Stewardship - More than Money

Stewardship - the word is bandied about in parishes, schools, and pulpits all the time these days, but what does stewardship mean? Is it just a gimmick to get you to drop more money in the collection basket or volunteer more often at church?

What does stewardship really entail? It can mean increasing financial contributions, but it also may mean donating used clothing to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, reading and praying over Church documents, or visiting the sick in the hospital. All of these actions involve stewardship, but none of them encompasses the whole. That's because stewardship is a complete and total way of life that acknowledges our dependence on God for all we have and all we are. Stewardship lies at the heart and soul of Christian life. In short, it isn't something we do; it's the way we live.

Stewardship Prayer

Almighty and ever-faithful Lord, gratefully acknowledging Your mercy and humbly admitting our need, we pledge our trust in You and each other.

Filled with desire, we respond to Your call for discipleship by shaping our lives in imitation of Christ. We profess that the call requires us to be stewards of Your gifts. As stewards, we receive Your gifts gratefully, cherish and tend them in a responsible manner, share them in practice and love with others, and return them with increase to the Lord.

We pledge to our ongoing formation as stewards and our responsibility to call others to that same endeavor. Almighty and ever-faithful God, it is our fervent hope and prayer that You who have begun this good work in us will bring it to fulfillment in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen