry” times when nothing out of theordinary is happening – but I know thatbecause I have committed myself to God,he is there even when things at themoment are non-experiential. And nowthat I have accepted God unconditionally,I’m not afraid to die. I’m not ready to packmy bags and leave immediately, but I’mglad that there is, as the Bible says, “restafter work”, and “no more tears andsadness” in heaven. So now that I knowhow to live and how to die, I have peace inmy life, in spite of the unavoidabledifficulties of life. I am home.

ne woman’s prayer journey plus somesage advice.As a child, I didn’t really

understand that “church things” aresupposed to impact one’s entire life, and notjust be “church on Sunday”. (I was notCatholic at the time, but I’m not sure Iwould have thought any differently if I hadbeen.) My prayer life was along the lines of“Now I lay me down to sleep” and “Please,God, let me find my lost book”. Later, asan adult (now Catholic) with children of myown, I hadn’t progressed much. I hadconverted (although originally the very ideawas unthinkable) because I becameconvinced that the Catholic Church waswhere I belonged. I went to Mass onSunday and tried to follow Lentenregulations and other “Catholic things”.However, I didn’t have a regular prayer timeand didn’t say the rosary, except for a fewdays when we were afraid my mother hadcancer.

With my shallow commitment to God, Iwas a sitting duck for other ideologies thatseemed attractive. I floundered around fora while searching for something that wouldtouch me. Finally I investigated one of theCatholic renewal movements.

For the first time, I learned how it reallyworks. I had a lot of knowledge before, butlittle understanding, and this renewalmovement brought everything into focus.There was no dramatic bolt-of-lightningtype of experience, but my whole lifebegan to change. I didn’t become perfectovernight and I’m still not, but I tried muchmore sincerely to live God’scommandments. I began to pray more indepth, to really care about other people andnot just myself, and to care about Jesus andGod the Father and the Holy Spirit and tohave an on-going relationship with them. Iinvestigated the lives of the saints, modern,like St. Maximilian Kolbe, as well as “old”favorites like St. Francis of Assisi. Idiscovered that they weren’t born saints,but struggled like the rest of us – with

OO

Pra

yer

Sharing Gifts of Prayer

Stewardship is a disciple’s response.A disciple is one who follows the teachings ofJesus Christ

Matthew 7:7-8

“Ask, and you will receive, seek and youwill find, knock and the door will beopened to you. For everyone who askswill receive and anyone who seeks willfind and the door will be opened tothose who knock."

Matthew 18:19-20

“Again, I tell you, if two of you join yourvoices on earth to pray for anythingwhatever it shall be granted you by myFather in heaven. When two or threeare gathered in my name, there I am intheir midst."

Mark 11:17

“My house shall be called a house ofprayer for all peoples."

Mark 11:24

“I give you my word, if you are ready tobelieve that you will receive whateveryou ask for in prayer, it shall be done foryou."

Romans 12:12

“Rejoice in hope, be patient under trial,persevere in prayer."

Philippians 1:3-4

“I give thanks to my God every time I

think of you, which is constantly, inevery prayer I utter—rejoicing as I pleadon your behalf."

Philippians 4:6

“Dismiss all anxiety from your minds.Present your needs to God in everyform of prayer and in petitions full ofgratitude."

Colossians 4:2

“Pray perseveringly, be attentive toprayers and pray in a spirit ofthanksgiving."

1 Timothy 2:1-2

“I urge that petitions, prayers,intercessions and thanksgiving beoffered for all …especially those inauthority, that we may be able to leadundisturbed and tranquil lives in perfectpiety and dignity."

James 5:13-16

“If anyone among you is sufferinghardship he must pray. If a person is ingood spirits he should sing a hymn ofpraise. Is there anyone sick amongyou?" He should ask the presbyters ofthe church. They in turn are to prayover him, anointing him with oil in thename of the Lord. This prayer utteredin faith will reclaim the one who is ill,and the Lord will restore him to health.If he has committed any sins,forgiveness will be his. Hence, declareyour sins to one another, and pray forone another, that you may find healing."

Prayer CovenantMy dear Lord God, Creator of theUniverse, Creator of me, I am filled withhumility and gratitude for your bountifulblessings. I want to acknowledge thatall I have, all I am and all I will be is agift from you. I want to thank you bymanaging your gifts responsibly, as youexpect me to. I want to share the giftsyou give me with others, as you wouldhave me do. I want to form a closer,more perfect relationship with you byusing my gifts of time in prayer. Ipledge to put aside time each week thatwill be devoted to prayer for You, theChurch, my family, my faith communityand for those who do not know how topray and have no one to pray for them.I do this as an outward expression of thiscovenant with you.

Clip this prayer covenant and place it inyour family Bible as a tangible sign that youare committed to a closer relationship withthe Lord through prayer. You will receive acommitment card for Stewardship of Prayer.Please fill it in and return it to the Parishoffice or place it in the offertory collection atSunday mass.

