St. Francis of Assisi, Wichita, KS
The Story of a Stewardship Parish

Stewardship as a way of life was first implemented at St. Francis of Assisi in 1968 when Monsignor Thomas McGread arrived as Pastor after having accepted the challenge to shepherd what was then considered a renegade parish. He did not come to St. Francis empty handed. He brought with him a vision from the words of St. Peter: "As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace."- (I Peter 4:10)

In 1968, St. Francis of Assisi parish was nine years old. With three pastors in three years and several thousand dollars in debt, St. Francis was rapidly achieving a reputation as a "priests' graveyard." Enrollment at the school had dropped to 200 students and was declining more each month. Discord split the parish, which was more a collection of factions than a true parish. St. Francis lacked any semblance of community, much less a communion of souls.

As soon as he arrived at the parish, Fr. McGread held a luncheon to announce the formation of "The Vernacular," a parish newsletter that would immediately begin to inform parishioners of events and activities at St. Francis. More organizational meetings took place, a parish dinner was served, a parish constitution was written and a council elected, the parish made a mission, and in 1970 the tithing program began. The concept of stewardship pervaded all these activities. Father talked about stewardship in his homilies, and "The Vernacular" was full of information about the opportunities and rewards of stewardship. A core group of volunteers, following Father McGread's example, reached out to other parishioners, new and old, made them feel important and invited them to share their time and talent with the parish.

By 1975, the parish was building a new church. In 1977, grades were added to the parish school, enrollment jumped to almost 500 students, and the school placed in the 95^th percentile in the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. By January of 1980, St. Francis had paid off the parish debt in its entirety and was approaching 1,500 families. Then, in 1982, the parish was split, reducing St. Francis to about 900 families. Undaunted, the parish dedicated a new Activity Center two years later to house 16 different parish organizations.

In 1985, seventeen years after the vision of stewardship was first brought to St. Francis of Assisi, the first Stewardship Committee was formed. It consisted of twelve members selected by the Pastor on the basis of their commitment to the Eucharist and to the Stewardship Way of Life. The committee met weekly to study, refine and further develop the parish structure to ensure that the gifts of time and talent were utilized so that all parishioners had the opportunity to serve and be served. As the commitment to the Stewardship Way of Life continued within the parish family, the Stewardship Committee expanded to include twenty-two members ranging in age from the early thirties to mid sixties.

Today, St. Francis has more than 70 parish organizations with almost 2,000 volunteers participating in one or more groups. The parish sponsors a medical clinic in downtown Wichita which is fully staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses and has become known for its reliable medical care for the poor and needy.

The grade school now teaches over 750 children, and another 300 St. Francis youngsters attend the diocesan high school at no charge. There are nearly 500 students in the Parish School of Religion. The parish has grown to 2,600 families, and over 70% of them use offertory envelopes regularly. But these are merely the temporal indications of parish health. More importantly, St. Francis now offers the sacrament of reconciliation every day but Sunday. Over 300 adults and 350 children attend Mass daily. About 85% of the parishioners attend Mass every Sunday. More than 500 parishioners participate in Perpetual Adoration. Over ten young men from the parish have become priests.

Stewardship education at St. Francis is a year-round priority which emphasizes the spiritual, and incorporates the elements of the parish Mission Statement: The mission of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish is to nourish our love of God through Jesus Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Centered in the Eucharist, we are developing a faith community through prayer, education, worship and Christian fellowship. As stewards of God's love, we strive to share our gifts and talents for the service of God and all His people.

The Stewardship Way of Life became so well integrated into the parish life of St. Francis of Assisi and its fruits so apparent that it received national acclaim. On September 21, 1998, in Orlando, Florida, the National Catholic Stewardship Council awarded St. Francis with the first ever Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy Memorial Parish Stewardship Award. The award acknowledged how, according to the words of Archbishop Murphy, "Stewardship becomes our response in faith" to being disciples of Christ.

Visit the St. Francis of Assisi Website