As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops composed their pastoral letter, Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response, Bishop John J. McRaith succinctly put to words the heart of stewardship — “Once one chooses to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, stewardship is not an option.”
Bishop McRaith’s quote hits the heart of who we are as members of the Church, as members of All Saints Parish. We are, at our core, Christian disciples — followers of Jesus Christ. Therefore, our lifestyle ought to be one of stewardship. We recognize that everything we have comes by way of gift from God and, in gratitude, we use those gifts for His glory — calling others to Him as we do so!
“Stewardship is a path to holiness,” says Adam Berry, Stewardship Committee member. “If you are a steward of your faith, it will make you holier, it will bring you closer to Christ and to His Church. And in the end, that is what matters. We are all called to be saints, to get to heaven — and stewardship is an avenue that will lead us there.”
Adam is proud to proclaim the truth of stewardship as the proper response of a Christian disciple, and he encourages all of us to recognize and own this response ourselves. But, as he admits, he hadn’t always understood it. In fact, it wasn’t until Adam started simply living stewardship that he began to grow in his understanding of it.
Back in 2021, Fr. Jovita asked Adam to be a member of the Stewardship Committee he was establishing at All Saints. Without much thought, Adam obliged.
“I have been a member of All Saints since I was a kid, but I’d never been actively involved,” Adam says. “But when Father asked me, I thought, well I can’t say ‘no’ to a priest.”
It was that simple. And yet, that simple “yes” has transformed Adam’s life. What’s more, the “yeses” of all our Stewardship Committee members have transformed our parish!
“Fr. Jovita wanted the message of stewardship to come from parishioners,” Adam says. “He felt sure that establishing a Stewardship Committee would have a positive impact on the way our parish understood and lived out stewardship.”
And over the last two years, this vision has proven incredibly fruitful.
“We now have a group of people dedicated to implementing stewardship as a way of life here, and the response we have seen from parishioners has been incredible,” Adam says. “We recently held a ministry fair, and it was a huge success. We haven’t held one in a very long time, and many parishioners said they felt that it was the best one yet! People came and got information about the different parish ministries, and they were given the opportunity to indicate their interest. The response was incredible.”
What’s more, Adam says he can attest to the impact of living stewardship in his own life.
“Getting involved in the life of the parish has connected me with the parish and with fellow parishioners in ways I wouldn’t otherwise be,” Adam says. “It has also led to more opportunities for me to serve the parish, and for that I am grateful. You will never regret getting involved!”
Adam and the other members of the Stewardship Committee get together once a month. They discuss ways that we can grow as a parish, set goals for our parish life, plan events, and more — all while keeping the faith of our parish family at the forefront of their mission.
Fr. Jovita is eager to get more of us involved in the life of the Church, and the Stewardship Committee serves as a support for him in doing that.
“We can all do more,” Adam says. “Getting involved will only help you grow. It will only make you holier. You won’t regret it.”