A Steward's Conviction
All temporal and spiritual goods are created by and come from God. That is true of everything human beings have: spiritual gifts like faith, hope, and love; talents of body and brain; cherished relationships with family and friends; material goods; the achievements of human genius and skill; the world itself.
One day God will require an accounting of the use each person has made of the particular portion of these goods entrusted to him or her.
Each will be measured by the standard of his or her individual vocation. Each has received a different “sum”—a unique mix of talents, opportunities, challenges, weaknesses and strengths, potential modes of service and response—on which the Master expects a return. He will judge individuals according to what they have done with what they were given.
The authentic disciple regards all he or she is and possesses as gifts and blessings and realizes the need to share those gifts and blessings with others for the sake of the kingdom of God.
-excerpts from Stewardship: A Disciple's Response, U.S. Bishops' Pastoral Letter on Stewardship
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden…Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”
Matthew 5: 14, 15
"The practice of stewardship is important for the mission of the Church and for the spiritual well-being of each individual Christian. Everyone benefits from the sacrificial gift one makes of his time, talent and treasure."
-Pope Benedict XVI
Stewardship of Time
Our time is a very precious gift given to us by God, but yet it can't be stored up like grain in a barn. Most of us feel we don't have enough time for all the things we want to do. Everyone is given the same amount of time; 24 hours each day, 168 hours each week. Once a momment passes, it is gone forever.
So the question becomes: How do we choose to use our time?
"For Catholics, stewardship of time should include setting aside periods for
family prayer, for the
reading of Scripture, for visits to the
Blessed Sacrament, and for the attendance at Mass during the week..."
- Receiving the Eucharist each week at Mass, we enjoy a unique union with Christ and, in him, with one another. Here His love, indeed His very self, flows into His disciples and, through them and their practice of stewardship, to the entire human race.
- Through daily prayer, we develop a closer personal relationship with God, sharing with Him our successes and failures, and asking for His guidance in our daily lives.
- Reading Scripture daily helps us reflect on God's word. It also tells of God's immense love for us!
- Assisting individuals, organizations, and the Church is another way to share our personal time for the glory of God.
-U.S. Bishops' Pastoral Letter on Stewardship
Your gift of time, given to you by God, is unique because you are the only one who can share it.
"Amen, amen, I say to you...Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day."
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Luke 11: 9
“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Mark 1: 15
“Go and proclaim the kingdom of God...No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:60, 62
Stewardship of Talent
All of us have been blessed with special talents and gifts from God, whether we are aware of them or not or whether we have developed our talents or not. These talents and gifts are not given to us just for our own use, but are given to us for the enrichment of the lives of others in order for us to serve God better.
Christ asks of us to do His works in our community and his Church. We need to rejuvenate ourselves through service. Reaching out with love to others, while sometimes difficult, is nonetheless spiritually enriching. It is a necessary part of Catholic life.
- Visit the sick and elderly
- Feed the hungry
- Teach those who want to learn
- Console the lonely and sorrowful
- Give a helping hand and a kind word
There are different ministries that help serve our community and His Church. No matter how big or small your contribution, our parish family isn't the same without you.
When we serve together, we not only form friendships with one another, but we also deepen our relationship with God.
Sharing your talent that God has blessed you, strengthens the Church and its mission.
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...But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.
1 Corinthians 12: 4-11
Be doers of the word and not hearers only… See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
James 2: 22, 24
Stewardship of Treasure
Have you ever created a family budget? At the top of most people's list of expenses are big items like the mortgage, rent, car payments and tuition. Other expenses are food, credit card payments and entertainment. But how about the Church? Does our parish have a place in your family's budget?
Throughout Scripture, we are taught to give God our "first fruits" or the "choicest portion". We might say in modern speech that the first "line item" in the family budget should be returning a portion of our income to God. Both symbolically and in actuality, this is a powerful expression of God's place in our life.
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with first fruits of all your produce; Then will your barns be filled with plenty, with new wine your vats will overflow. Proverbs 3:9-10
Did You Know?
Each parish is financially supported by the parishioners and the community of that individual church. Our parish does NOT receive funding from the Archdiocese of Boston or the Vatican.
The operational costs of the physical buildings and property, such as the Rectory, the Parish Center, the Church, Lower Chapel and the grounds, are our financial responsibility.
This is an annual commitment by each of us to support our parish in a weekly manner. That is why we ask for your support to be consistent, regular and not to be attendance driven. Just as a household, the bills never stop.
It's remarkable that all that we have been given is financially supported by your generous offerings through the weekly collections.
We ask that you prayerfully examine your personal finances to look for an opportunity to lend regular support.
Thank you for your continued commitment and support to the Church's mission.
A Stewardship Prayer
My church is composed of people like me.
I help make it what it is.
It will be friendly, if I am.
Its pews will be filled, if I help fill them.
It will do great work, if I work.
It will make generous gifts to many causes, if I am a generous giver.
It will bring people into its worship and fellowship, if I invite and bring them.
It will be a church of loyalty and love, of fearlessness and faith, and a church with a noble spirit, if I, who make it what it is, am filled with these same things.
Therefore, with your help, Lord, I shall dedicate myself to the task of being all the things that I want my church to be.
Amen.
TO BE A CATHOLIC STEWARD
Good stewards live with joy and gratitude for the blessings they have received—including those that have multiplied through diligence and hard work...