15

Pra

yer What does the

WORD OF GOD teach us about prayer?

Reasons why we should pray:• Prayer is how we spend our time forming a closer, more perfect relationship with God.

• Prayer opens our hearts, minds and souls to God’s teachings.

• Prayer converts us from being self-centered to God-centered.

• Prayer helps us to cope with the trials and temptations of life.

• Prayer helps us to see others sufferings through the eyes of God.

• Prayers change people and people change things.

• Prayer unites families.

• Prayer unites faith communities.

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Sunday Mass

Daily Mass

Rosary

Shared Prayer

Morning/Night Prayer

Scripture Reading

Way of the Cross

Visits to the Blessed Sacrament

name

address

phone

PRAYER COMMITMENT FOR ADULTS & TEENAGERS

I, promise to make prayer a serious part of my life. Therefore, forthe coming year, 20__, I will:

STEWARDSHIP OF PRAYERcommitment card

Check off or write down your prayer commitment. Make a copy and keep as a reminder of your commitment. Through your prayercommitment, you become a minister of prayer here in our parish.

PRAYER COMMITMENT FOR CHILDREN

I, will pray every day. This means that I will:

Prayer Before & After Meals

Fasting

Meditation

Centering Prayer

Novena

Retreat

Song

Reconciliation

Your Own Method

(Date)

(Name)(Address)(City, State, Zip)

Dear (Parishioner’s name),

In Philippians 4:6, blessed St. Paul tells us, “Dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God inevery form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude."

Indeed, my dear friend, this is how we should pray. When we pray our hearts and minds become more open toHim. We become open to His will and purpose in our lives. When we pray we become more centered on spiritualand eternal matters and less focused on ourselves. Prayer can change our lives in a most profound way.

Why this talk about prayer? Father, you say, “I do pray!" Of course you do, as do we all! The reason is that as we,as a parish (continue) (begin) our journey to make Stewardship a Way of Life, one way we give back to the Lord isthrough our time, which is His gift to us.

I would like to lead members of this parish to a more consecrated life of prayer - individual prayer, communityprayer, and family prayer in both a structured and personal environment.

I am convinced that through prayer we can all become more holy as individuals and as a faith community servingthe Lord and one another.

As a sign of faith in God and as an act of stewardship please submit the enclosed commitment card in the offertorybasket on (date) in support of our Stewardship of Prayer drive, or mail back to me in the envelope provided. Resolveto join one of our prayer ministries, special devotions or actively pursue a deeper prayer life for yourself. All will bepleasing to our Heavenly Father.

Thank you and may the Lord’s blessings be upon you for supporting this parish, one another and methrough prayer.

Privileged to be your Pastor,

Pastor’s name

STEWARDSHIP OF PRAYER: Pastor’s Letter

17

(Date)

(Name)(Address)(City, State, Zip)

Dear (Parishioner’s name),

On (date) I sent every family on record in the parish a letter about Stewardship of Prayer. My purpose was to leadus to a deeper awareness of the power of prayer in our personal lives and the lives we share together as a family offaith. I did this with the unwavering faith that it presented a unique opportunity for this parish to grow spiritually.The commitment card included with this letter offered many opportunities for you to join prayer ministries, attendspecial devotionals held in the parish or to resolve to increase your personal prayer life. (#) cards have been turned inand for that I am deeply grateful. If you have not yet turned in your response to our Stewardship of Prayer drive Iurge you to do so at your earliest convenience. I do so only for the purpose of having a visible symbol that we all havea desire to come together as a family of faith into a deeper spiritual realm.

May the Lord bless you abundantly for all the good works you do in His precious name.

Privileged to be your Pastor,

Pastor’s name

STEWARDSHIP OF PRAYER: Pastor’s Follow-up Letter

18

(Date)

(Name)(Address)(City, State, Zip)

Dear (Parishioner’s name),

Thank you for your strong acts of faith by signing up to participate in our Stewardship of Prayer initiative. As theLord promised us I know we will all gain many spiritual benefits from your participation.

I am so thankful and proud to serve God’s holy people of (name parish).

Privileged to be your Pastor,

Pastor’s name

STEWARDSHIP OF PRAYER: Pastor’s Thank You Letter

19

A young woman’s story of serving

others.

At what point in a person’s life do

teachings like “Do unto others as you

would have them do unto you” and

“whatever you do to the least of these,

you did it to me” become actions rather

than words? I cannot pinpoint the exact

day or hour; it is a gradual process of

learning by example of a loving family

and a continuous day-to-day exercise.

As early as twelve years old I recognized

God’s call in my life. I was aware of His

love for me and of the gifts I have

received to serve His people. Music has

been a vessel for me to worship God and

share the joy of being a child of God with

others. Singing in the choir and being a

cantor at mass are ways that I have

dedicated my gift of music to God.

