catholic Stewardship renewal
"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."
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NAB
Two forms need to be completed every year during our Catholic Stewardship Renewal:
- Tithing Commitment Form (Holy Rosary School parents filled this out at school registration)
- Time and Talent Survey
Check out the Ministry Guide for descriptions of the many ministry options available to you!
What Identifies a Steward?
Safeguarding material and human resources and using them responsibly are one answer; so is generous giving of time, talent, and treasure. But being a Christian steward means more. As Christian stewards, we receive God's gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord.
We plant seeds, knowing they hold hope for the future. We lay foundations, knowing much building must follow. There is a sense of liberation, however, in realizing this. We can do something, and we can do it very well. We can take the first step in making a difference, knowing that we may never see the end of the road, the results of our actions, the recipients of our giving. We receive and offer the gift of hope. The harvest will come.
Many of our days are spent "growing dirt," preparing the soil for future plantings. That is an act of hope. We know we are only workers, not the Master Gardner. Accepting the gifts of silence, light, the guiding Spirit and hope, we are co-creators of the future, which is in God's hands.
Pillars of Stewardship
The four pillars of stewardship are Hospitality, Prayer, Formation and Service. These pillars invite parishioners to experience, witness and live the stewardship way of life in response to their baptismal call to discipleship. Each baptized person is called to give of time, talent and treasure to strengthen these four pillars that support the parish community – your parish community.
Why It's Important to Participate in the Catholic Stewardship Renewal
Each October all parishes of the Diocese of Jefferson City participate in the annual Catholic Stewardship Renewal (CSR). This local renewal process, facilitated by the diocese, is a means by which parishioners are asked to commit to living out the “3-legged stool” of Christian Stewardship in their parish through their prayer (attendance at weekend and Holy Day Mass), participation (using their time and talent to build up the parish) and sacrificial giving (pledging a proportional and sacrificial gift of treasure to support the ministry of the parish).
Not unlike “Time, Talent, and Treasure” campaigns of the past, the Catholic Stewardship Renewal seeks to provide the pastor and parish leadership with the data needed to successfully sustain and grow the ministries of the parish. However, the Catholic Stewardship Renewal process is much more intentional than any stewardship campaigns we have done before, because each year we will be asking all parish families to participate and fill out the stewardship materials provided by the parish.
This request is something which causes many of our long-time parishioners to ask “Why do I need to fill this material out every year? You know that I come to Mass and that I give to support the parish, so why do I need to fill out all this paperwork?”
The answer to this question is quite simple: the Catholic Stewardship Renewal is not just something which is administrative but is also deeply spiritual. It is the yearly opportunity for each parishioner to purposefully and prayerfully review, redirect, reaffirm and recommit.
- Reviewing & Redirecting allows parishioners to ask themselves the following questions: How am I doing at striving to live as an active steward in my parish? How is my Mass attendance? How do I participate in the communal life of the parish? How well does my level of giving support the ministries of the parish?
- Reaffirming & Recommitting allows parishioners – on a yearly basis – to concretely proclaim “Yes! I am a part of this parish, and I am supportive of its mission and ministries!”