Most parishes are experiencing a financial shortfall and hard economic times right now. Many parishioners are losing their jobs, and others are worried that they will, while others are afraid that their retirement income may lose its value. So, some parish offertories are feeling a dramatic drop. Still, the parish needs money to pay its […]
Fr. Michael Troha: Seizing Opportunities to be Formed in the Faith
Formation is the third of four pillars of parish stewardship as a way of life, along with hospitality, prayer and service. But what does this word “formation” mean in our contextual understanding of stewardship? Formation means to study the teachings of Christ and His Church, and then to develop ways to put those teachings into […]
Dan Loughman: Common Language and Understanding
In the process of developing stewardship as a way of life at the parish or diocesan level, the term “stewardship” is sometimes used rather loosely. Generally, there is a wide range of definitions among parishioners as to what the term “stewardship” really means to them. This holds true even though the 1992 U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral […]
Living Life to the Fullest
As professed disciples of Christ, we are also stewards of our personal and communal vocations. When we declare Christ as our king and savior, we also promise to exist as His earthly body. The universal Church depends upon its individual earthly members for evangelization and support, and as stewards of Catholicism, we must respond to […]
The Challenge of Discipleship
God calls us to give Him everything: our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind. This is the challenge of discipleship — a life-long process of more fully placing our lives under the lordship of Jesus Christ. The reason that God can demand such complete service from us is that He made us. […]
Stewardship of Time: Following the Example of St. Damien
How much time do you dedicate to prayer each day? One hour? Fifteen minutes? None at all? When pondering the three Ts of stewardship – time, talent, and treasure – the “time” component holds the position of greatest importance; it serves as the fertile ground from which the gifts of talent and treasure blossom. Only […]
Eric McArdle: Staying on Message
Typically, the time between now and Thanksgiving is when a large number of Catholic parishes in the United States and Canada will conduct their Annual Stewardship Renewal. And, for our parish clients, Fall is the season when we conduct a majority of them, as well. So, since many of the readers of this blog are […]
Dan Loughman: The Parish Stewardship Council – Best Practices
Editor’s note: This is the final installment in Dan Loughman’s five-part series on the key factors of developing a successful Parish Stewardship Council. “Best Practices” is considered by many as a term — a business buzzword — used to describe the process of developing and following a standard way of doing certain things that have […]
Dan Loughman: The Parish Stewardship Council — Formation and Education
Editor’s note: This is the fourth in Dan Loughman’s five-part series on the key factors of developing a successful Parish Stewardship Council. Ongoing stewardship formation and education is a must for Parish Stewardship Council members. Council members must be committed to this ongoing formation in order to be in a position to design and facilitate […]
Dan Loughman: The Parish Stewardship Council – Organizational Structure
Editor’s note: This is the third in Dan Loughman’s five-part series on the key factors of developing a successful Parish Stewardship Council. Having a Parish Stewardship Council that functions separately — yet collaboratively — with the Parish Finance Council and Parish Pastoral Council requires that it be appropriately structured to carry out its intended purpose. […]