Grieving relatives of the recently

deceased have been comforted and

celebrating participants of weddings have

been assisted all because God uses this

gift He has given me.

Shortly after confirmation I began

teaching catechism to little children. It

was there that I learned what being a

Christian example really is. After weeks

of trying to explain difficult concepts to a

group of six and seven-year-olds , it

occurred to me that a smile, hug or

listening ear was far more important than

that week’s lesson. In many cases that

20

S t e w a r d s h i p o f

MINISTRY

one hour of CCD was the only “church”

those little people were receiving.

During Christ’s ministry He touched the

lives of the sinful, sick and dying with

love and acceptance. My hope is that

these little ones saw a small part of

Christ’s reflection in me.

Later I became a part of the RCIA (Rite

of Christian Initiation for Adults) process

and had the opportunity to minister to

adults and children seeking to become

Catholic. These candidates gained the

freedom that comes from knowing Christ

through the sharing of the Word and of

personal experience. All the while, my

love for the Church and for God’s people

grew. The desire I saw in people to have

a relationship with Christ and understand

the teachings of His Church increased my

desire to draw closer to Him. Every

Easter when the group chose

Catholicism, I chose my faith again, too.

I have used my gifts in participating in a

sporting event to raise money and

awareness for the Leukemia and

Lymphoma Society. This money goes for

research and patient aid. Patients are

assisted with accumulated bills for lost

wages, hospital parking expense and

much more. God is faithful in using me

to make a difference in the lives of others

while enriching my life with countless

blessings.

In every instance of giving of time and

talents I gained much more love, wisdom,

acceptance and treasure than I gave.

“I have found a paradox, that if I love until it

hurts, there is no more hurt only more love.” ~

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

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Min

istry

1 Peter 4: 8-10

“Above all, let your love for one anotherbe constant, for love covers a multitudeof sins. Be mutually hospitable withoutcomplaining. As generous stewards ofGod’s manifold grace, put your gifts atthe service of one another, each in themeasure he has received.”

Matthew 20:26-28

“…Anyone among you who aspires togreatness must serve the rest, andwhoever wants to rank first among youmust serve the needs of all. Such is thecase with the Son of Man who hascome, not to be served by others, but toserve, to give his own life as a ransom formany.”

John 13: 34-35

“I give you a new commandment: Loveone another. Such as my love has beenfor you, so must your love be for eachother. This is how all will know you formy disciples: your love for oneanother.”

Galatians 6:9-10

“Let us not grow weary of doing good; ifwe do not relax our efforts, in due timewe shall reap our harvest. While wehave the opportunity, let us do good toall men—but especially those of thehousehold of the faith.”

Matthew 10:42

“And I promise you that whoever givesa cup of cold water to one of the lowlyones because he is a disciple will notwant for his reward.”

1 Corinthians 12: 4-7

“There are different gifts but the samespirit; there are different ministries butthe same Lord; there are different worksbut the same God who accomplishes allof them in everyone. To each personthe manifestation of the spirit is givenfor the common good.”

Ephesians 3:17-18, 4:1-2

“May Christ dwell in your heartsthrough faith, and may charity be theroot and foundation of your life. Thusyou will be able to grasp fully, with allthe holy ones, the breadth and lengthand height and depth of Christ’s love.”“I plead with you… to live a life worthyof the calling you have received, withperfect humility, meekness andpatience, bearing with one anotherlovingly.”

Matthew 5:16

“…Your light must shine before men sothey may see goodness in your acts andgive praise to the Father.”

21

Min

istry What does the WORD OF GOD teach us about

sharing our gifts by serving others through ministry?

Ministry Covenant

Dear gracious and ever loving Father, Ithank you with humble gratitude forthe many gifts you have bestowedupon me. Your goodness overwhelmsme. Your generosity to me has instilleddeep within me a burning desire toserve others with the same spirit ofgenerosity that you have shown me.Therefore, I am making a covenantwith you to use my gifts and talents toserve your people here on earth andwithin my faith community. I will, in aspirit of good faith and as a sign of mygratitude, sign a commitment card tovolunteer my talents to be put toservice in my parish and communityfor Your glory. Amen

Clip this ministry covenant and place it inyour family Bible as a tangible sign that youare committed to a closer relationship withthe Lord through ministry.

In the Stewardship of Ministry process, you are invited to make acommitment to serve in one or more ministries in the parish. We knowthat once you accept this challenge to share your gifts, you will grow, yourblessings will grow and the parish will benefit from the service and talentsthat are uniquely yours. Thank you for accepting the challenge.

You will receive a commitment card for Stewardship of Ministry. Pleasefill it in and return it to the Parish office or place it in the offertorycollection at Sunday mass.

Sharing Gifts of Ministry

Stewardship is a disciple’s response. A disciple is one who follows the teaching of Jesus Christ.

