WWW.StFrancisWichita.com Pastor’s Corner
Toronto, Canada October 19, 2019
A Stewardship Prayer Help us, Lord, so that we would hold nothing back, that no sacrifice would be too great, too costly, or too unthinkable. Send us, Lord, heroes and heroines of stewardship, saints on the journey whose walk as disciples inspire us to imitate and pattern our own lives after.
A Stewardship Prayer Put on our path, Lord, men, women, and children who will model for us – for our diocese – how to live, how to serve, how to love the Lord with all our hearts. Let this be our prayer, let this be our greatest desire and intention. Most Reverend Carl Kemme
the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognizes and receives God’s gifts and shares these gifts in love of God and neighbor .
The Family It is in the family, then, where Christ's self-donating love is first taught and learned. - Wichita The whole family in its common life, then, should be a sort of apprenticeship for the apostolate” (AA, 30). Where even young people learn how their natural qualities, fit them for this activity (AA 12).
Work Together
Play Together
Pray Together
Eat Together
“The spirit of stewardship is already present in our parishes.” - AC
Four Ingredients of Success Inspired pastors Engaged lay leadership Visionary Bishops Collaborative presbyterate
History of Stewardship in CDOWK Fr. Thomas McGread 1968 – St. Francis of Assisi Lay movements: Marriage Encounter Charismatic Cursillo Perpetual Adoration Bishop Eugene Gerber A People Gathered (1985) & Emmaus (1985)
Msgr. Thomas McGread I noticed that people are looking for standards in life… If we’re looking for standards in life we also must be looking for standards in our relationship with God…I realized there must be more to this idea of building a relationship with God. So that’s when I came up with the idea that all of us have a certain amount of time in this world, and all of us have a certain amount of talents.
As a way of life stewardship is an intrinsic aspect of discipleship and the fruits of stewardship are not separate from the lives of disciples.
Greater Freedom and Joy Freed from passiveness: “We are not possessed by our possessions.” Gratitude: “An attitude of Gratitude” Priorities are Straight - AC Accountable - AC
Increased Vocations Increased vocations: 2017 – 46 seminarians 2019 - 36 Total Catholic growth in Kansas from 2000-2010: 17.7% 5.1% average of Christians
Increased Worship 47% Mass Attendance Eucharistic Adoration in 63 of 90 parishes Sunday Mass Attendance at SFA: 3600 souls per weekend Weekday Mass: average 200 souls per day 8:00 a.m. Mass & 5:30 p.m. Mass
Increased Confessions Average 450 confessions per week Available 24 hours a week Parish Schedule: Monday – Friday: 4:45 – 5:30 Saturday: 3:00 – 4:00 pm During all Sunday Masses During all School Masses Pastor’s Schedule: Confession / Advise Monday – Thursday: 11:30 – Noon & 3:30 – 4:45pm Everyday except Friday: 7:00 – 7:35 a.m. & 8:15 – 9:00 p.m.
Public Celebration of the Divine Office Morning Prayer: 7:40 a.m. Daytime Prayer w/ Divine Mercy: 3:10 p.m. Evening Prayer: 6:00 p.m. Night Prayer w/ Office of Readings: 9:10 p.m.
Fruits in Love of Neighbor Presbyteral Solidarity Parishioner Solidarity Increase of service opportunities Increase youth commitment Diocesan Ministries Guadalupe Clinic Lord’s Diner Catholic Care Center Harbor House Anthony Family Shelter
Ostensible Benefits Diocesan Income in 1985 - $15 Million Diocesan Income in 2014 - $51 Million No cathedraticums No annual appeals Two special collections No second collections
Inter-Parochial Comparative Study Charles Zech - Best Practices in Parish Stewardship Compared 227 stewardship parishes 208 non- stewardship parishes. National Average of Stewardship St. Francis of Average Parishes Assisi in Wichita, KS in 2019 Treasure $517 per $656 per household $1,925 per household household Volunteering 27% of 32.13% of parishioners 39% of parishioners parishioners Spiritual Index 46.3% of 59.7% of parishioners ---- parishioners Parish Outreach 3.34 per parish 4.6 per parish 10 at SFA
1 Peter 4:7-11
The Four Pillars of Stewardship 1 Peter 4:7-11 As each one has received a gift ( charisma ), use it to serve one another as good stewards ( oikonomos ) of God’s varied grace. - 1 Pet 4:10 Oikonomos – Steward Oikonomia - Economy of Salvation
The Four Pillars of Stewardship An oikonomos or steward is one to whom the owner of a household turns over responsibility for caring for the property, managing affairs, making resources yield as much as possible, and sharing the resources with others. The position involves trust and accountability. God wishes human beings to be his collaborators in the work of creation, redemption, and sanctification; and such collaboration involves stewardship in its most profound sense. - USCCB
The Four Pillars of Stewardship Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. Above all, let your love for one another be intense… Be hospitable to one another without complaining (1 Pet 4:7-9). Love of God Love of neighbor agape love: self- sacrificial love that is revealed in Jesus’ self-emptying and self-donation
The Four Pillars of Stewardship Whoever preaches ( laleō ), let it be with the words of God; whoever serves ( diakonia ), let it be done with the strength God supplies. v. 11 Laleō : to preach - the gift of wisdom, or knowledge, or prophecy, doctrine, exhortation, interpretation Diakonia: to serve - healing, help, administration, contributing, giving aid, and acts of mercy
Deep spiritual transformation… means individual and communal conversion and involves living discipleship in a spirit of generosity and total engagement.” Cardinal Archbishop Thomas Collins
Promised Gift, Sacred Worship He who sows bountifully, will reap bountifully. - v. 6 God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work. - v. 8 God will multiply your seed. - v. 10 You are being enriched in every way for all generosity. - v. 11
Promised Gift, Sacred Worship So I thought it necessary to…arrange in advance for your promised gift ( proepangellomenon eulogia ), so that it might be ready as a bountiful gift ( eulogia ) and not as an exaction… whoever sows bountifully ( eulogia) will reap bountifully ( eulogia ). - 2 Cor 9:4-5 On the first day of the week, each of you is to put something aside… so that contributions need not be made when I come… to carry your gift to Jerusalem. - 1 Cor 16:1-2
Promised Gift, Sacred Worship For the administration ( diakonia ) of this public service ( leitourgia ) is not only supplying for the needs of the holy ones but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God. Through the evidence of this service ( koinonia ) you are glorifying God (2 Cor 9:12- 13)… and provide evidence…of…the generosity of your service ( koinonia ). - v. 13
Promised Gift, Sacred Worship Diakonia : “service” and “arrangement for support or contribution.” Leitourgia adds a religious and sacrificial overtone to the collection. Koinonia : “communion” as well as a “willing contribution.”
Phil 2:5-8
Self-Emptying, Self-Donation Phil 2:5-8 Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus. - v. 5 …who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. v. 6 …he emptied ( kenoō ) himself, taking the form of a slave. - vs. 7
Self-Emptying, Self-Donation Engenders gratitude, elicits a response, and encourages imitation I want not what is yours, but you. - 2 Cor. 12:14 Parishioners who fully appreciate the magnitude of Jesus’ daily gift of Himself will full appreciate the debt we owe in return. - Living Life as God Intended It
Stewardship and Vocation “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things besides?” (2 Cor 9:8).
Trinitarian Foundation of Stewardship Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit. - Mt 28:19 Jesus is always present drawing us more nearly, more dearly, more clearly into the mutual reciprocity and interdependent relationships which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit enjoy without beginning or end. - Gerber
Apostolate, Discipleship, Holiness, Evangelization, Mission
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