Catholic Stewardship Consultants, Inc.

Developing Stewardship as a Way of Life

Fr. Dave Zimmer: Planting the Seeds That Become the Roots of Stewardship

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Father Dave Zimmer is pastor of St. John the Apostle in Minot, N.D.St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Fredericksburg, Va., was the destination of a retreat I facilitated in January 2010. The parish has 4,100 families and is located in one of the most historical areas of our country. The local residents take great delight in naming those who once lived there, and talking about what events happened that played a pivotal role in shaping much of our nation. As I listened, I couldn’t help but think about my home state of North Dakota and its beginnings as a “territory,” then as “state,” and the humble beginnings of our “Catholic heritage.”

The thoughts are appropriate, since here in the Diocese of Bismarck, we are about to kick off the celebration of our centennial as a diocese and recalling and appreciating the “characters” who shaped us, planting the “seeds” of citizenship” and, more importantly, our faith. The event will take place in Bismarck on June 11, 12, and 13. It offers us here in North Dakota, including here at my parish, St. John the Apostle in Minot, the opportunity to celebrate our history, while “beginning a new chapter” for ourselves and those that follow us.

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Msgr. Thomas McGread: Stewardship and Keeping the Faith

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Msgr. Thomas McGread is Stewardship Director Emeritus for the Diocese of WichitaA few years ago, the Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life conducted its U.S. Religious Landscape Survey based on interviews with 35,000 Americans age 18 and older. The survey was designed to detail the religious affiliation of the American public.

For Catholics, the Pew Forum survey findings are cause for concern.

The results reveal that one-third of Americans who were raised in the Church no longer identify themselves as Catholic, which means that 10 percent of all Americans are former Catholics.

The overall percentage of Catholic Americans has dropped from 31 percent to 24 percent. According to the Pew Forum, this decline would be greater if Catholic immigrants were excluded from the findings.

Even more alarming is that more than one-quarter of American adults (28 percent) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion — or no religion at all.

The Catholic Steward finds the survey results to be of great concern.

As parish leaders, how can we address this apparent loss of faith sweeping our nation?

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Msgr. P. James Costigan: The Four Pillars of Parish Stewardship

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Msgr. P. James Costigan is the pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Savannah, Ga.

You’ve heard about the three Ts of stewardship – Time, Talent and Treasure. But what about the four Ps?

The three Ts describe the personal gifts we offer to the Church. The four Ps are the “four pillars” of parish stewardship described by the man often referred to as the Father of Catholic Stewardship, Msgr. Thomas McGread. Msgr. McGread is the stewardship director emeritus for the Diocese of Wichita. In 2004, the diocesan stewardship office published an important document called, The Pillars of Parish Stewardship. These pillars are the hallmark of a stewardship parish:  hospitality, prayer, formation, and service. This is something that is near and dear to my own heart and is the theme for this year at my parish, St. Peter the Apostle in Savannah, Ga. [Read more…]

Fr. Allan J. McDonald: Give 100 percent of yourself to Stewardship

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In my nearly 30 years as a priest, I’ve seen fads and fashions come and go in Church life. The charismatic movement, the encounter movements, the Legion of Mary movement and various youth movements ebb and flow depending upon the circumstances of time and the needs of the Church. Some movements flourish while others seem to decline or die altogether.

One movement appears to remain with us. It is what I would call the “stewardship movement.” I have seen firsthand how this movement brings new vitality to parishes and strengthens the Catholic faith of so many individuals; something as simple as focusing on “time, talent and treasure” has touched our Catholic people in very basic but profound ways. [Read more…]

Deacon Don McArdle: Good communication is at the heart of a healthy Catholic parish

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Deacon Don is the CEO of Catholic Stewardship Consultants and a Deacon at St. Mary on the Hill in Augusta, Ga.

According to one wise man, “You can’t love what you don’t know,” and that holds true even in parish life.  Communicating what’s going on in the parish keeps the people informed, and knowing the parish helps people to love it. 

Parishes with good communications find that parishioners tend to be eager to participate and glad to contribute their time, talent, and treasure because they feel like they’re “in the loop.”  But parishes that don’t effectively share the news — either deliberately or accidentally — find that the people can feel left out.  Such a parish can become fertile ground for rumors and complaints. [Read more…]

Msgr. McGread: Making Christ the Center

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Msgr. Thomas McGread, the former Pastor at St. Francis of Assisi in Wichita, Kan., and the Director Emeritus of Stewardship for the Diocese of Wichita, is often referred to as the “Father of Catholic Stewardship.” In this recent Question and Answer session we conducted with the renowned stewardship pioneer, Monsignor offers his insights on how parish leaders charged with the great task of forming disciples can accomplish their goals by making Christ the center of all they do.

 

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Our Hearts are Burning Within Us

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God has called each of us as parish leaders to help build the Church. The call and challenge for each of us is just as real, just as important, and just as total as the call on the life of any other Catholic leader, including the earliest disciples. When Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, He called to some fishermen, “Come follow me.”  He promised that if they laid down their nets and followed Him He would make them fishers of men. These men were some of His original disciples, and they knew Christ’s call was so important that they left their secular occupation to follow Jesus. In much the same way, Jesus calls each of us to follow Him today. He is not necessarily asking us to leave our secular occupations like he asked those fishermen so long ago, but He is asking us to put Him first in our lives and to busy ourselves with building the Church. In many cases, in fact, God wants us to serve Him, to build His Church through the secular occupations we have chosen. [Read more…]

Fr. Dave Zimmer: “Amazing Stewardship” Comes From “Amazing Grace”

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A feature film production based on the life of William Wilberforce titled Amazing Grace was released three years ago. It got its name from a real-life friendship between Wilberforce and John Newton, who wrote the words to that famous Christian hymn, “Amazing Grace.” The film, however, told the story of one of the most amazing figures in British history. Mr. Wilberforce was born in 1759 in Hull, England, and in 1780 secured a seat in the House of Commons as a Member of Parliament. For over 20 years, he persisted in trying to end the slave trade in Britain. He persisted because his faith told him to do so, and it was right to do so.

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A Fireside Chat with The Father of Catholic Stewardship

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Msgr. Thomas McGread is a renowned stewardship pioneer. Beginning in the 1960s, Msgr McGread built St. Francis of Assisi in Wichita, Kansas into one of the most vibrant parishes in the country by teaching parishioners how to use their personal gifts. Msgr. McGread, now the Director Emeritus of Stewardship for the Diocese of Wichita, was influential in drafting the U.S. Bishop’s pastoral letter: Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response, which adopted his terminology and theological vision. For him, stewardship is a biblically-based principle that begins with conversion of heart and translates into a lifestyle of service.

The Catholic Steward sat down with Msgr. McGread to discuss his personal experience. During the conversation, Msgr. McGread shared his personal journey with us as well as how and why he implemented the stewardship way of life at St. Francis of Assisi. You will find that Monsignor offers tremendous insight and encouragement for all parish leaders who are charged with the great task of forming Christ’s disciples. [Read more…]

Welcome to The Catholic Steward

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Welcome to The Catholic Steward. As a service to Catholic parishes everywhere, we have created this blog to assist in sharing best practices around developing Stewardship within parishes. Here you will hear from individuals who have worked on implementing stewardship within their own parish and diocese. These individuals bring together a wealth of knowledge and experience. [Read more…]