Msgr. Mark Seitz
Pastor of St. Rita in Dallas, TX


I first became familiar with Catholic Stewardship Consultants in the late 90's at my former parish, St. Joseph, in Waxahachie, Texas. St. Joseph was a small rural parish in the midst of a rather rapid transition into a larger more suburban parish. Leaders in the parish could see that this once sleepy country community was going to need to wake up and prepare for the new reality it was facing.

We recognized that our need went beyond anything we would gain through a one time capital drive. Such a drive might help us meet one need but leave us unchanged. Therefore, we sought a company that could assist us in a process that would change our hearts by opening them to the work of God within them. We looked for an organization that would help us light a fire under our community and communicate the joy of sharing the gifts of time, talent and treasure we have received from God.

After an extensive search and interviews we concluded that Catholic Stewardship Consultants were the ones for whom we were looking. With their assistance we began a first class monthly newsletter, we held retreats, recruited volunteers and educated our parish in the concepts of stewardship and sacrificial giving. In this time we not only launched a successful capital campaign, we also saw our regular offertory increase between 10 and 12% each year.

When I undertook my new assignment at a large suburban parish with 3,000 active families last year I once again sought out Catholic Stewardship Consultants. The downturn in the economy had hit our parish pretty hard and many parish organizations had recently seen their participation decline. Our Finance Council members were very impressed with the proposal of Eric McArdle. Soon St. Rita Catholic Community entered a relationship with the company.

In the ensuing year encouraging signs of new life have emerged. The community is delighted with the monthly newsletter and the parish staff is ecstatic that they do not have to do it. We have benefited greatly from the sage advice available to us from Eric and his team at every turn. Parish income is no longer lagging but is actually ahead of projections. The community is encouraged by the subtle signs of new life they see. I myself have found the assistance I have received from the Catholic Stewards more valuable and less costly than what I would have gained by hiring a development director. We are looking forward to renewing our contract with Catholic Stewardship Consultants for a second year.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Mark J. Seitz, Pastor
St. Rita Catholic Community
Dallas, Texas