 | Mission Statement | |
To be co-responsible with Jesus Christ in the building of the kingdom of God and to promote discipleship and spiritual growth through hospitality, prayer, formation, and service.
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Stewardship Prayer
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The Road Ahead
My Lord God,
I have not idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hop I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do ths, you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils along.
Amen.
-Thomas Merton |
| Bulletin Bits Based on Sunday Readings | | |
These bulletin bits are from Sharon Hueckel's book, Stewardship by the Book, and are reprinted here with permission. Whether your parish is preparing to launch a formal stewardship "program," nurturing an earlier stewardship effort, trying to increase awareness of the link between discipleship and stewardship, or just trying desperately to keep the parish financially afloat, dropping Stewardship by the Book into the bulletin each week is one fairly painless way to work on stewardship education. Click here for stewardship reflections for the March/April Sunday readings.
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| Prayers of the Faithful | |
We recommend that every week in every parish a stewardship intention should be included in the "Prayers of the Faithful." Click here for March/April. prayers. |
| Stewardship Links
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Below are diocesan and publisher websites that contain resources on stewardship for use in your parish. Some of these materials can be downloaded, while others must be ordered.
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| 4 Pillars of Stewardshp | | |
Hospitality
Prayer
Formation
Service
Click here to access the complete Four Pillars of Stewardship resource manual from the Diocese of Wichita
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 Stewardship News & NotesAn e-newsletter provided by the Office of Development for those promoting the gifts of time, talent and treasure
March/April 2014
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St. Francis of Assisi was known as a joyful man. He is noted for the following virtues:
- Simplicity of life--strip yourself of everything that is unnecessary
- All Creation is God's gift to us--find God's mercy and love in everything; share it generously
- Be joyful--be joyful because you know God is with you.
St. Francis' lifestyle reinforces one thing: people are attracted to joyful people. Through stewardship, we learn that we are supposed to share our gifts and be generous. This implies "giving up" something and may come across to some as leading a life of hardship. But the exact opposite is true! The more we give, the more we receive.
What are stewardship ideas or topics you'd like us to feature? Send us creative ways to reach out to our brothers and sisters at mhampton@rcdb.org and we will try to publish them in this newsletter or on our web pages.
LET US HELP YOU!
Diocesan Stewardship Education Council:
Val Allen, St. Mark's, Boise
Debbie Gallegos, Holy Spirit Catholic Community, Pocatello
Father Jesus Camacho, St. Mary's, Boise
Gail Estes, All Saints Catholic Parish, Lewiston
Carolyn Bailey, Holy Apostles, Meridian
Bob Sobotta, Superintendent, Catholic Schools Office
Office of Development:
Adrienne Smith, Director, asmith@rcdb.org
Margaret Hampton, Coordinator, mhampton@rcdb.org
Diana Tetreault, Data Management Specialist, kduraso@rcdb.org |
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30 Ways to Excercise Good Stewardship of Lent and Easter
This article adapted from the March 2013 ICSC e-Bulletin
Is Lent slipping away from you? Don't worry, you have the months of March and April to be a good steward of the gift of Lent and Easter Triduum. Adapted from an article by our friends in the Archdiocese of Toronto, here are 30 ideas to fill the days of Lent and the beginning of the Easter season. Read More
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For Your Bulletin: Stewardship Thoughts
by David Baranowski, Archdiocese of St. Louis
- "Those who have opened their hearts to God's love, heard His voice and received His light cannot keep this gift to themselves." Pope Francis
- "Stewardship is about a life with gratitude and responding generously to God out of thanksgiving, not out of duty." Anonymous
- "Genuine prayer does not result in mechanical obedience; it is a relevant conversation in which the disciple is free to ask questions." Scripture Union USA, Dec. 4, 2013
- "If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator; or technology, He would have sent a scientist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent a savior." Unknown
- "The acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit." St. Basil the Great
- "It is with the smallest brushes that the artist paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures." St. Andre Bessette
- "Sirach writes, 'If you choose, you can keep the commandments; they will save you.' The point is that God has granted us free will. The Lord has given us choices." Catholic Stewardship Consultants
- "If your enemy is hungry, feed him and if he is thirsty, give him drink. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Roman 12:20-21
- "Put your trust in God and use your money. Don't reserve the order." Alton H. McEachern
- "There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever." Mahatma Gandhi
- "God grants gifts regardless of human shortsightedness and allows those gifts to flower for the sake of the kingdom." Leonard Foley
- "Truth be told, genuine prayer--admitting or reliance upon God's strength--is not the easy way out. In fact, it takes great courage to face our brokenness and our deep need for God's deliverance." Laura Thelander
- "Be thankful for the bad things in life. For they opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before!" Anonymous
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Stewardship Webinars
March 11 - Working Through Change: How to Help Parishioners through Transitions
April 8 - Bringing New Excitement to Parish Ministry
The Office of Development purchases a diocesan-wide registration from Our Sunday Visitor that allows any parish staff or volunteers to attend one-hour webinars offered every 2nd Tuesday of the month at no cost to you. There is no limit on the number of attendees from our diocese or your parish. You may participate from your own personal computer at home or at the office. All you need is an internet connection and a phone. Click here to find out more about these upcoming webinars and to register. If you miss one, a recording is available afterwards by contacting the Development Office for the link. |
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Our Work is Loving the World: A Lenten Stewardship Reflectin
This article from March 2012 ICSC e-bulletin
Insightful stewardship expression can be found in any number of poems we read reflectively. In the poem Messenger for instance, the poet Oliver writes: "My work is loving the world." What does the poet mean by her use of the word "work" in relationship to "loving." How can Christian stewards make prayerful use of this reflection during the season of Lent? Read More |
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Anything to Declare?
By Fr. Dave Zimmer, www.thecatholicsteward.com
Sometime last year, I received a complaint from some parishioners that stewardship is "getting old" for some people. For many who know me, you can imagine this made Read More |
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FREE Estate Planning Seminars
The Development Office is now offering FREE Estate Planning Seminars in parishes. Now is a great time to schedule your parish Estate Planning Seminar for the Spring. This is a great service for your parishioners. Please contact Adrienne Smith at 208-350-7552 or email at asmith@rcdb.org for more information.
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