22

As disciples of Jesus and as part of our Christian vocation, I/we are willing to share my/our time and talents with theparish. I/we have indicated those areas in which we are currently active and those ministries on which we would liketo serve.

name

address

phone

PARISH LIFESunday Nursery

MaintenanceOffice Help

Parish CouncilWelcoming Committee

Stewardship CommitteeFestival

Finance CommitteeFund Raising

Lawn Care/FlowersSacristan

Bulletins/MailingsDiocesan Annual Appeal

WORSHIPWorship CommitteeEucharistic Minister

LectorUsher/Greeter

Gift BearerChoir/Musician

Altar Server

STEWARDSHIP OF MINISTRYcommitment card

wish to continue in

interestedin

name

wish to continue in

interestedin

name

CHRISTIANEDUCATIONBaptism Preparation

Adult EducationReligious Education (1-8)

Religious Education (9-12)RCIA

Youth MinistryYoung Adult Ministry

Bible StudyPrayer Group

Education CommitteePTO/PTA

School Volunteer

SERVICEBereavement CommitteeHome/Hospital Visitation

Senior ActivitiesTransportation

Communion To Shut-Ins

wish to continue in

interestedin

wish to continue in

interestedin

wish to continue in

interestedin

SOCIAL CONCERNS

Pro-LifeOutreach and

EvangelizationSupport GroupsAdopt-a-Parish

name

name

name

Other areas of interest/talents/skills:

(Date)

(Name)(Address)(City, State, Zip)

Dear (Parishioner’s name),

In Saint Paul’s letter to the Galatians 6:9, he says, “Let us not grow weary of doing good; if we do not relax ourefforts, in due time we shall reap our harvest. While we have the opportunity, let us do good to all - but especiallythose of the household of the faith.”

These words of Saint Paul from holy scripture sum up for us exactly what we are called to do as good stewards ofour gifts of talent. As we are taught, we are “to use our gifts in service of one another.”

As we (embark) (continue) on our journey to make Stewardship a Way of Life in our parish by using our talents andsharing our gifts, we are all reminded that a good steward is grateful for God’s gifts. A good steward manages thesegifts responsibly and shares them, with others, in justice and love.

Enclosed with this letter are numerous opportunities to serve the church and the “household of faith” in manycapacities. Re-volunteer for the ministries you already serve in, involve a family member or friend, diversify andchallenge yourself in a new ministry or even start a new service you see a need for. The opportunities to servemembers of your faith family and to provide outreach to the needy, our youth, the elderly or the un-churched arenumerous.

As a sign of faith in God and as an act of stewardship please submit the enclosed commitment card in the offertorybasket at mass on (date), or mail it to me in the envelope provided. Please continue in a ministry or join one. Serviceto one another is the lifeblood of this parish family. It is what makes us vibrant, loving and strong.

Thank you for responding! I ask the Lord’s blessing upon you for supporting this parish, one another and me.

Privileged to be your Pastor,

Pastor’s name

STEWARDSHIP OF MINISTRY: Pastor’s Letter

23

(Date)

(Name)(Address)(City, State, Zip)

Dear (Parishioner’s name),

On (date) I sent a letter to all parishioners on record asking each of you for a commitment to Stewardship ofMinistry. Not only did I ask you to sign up but I asked you to urge a friend or family member to join in as well. Sofar (#) people have signed up to serve in (#) ministries. We still need (whatever you need). Search within yourselffor that talent just waiting to be shared. The Lord needs you and the parish needs you.

It’s not too late to sign up. Please take the time to do so.

I know that there are many among us who are ill and infirm who would love to serve but can’t. Please be assuredthat the most valuable gift you can give is prayer. So I ask that all who are able will come forward to serve the Lordand each other. Who knows, one of those who come forward through your prayer may be the one who will bring aidand comfort to you during your time of need.

I am always so grateful to all of you who are so generous with time and talent. The Lord will surely bless you forall you do in His name.

Privileged to be your Pastor,

Pastor’s name

STEWARDSHIP OF MINISTRY: Pastor’s Follow-up Letter

24

(Date)

(Name)(Address)(City, State, Zip)

Dear (Parishioner’s name),

I am so grateful to you for coming forward to serve the people of (name) Parish.

In Ephesians 3:17-18, 4:12 we are told, “May charity be the root and foundation of your life. Thus you will be ableto grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ’s love." I know thispromise will be fulfilled in you because of your acts of love and stewardship.

Thank you for answering the call to make stewardship a way of life in our parish.

