Mother Teresa did not use the word “Stewardship” in the meditation above. Yet it is clear that she is talking about the Stewardship approach to the gifts God has bestowed upon us. Stewardship is living out a commitment to be Christ-centered rather than self-centered. Profound gratitude, hospitality, justice and love are our fundamental motives for giving back to God. In a variety of ways, we, as disciples and “Co-Workers of Christ”, share our time, talent and treasure to build God’s kingdom on earth and make our world a better place.
Virginia Radel, Pastoral Assistant for Stewardship
vradel@holyrosaryseattle.org; 206.937.1488 ext. 202
MINISTRY CONTACT LIST
THE FOUR PILLARS OF STEWARDSHIP
HOSPITALITYThe seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower. All who come to him will have life forever—a hundredfold. May our stewardship of time, talent and treasure show us to be among those who have heard and embraced the message of Christ. At every level our parish needs to promote HOSPITALITY: to evangelize those in the community who don’t know Christ, to welcome new members, and to tie existing members more strongly to our Holy Rosary Parish community. The Bible is filled with admonitions for Christians to exercise hospitality. Romans 12:13 is clear: “practice hospitality,” we are admonished. Every believer should be hospitable, and a great place to demonstrate hospitality is at mass. Hospitality at a church level, means taking ownership. We, Holy Rosary Parishioners, should see ourselves as responsible to guide strangers, to greet them, to initiate small talk, and if they return, to get to know them.
Hospitality Ministries at Holy Rosary
SERVICE
The conversion to stewardship as a way of life is a journey of the individual, the family, the parish, the diocese and the Universal Church. What makes such conversion possible? It is God’s love for us that lies at the heart of such conversion. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16). It is God’s desire that we have life. Jesus came to give life and to give it abundantly. Jesus Christ is the foundation of the stewardship way of life. He is the capstone of the structure. Our Holy Rosary parish extends SERVICE as a pillar of stewardship. Parishioners must seek the parish family as a primary community to serve and to be served—to give and to receive. If a parishioner finds they can serve and be ministered to, they have little need to search elsewhere for this fulfillment. Likewise, they have recognized a place where their service is appreciated and utilized for the good of the Church. The members of a stewardship parish must also recognize that they also have a need to give beyond their own members only. They have a need to serve and to give in the diocese, the community and the Universal Church. Failure to have this understanding leads to a selfish parochialism, which is life-draining to a stewardship way of life.
Ministries of Service at Holy Rosary
PRAYER
Through a focus on Spirituality, parishes should help parishioners in an ongoing way to recognize God as the source of all our gifts (and thanking God for those gifts). Parishes will also ask parishioners to pledge of their time (giving of prayer and spirituality). The foundation of genuine Stewardship is the gratitude we have to God for giving us all we are and have. Without this foundation, Stewardship efforts will be built on a foundation that is easily swept away. Parishes must help their parishioners recognize God as the source of all their gifts, and then to thank God for those gifts as well. Since we can easily forget this, a parish must do this in an ongoing manner, so their parishioners are reminded of these facts continually.
Prayer Ministries at Holy Rosary
FAITH FORMATION
Catholics need a better understanding of Stewardship as a way of life; as living as disciples of Christ. We must develop and nurture our gifts and acknowledge that God will hold us accountable for how we use them. This aspect of Stewardship can be the least understood, but here is one way to think about how we use our gifts: Consider the gift of musical talent. People develop and use this gift by taking lessons and practicing. This image can serve as an analogy for all the ways in our lives that we can be good stewards of our gifts. We can educate ourselves – or, "take lessons - about what Stewardship is and we can continually „practice" being good stewards of our own special gifts. It is our responsibilities as parish leaders to foster this understanding within our parishes.
Faith Formation Ministries at Holy Rosary