Thoughts on Stewardship
by Ken & Audrey Glick
We have experienced spirit, friendliness, stewardship and more since joining St. Agnes Parish in December of 2007. We both felt welcomed immediately from Fr. Ted and staff members. After a few weeks we experienced a "spirit" at St. Agnes we have not felt in the Catholic community in a long time.
We decided to get involved first by helping make pierogi for the Lenten Friday fish fry. All were friendly and helpful to the rookie pierogi makers. We then volunteered to help with the Friday fish fry. By volunteering our time, we offered our stewardship to God and were repaid tenfold with new friends from St. Agnes. We feel part of St. Agnes and the spirit lives in our hearts. Audrey has become a lector and I am looking forward to being trained as a Eucharistic minister soon.
We look forward to furthering our friendships and making new friends. Thank you for welcoming us with open arms into the spirit of St. Agnes. For those of you who feel the spirit, we now know the feeling. For those of you who have not experienced the spirit, come join us. We look forward to meeting you.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Previous Articles:
PATHWAYS and Stewardship
by Debbie Klinvex
Called and Gifted. What does this mean? I was about to find out!
This past year, I decided to attend PATHWAYS, a diocesan adult faith formation program. Almost 40 people from around the diocese joined me. Called and Gifted was the title of our first retreat together. Throughout the year, we learned more about what this meant, and I would like to share some thoughts with you.
One of the sessions during this program discussed stewardship. Since I had just joined the Stewardship Commission at St. Agnes, I figured this would give me some knowledge into exactly what stewardship meant. As I continued through PATHWAYS, I realized that even though only one session talked about stewardship, this program itself was all about just that! Let me explain.
Stewardship should encompass everything in our life, everything we do for our church, for each person we encounter, and even some we don’t. Since Vatican II, the Council Fathers have challenged the faithful to use their faith in all areas of their lives so they may understand what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. To be a true disciple, we must also be a steward. If we look in the bible, we will find the meaning of steward. Jesus used this word, and at that time it was defined as a servant to whom responsibility of the household was given when the owner was away. That servant was expected to make conscientious decisions in the owner’s absence. This definition still applies today. We have a responsibility to God and to each other to use our talents to the best of our ability.
How can we do this, or do it better? Let’s talk about four ways to become a better steward.
So how is PATHWAYS about stewardship? PATHWAYS teaches about our Catholic faith, and more importantly about God. Some of the areas we discussed were the poor, lay ministry, the sick, and prayer. In our own parish, we have opportunities to contribute our God-given gifts to all of these, and more. Whether we are helping to teach our children about their faith, or praying for others, we are practicing stewardship. We must become partners in God’s work by using the talents we are given. Check out the ministry area of our parish website for information (under ‘Organizations’). Talk with the leaders of any ministries that interest you to see if it might be for you. These ministries are not just for a chosen few. We are all Called and Gifted!