Privileged to be your Pastor,

Pastor’s name

STEWARDSHIP OF MINISTRY: Pastor’s Thank You Letter

25

26

ithing: A Convert’s Testimony“Bring the full tithes into thestorehouse, that there may be food

in my house; and thereby put me to thetest, says the Lord of Hosts, if I will notopen the windows of heaven for you andpour down for you an overflowing blessing.I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that itwill not destroy the fruits of your soil; andyour vine in the field shall not fail to bear,says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations willcall you blessed, for you will be a land ofdelight, says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi3:10-12)

The point is this: he who sows sparinglywill also reap sparingly, and he who sowsbountifully will also reap bountifully. Eachone must do as he has made up his mind,not reluctantly or under compulsion, forGod loves a cheerful giver. And God is ableto provide you with every blessing inabundance, so that you may always haveenough for everything and may provide inabundance for every good work. As it iswritten, “He scatters abroad, he gives to thepoor; his righteousness endures for ever.”He who supplies seed to the sower andbread for food will supply and multiply yourresources and increase the harvest of yourrighteousness. (2 Corinthians 9:6-10)

I am a convert, received into the CatholicChurch a little over six years ago. Beforethat my formation as a Christian was amongevangelical Protestants who revered theHoly Scriptures not only as revealing God’sTruth but as containing very specificpromises made by a faithful God who wasas good or better than his word. A keyperson in my spiritual formation was mymother, who not only taught me to pray butalso led me to see, in concrete examples

S t e w a r d s h i p o f

FINANCE

that grabbed my attention, that God didindeed answer prayer. Through her I wasbrought face to face with the reality that, asGod provides for the birds of the air and thelilies of the field, so he provides for us,tangibly and specifically. From my mother Ialso learned that tithing was something aChristian did, just like going to church onSunday. It didn’t merit special mention;one just did it. In retrospect, I realize thattithing, while a basic principle for Mom,didn’t rate as highly in her book as what shecalled “remembering the little things,”those small kindnesses and considerationsof others that are tangible expressions oflove in action. For her tithing was just abare minimum, a mere starting point on theway toward the full giving of oneself.

And this is how I’ve come to understandtithing as well: it’s merely doing what’sexpected. Nevertheless I have encounteredlifelong Catholics who look on tithing as anact of extraordinary generosity. Jesus didn’tseem to see it that way. I happen to betithing out of a relative abundance. Yet allaround me I see modern counterparts of thewidow who out of her poverty gave all shehad, and their generosity puts me to shame.And beyond them is Christ Himself, theTruly Generous One. Whatever I do canonly be a feeble response to this infiniteinitiative.

What is tithing, exactly? It is, briefly, thegiving of one tenth of one’s income to God.(Before or after taxes? some ask. I wouldanswer: before. After all, whose calls on mylife and goods come first: God’s or mygovernments?) One can discern in theScriptures the principle that devotion toGod of a part of something is anacknowledgment that in fact the whole is

His. One’s devotion of the Sabbath to Godis sign that in fact all time, all our days, areHis. Our setting aside space for God(temple, tabernacle, and holy of holies) isultimately an acknowledgment that thewhole earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.In like manner, our setting apart a tithe forHim is a tangible acknowledgement that allour possessions belong to Him whoprovided them in the first place.

Over twenty years ago my wife and I startedour marriage with combined debts (bothpersonal and college loans) of over $4,500.We were both working, both of us atrelatively low-paying jobs; nevertheless weset a goal of paying off those debts as soonas possible. But we were also committed totithing. A wise old pastor had advised us,“Mind you, you’ll never have enoughmoney to pay your bills and then tithe; butyou’ll always have enough money to titheand then pay your bills.” And so we set upour budget: first the tithe, then fixedexpenses (rent, utilities, etc.), thenpayments on our debts, then, if there wasanything left over, discretionary purchasesand expenses. Within a little over a year onthis budget we were able to celebratehaving paid off all our debts. God wasfaithful. We had tithed, budgetedaccordingly, and found that God met usmore than halfway. And He has continuedto do so ever since. Praise Him.

TT

Fin

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ce

Sharing Gifts of Finance

Stewardship is a disciple’s response. Adisciple is one who follows the teachings ofJesus Christ.

Leviticus 27:30

“All tithes of the land, whether in grainfrom the fields or in fruit from the trees,belong to the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 14:22, 29

“Each year you shall tithe all theproduce that grows in the field you havesown …so that the Lord, your God, maybless you in all that you undertake.”

Deuteronomy 16:16-17

“No one shall appear before the Lordempty-handed, but each of you with asmuch as he can give, in proportion tothe blessings which the Lord, your God,has bestowed on you.”

Proverbs 3:9-10

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, withfirst fruits of all our produce; then willyour barns be filled with grain, with newwine your vats will overflow.”

Sirach 35:7-10

“In generous spirit pay homage to theLord, be not sparing of freewill gifts.With each contribution show a cheerfulcountenance, and pay your tithes in aspirit of joy. Give to the Most High ashe has given to you, generouslyaccording to your means. For the Lordis one who always repays and he willgive back to you sevenfold.”

Luke 3:11

“Let the man with two coats give to himwho has none. The man who has foodshould do the same.”

Malachi 3:10

“Bring the whole tithe into thestorehouse, that there may be food inmy house, and try me in this says theLord of hosts; shall I not open up thefloodgates of heaven to pour downblessings upon you without measure?”

