What Is Stewardship?
 
Stewardship is a complete lifestyle, a life of acknowledging God as Creator and Owner of all. Stewards as disciples of Jesus Christ see themselves as caretakers of all God’s gifts. Gratitude for these gifts is expressed in prayer, worship, offering, and action by eagerly sharing these gifts out of love of God and one another.
 
Stewardship is based on the spiritual principles of the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus; and where it has been implemented, both givers and receivers’ lives have been changed.
 
Stewardship is a way of life, a way of thanking God for all His blessings by returning a portion of the time, talent, and treasure allotted to us.
 
Stewardship is living out Christ’s instruction to “love one as I have loved you”.
         
Stewardship is caring. Stewardship is responsible management of our God given resources of time, talent, and treasure. It enhances our relationship with God and one another.
 
Stewardship builds happy, healthy families. Stewardship renews Christ’s Church.
 
Christian Stewardship provides a spirituality that a lay person can take home from church, exercise at work, and express through personal involvement in both the community and the Church.
 
Christian stewardship helps us to become aware that God is the ultimate giver of the gifts we have. Our gift to God should be from the top, not from what may be left over.


 

Stewardship is the grateful response of a Christian disciple
who recognizes and receives God’s gifts and
shares those gifts with God and neighbor.

At St. Mary's Catholic Church, we practice Stewardship as a Way of Life through

We Pray

We spend time specifically with God beyond attendance at Sunday Mass and on Holy Days.

We Participate

We serve at events and toward the good of our parish and share our talents and skills in a meaningful way in our parish and in our community, and we take part in fellowship activities to grow our faith as part of a parish family.

We Give

We give of our financial gifts at a sacrificial level. Giving with open hearts ensures a healthy and hopeful future for our parish, school and those in our community who depend on us.

The four Pillars of Stewardship are hospitality, prayer, formation and service. Through these Pillars, parishioners are invited to experience, witness and live as good stewards in response to their baptismal call to discipleship. Conversely, by making our parish a place of hospitality, prayer, formation and service, opportunities for parishioners to pray, participate and give through parish groups, which are called Apostolates in reflection of our call to discipleship, are provided.
 
 
“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (Peter 4:10)