"A Christian steward is one who receives God's gifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them in a responsible and accountable manner, shares them in justice and love with others, and returns them with increase to the Lord."
~ USCCB Pastoral Letter on Stewardship
Click here for Archbishop Etienne's message on the spirituality of stewardship.
What exactly is stewardship?
When it comes to Stewardship, God is more interested in our heart. Click here for Bishop Schuster’s message on the meaning of Stewardship.
Simply put, stewardship is the response of a disciple — a response rooted in gratitude. And it is the gratitude in our hearts for all God's blessings that permeates all aspects of our lives. It cultivates our prayer life, our life of service, and how we share our financial resources.
Being grateful is an action. And it's the action of giving freely from a sense of deep gratitude that is the fundamental underpinning of the Christian steward. It's about living out that gratitude through the simple things we do every day. When we are conscious of how blessed we are on a daily basis, it makes it easier for us to want to bless the other people in our lives.
The true aim of stewardship is to be a more vibrant witness in the world. It's meant to engage and energize us, and every Catholic, for service — starting in the family and then extending into the wider world. It’s helping us to look at our lives 24/7 as an opportunity to serve the Lord and to recognize God's place in our lives. It keeps us focused on what we have — not on what we don't have.
Everything we have is a gift!
It is on this premise that the foundation of stewardship is built. Our life, our property, our health, our talents, our money — they are all gifts from God. And we are called to share those gifts — not in a single action, but as a way of life. And what does it mean to share them as a way of life? It means that we recognize, by our faith, that everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God. It is a way of life that says "Yes" to what God has entrusted to you.
Simply put, it is our response to God's abundant generosity. It's an expression of our discipleship.
And your parish is where it starts. By reaching out through a ministry in your parish that engages your passion and challenges you to grow, you can take a step in your faith journey and say "Yes" to a lifestyle of stewardship! We hope you will take that step today.
Click here to find a parish near you.