Matthew 6:26

“No man can serve two masters. Hewill either hate one and love the other orbe attentive to one and despise theother. You cannot give yourself to Godand money.”

Mark 10:21

“There is one more thing you must do.Go and sell what you have and give tothe poor; you will then have treasure inheaven.”

Mark 12:42-43

“I want you to observe that this poorwidow contributed more than all theothers who donated to the treasury.They gave from their surplus wealth,but she gave from her want, all that shehad to live on.”

Luke 6:38

“Give and it shall be given to you.Good measure pressed down, shakentogether, running over, will they pourinto the fold of your garment. For themeasure you measure with will bemeasured back to you.”

Luke 12:32-34“Do not live in fear, little flock. It haspleased your Father to give you thekingdom. Sell what you have and givealms. Get purses for yourselves that donot wear out, a never-failing treasurewith the Lord, which no thief comesnear nor any moth destroys. Whereveryour treasure lies, there your heart willbe.”

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Finan

ce What does theWORD OF GOD teach us about our use of money?

Reasons to Give:Financial blessings are a gift to usfrom a loving God. How wemanage financial gifts is abarometer of our level of faith.People who make a decision to giveto God from their first fruits and notthe leftovers find that their faith isdeepened, and rather than findthemselves lacking, they becomemore enriched spiritually andmaterially.

Gifts of material blessings should be: •Sacrificial (pinch a little), •Proportionate (Does it

adequately reflect a true measure of your financial blessings?),

•Planned and Identifiable (to allow your parish leaders to plan adequately).

Finance Covenant

Dearest Creator, giver of all my gifts, I am ever reminded that if it weren’t for you, I would be nothing, have nothing. I thank you forall of my gifts…gifts of intelligence, reason, sound judgment, heart and soul, health, family, friends, the beautiful landscape of southLouisiana, the bountiful crops, fruits of the gulf, basin and bayous, sunrise, sunsets, abundant wildlife and beautiful flowers. I alsothank you for my financial blessings. I gratefully acknowledge that they come from You. It is you who said, “You who follow myteachings will be my Disciples.” Your words are very firm on the use of money. I pledge to honor you and your church with aproportionate, planned and sacrificial share of my financial blessings. I will show good faith by signing a commitment card statingmy intentions to my Pastor. I do this out of my deep love and gratitude to You, Heavenly Father. Amen

Clip this finance covenant and place it in your family Bible as a tangible sign that you are committed to a closer relationship with the Lord throughsharing your financial blessings. You will receive a commitment card for Stewardship of Finance. Please fill it in and return it to the Parish officeor place it in the offertory collection at Sunday mass.

In prayerful thanksgiving for our many blessings, I/we hereby state my/our intent to contribute to the support of our parish,assuming my/our health and personal affairs permit.

Today, I/we sign this card, I/we do so realizing that this commitment is solely between myself/ourselves and God as an act of faithand of thanksgiving for the Lord’s blessings.

Your gift will be representative of a true Christian commitment if it is sacrificial, planned, consistent and proportionate. Pleasestudy this Standards of Giving Guide to help you determine what your present percentage of giving is. You may wish to increaseyour level of giving to a percentage that truly reflects a sacrificial and proportionate gift.

This card is confidential and used only to plan the future of our parish.

Signature(s)

name

address

city/state/zip

phone

date

GENERAL COLLECTION

$ WEEKLY OR $ MONTHLY

I/WE ARE ENVELOPE USERS I/WE WISH TO BE ENVELOPE USERS

STEWARDSHIP OF FINANCEcommitment card

1% 2% 3% 4%

$100.00 $1.00 $2.00 $3.00 $4.00$200.00 $2.00 $4.00 $6.00 $8.00$300.00 $3.00 $6.00 $9.00 $12.00$400.00 $4.00 $8.00 $12.00 $16.00$500.00 $5.00 $10.00 $15.00 $20.00$600.00 $6.00 $12.00 $18.00 $24.00$700.00 $7.00 $14.00 $21.00 $28.00$800.00 $8.00 $16.00 $24.00 $32.00$900.00 $9.00 $18.00 $27.00 $36.00

$1000.00 $10.00 $20.00 $30.00 $40.00

5% 6% 8% 10%

$5.00 $6.00 $8.00 $10.00$10.00 $12.00 $16.00 $20.00$15.00 $18.00 $24.00 $30.00$20.00 $24.00 $32.00 $40.00$25.00 $30.00 $40.00 $50.00$30.00 $36.00 $48.00 $60.00$35.00 $42.00 $56.00 $70.00$40.00 $48.00 $64.00 $80.00$45.00 $54.00 $72.00 $90.00$50.00 $60.00 $80.00 $100.00

standards of giving guideweeklyincome

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One baby step can become a giant leap of faith. To a person giving 1% or less of their income to the church, the ideaof giving 3 to 5% or more is startling. If this is how you feel then simply consider a small baby step up. Perhaps 1/2 or1% would also constitute a giant leap in faith.

