Stewardship
“Follow Me,” Jesus simply but powerfully commanded of the Apostles and they did. That call is made to us as well on this day and in this time. How do we follow Jesus? We try to live our lives as he did – the example of the perfect steward. Stewardship is the care and use of all that we have been given by God and is often explained in terms of time, talent, and treasure.
Time, Talent and Treasure
As we strive to live as faithful and generous stewards, it is important that we understand all of the facets of stewardship. Here are just a few key aspects of stewardship. Stewardship is:
Spending Time with God - Stewardship involves spending time with God. Recognizing that every day is a gift from God, we strive to spend some of each day with God, through prayer, Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, scripture reading, quiet meditation and other spiritual activities.
Sharing Talent - Stewardship involves sharing talent. Recognizing that God has given each individual unique skills and talents so that together we can do the work of Our Lord, we strive to share our own talents and to encourage and welcome others to also use their talents to carry out the mission and ministry of the Church.
Giving Treasure - Stewardship involves giving treasure. Giving time and talent does not excuse us from giving treasure. We know that throughout the Gospels, Jesus challenged us to give as it has been given to us. Recognizing the tremendous financial blessings that abound in our country, we strive to give at least 10% of our resources back to God, to support the building up of God's kingdom. Although this level of giving may not be immediately possible, we are aware of what percentage we are giving back and regularly strive to increase the amount, taking small incremental steps toward giving a full tithe. (from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, 2008)
Our Parish is committed to live the gospel way of life as good stewards of God's gifts of time, talent, and treasure. We have committed ourselves to tithing our parish offertory collection each week as an expression of our gratitude to God for His many gifts and to express our trust that He will provide us with all that we truly need.
Bishops' Statement on Stewardship