(Date)

(Name)(Address)(City, State, Zip)

Dear (Parishioner’s name),

Jesus speaks to us in the Gospel of Mark 12:43-44, “I want you to observe that this poor widow contributed morethan all the others who donated to the treasury. They gave from their surplus wealth, but she gave from her want, allthat she had to live on." How precious this little widow’s sacrifice was in the eyes of Jesus!

When you hear this gospel passage, does it twinge your conscience a bit? It does mine! It occurs to me that we areso entrenched in a society of consumerism and materialism that we seek to gratify ourselves before showing gratitudeto the Lord who is the source of our financial blessings. In my mind’s eye I see the little widow wrapped in her veiland heavy robes, almost as to conceal herself, timidly approaching and dropping her two tiny coins into the collection.In her humility she was probably ashamed of her contribution not realizing how significant it really was.

As good stewards, we, too, are called to share our gifts of treasure in support of the Church. I have never knownthe good people of (parish name) not to respond to the financial needs of this parish and for this you will beabundantly blessed.

But, my dear faith family, consider for a moment not the Church’s need to receive but instead your need to give.Holy scripture tells us “No one shall appear before the Lord empty-handed, but each of you with as much as he cangive, in proportion to the blessings which the Lord, your God, has bestowed upon you." (Deut. 16:16-17)

As we (embark) (continue) on our journey of making Stewardship a Way of Life in our parish, I ask you toprayerfully consider your financial gifts to the church and if they truly reflect your level of faith. And as you thinkabout your church offerings may I offer this:

Are your gifts sacrificial (like the widow)?Is your gift a proportionate share of the money you have?Do you plan your gift each week or month? Or, do you give whatever is available in your pocket or purse whenthe basket comes your way?Do you identify your gift by using church envelopes or a check?

You might want to check the standards of giving guide found in the (bulletin) (brochure) (this) (last) week. Seewhere you fit in your faith offering. If you are comfortable where you are then please renew your commitment byusing the enclosed card. If you feel you can improve your level of commitment then please do so perhaps one babystep up by .5-1%. This will indicate a giant leap of faith on your part.

Money is never easy to talk about or hear about. Most people get very uncomfortable when their pocket book ischallenged, even I. But if we work together the sacrificial offerings of God’s holy people in this parish can go so farto enrich our faith life and to provide outreach to the poor and the suffering.

As we continue this journey together please know how grateful I am to you for all you do in the name of Christ. Iwill look for your commitment card in the Offertory basket on (insert date), or you may return it to me in the envelopeprovided. Thank you.

Privileged to be your pastor,

Pastor’s name

STEWARDSHIP OF FINANCE: Pastor’s Letter

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(Date)

(Name)(Address)(City, State, Zip)

Dear (Parishioner’s name),

One of the toughest jobs I have as a priest is to talk about money. I often wonder why I feel that way when the Lordhimself had no hesitancy about it and in fact spoke frequently about money in the Gospels. The widow’s mite, the richyoung man, and the parable of the talents are just a few examples. He asked the disciples to give up their livelihood tofollow Him.

On (date) I wrote you a letter talking about Stewardship of Finance as part of making stewardship a way of life in ourparish. I asked you to consider if your financial gifts to the church truly reflected your level of faith, whether it wasplanned, proportionate and sacrificial.

So far (#) have responded by turning in a commitment card to us. I want you to know that I am so deeply grateful toall who have made a financial commitment which will go so far in furthering our mission. When we are able to plan wecan so clearly follow a road map directing our outreach to God’s people in (name) parish. Thank you just seems soinadequate to express my delight with those who are willing to help.

There is still time for those of you who have not responded. Please do not feel affronted that I ask for your commitment.It is nothing more than the Lord asks of each of us. As the head of this family of faith it helps to know what resources willbe available to serve the family. I’m sure you have the same need in your own family. Let me add that the amount yougive is your faith offering and strictly between you and God. I will never judge that.

Please turn in your card today and join us in making this a truly vibrant, serving and loving faith community.

Privileged to be your pastor,

Pastor’s name

STEWARDSHIP OF FINANCE: Pastor’s Follow Up Letter

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STEWARDSHIP OF FINANCE: Pastor’s Thank You Letter

(Date)

(Name)(Address)(City, State, Zip)

Dear (Parishioner’s name),

Thank you for your generous response to the financial component of our Stewardship as a Way of Life drive.

You have joined many others in your family of faith in sharing your financial blessings. I am certain that many goodthings will be reaped by your leap of faith.

I promise, on behalf of all of your parish leaders, to manage your gifts in a responsible manner so that it will go along way to bring the good news of Jesus’ compassion and love to all who are in need.

Thank you for entrusting me with your gift. I know the Lord will abundantly bless you and those you love.

Privileged to be your pastor,

Pastor’s name

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Homily Outline

What is Stewardship?• Define stewardship - A steward is a manager. We are called to

be stewards of God’s gifts.• Explain the basis for Stewardship in the Catholic Church;

spiritual principles of the Old Testament and the teachings of Christ.

• Stewardship is an act of religion - not only is it a way to give thanks to God for His blessings, but it is our way of sharing in Jesus’ mission here on earth.

Discuss spiritual importance of Stewardship• Use appropriate quotes from scripture to emphasize what the

Lord expects from us as good stewards. To deny the Stewardship message is to deny the words of scripture.

• Explain how the layperson can use the principles of Stewardship in a practical way to serve his family, his community, his church parish, the environment, etc. (time, talent, treasure).

• Stewardship is a barometer of one’s response to Jesus’ call to follow Him as disciples - a measure of one’s faith.

Historical perspective of Stewardship.• Stewardship has its roots in Christianity: St. Paul’s teachings in

the early days of Christianity.• The faith of our own ancestors in building (your parish)

exemplifies Stewardship in more recent or modern times. Now we can put a name to the time-honored traditions of building up the “body of Christ” through the Church.

Create a vision for the future of the Catholic Church and the parish family under the auspices of Stewardship.• Cite examples of successful Stewardship stories, i.e., St.

Francis of Assisi Parish, Wichita, Kansas, previous efforts of your own parish, etc.

• Tell how Stewardship can impact the family life of an individual.

• Tell how Stewardship can impact the community.• Tell how Stewardship can impact the life of your parish

- Through prayer- Through ministry- Through finance

• Emphasize that Stewardship is not based on the church’s need to receive - but on an individual’s need to give.

Don’t forget to “ask”.• Ask parishioners to receive stewardship education via homily,

brochure, letter, bulletin articles with an open mind and heart.• Ask parishioners to prayerfully consider what stewardship

calls them to do.• Ask parishioners to visibly show their support for stewardship

in your parish by filling out commitment cards for prayer, ministry and finance.

HOMILY OUTLINE

Stewardship is an act of

religion - not only is it a way to give

thanks to God for His blessings, but it is

our way of sharing in Jesus’ mission

here on earth.

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Tips for the Lay Presenter

The following are key elements and points that should be covered in alay presentation.

The pastor should properly introduce the lay presenter and give a brief background of that individual’s contributions to the parish, community and his/her profession or vocation. This prevents the lay presenter from having to boast of his/her own accomplishments,which may prove embarrassing to some.The presenter should begin to talk by properly defining stewardship in his/her own words.During the presentation do not suggest that practicing stewardship is a response to the needs of the Parish. Emphasize that it is a grateful and individual response to a loving and giving God.The presenter should share his/her involvement in church ministry,school activities, community service projects, and describe the feelings, the joy, the rewards he/she personally experienced as a result of his/her involvement (i.e. he/she has made new friends, feela sense of belonging or ownership, learned new skills, discovered hidden talents, felt closer to God, other rewards he/she may have experienced that can be directly attributed to his/her service to the Lord and others, etc.)The presenter should try to incorporate personal anecdotes concerning lives he/she may have touched through his/her ministry (i.e. a child, the poor, the elderly, the unchurched, the sick, etc.)The presenter should be one who tithes or regularly contributes a proportionate share of his/her income to the parish and should be able to candidly share the joy and rewards of giving.Discuss how your family practices stewardship through gifts of time, talent and treasure. (Examples might include spring cleaning and giving discarded clothes and other items to the poor, assistance given to an elderly neighbor, participation in environmental clean-up activities, coaching a little league team, etc.)Conclude the talk by encouraging fellow parishioners to generouslycontribute their time, talent and treasure by participating in the parish’s call to Stewardship of Prayer, Ministry and Finance.Don’t forget to ask!! Tell parishioners they should support this program and do so visibly by filling our commitment cards of Prayer, Ministry and Finance and place them in the collection basket on Commitment weekend.

Tips for Preparing a Talk and Delivering a Talk

Jot down your thoughts and personal experiences as they relate to the different points to be covered in “Tips for the Lay Presenter” Take these notes and begin to write your talk out word for word.Sit down with your pastor or a Stewardship committee member and edit the talk. Ascertain that you are including all of the points you want covered.Practice, practice, practice!! Practice the talk aloud in front of a mirror. Deliver it to your spouse, family or good friend and ask for their critique.If possible, practice your talk in church using the sound system.Strive to deliver the talk in a sincere, enthusiastic and friendly manner.

TIPS FOR THE LAY PRESENTER

The lay presentation portion of the

Stewardship Program (which is

scheduled the weekend following the

pastor’s Stewardship homily) plays a

very meaningful role in the Stewardship

education process. Parishioners can

readily identify with or aspire to the

testimony of those who live the lives of

Christian Stewards.

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