From the Pastor's Pen - Compasses, Telescopes, Maps, Watches

COMPASSES, TELESCOPES, MAPS, WATCHES—What are these all about ?? These are the prizes for our kids this year in our Stewardship Party on the Lawn (and after Masses in the hall for the festival of ministries.) Why?

The theme of the Archdiocesan Stewardship Awareness Campaign this year is: Always and Everywhere as in the Preface at Mass: It is truly right and just, always and everywhere, to give you thanks and praise. Our committee hoped these gifts would give the kids a sense of At All Times and In All Places. We adults need that sense too. This Sunday begins the actual Stewardship Awareness mini-season. Last Sunday I gave the Annual Financial Report, a practical and necessary rendering of our community stewardship. You heard that our efforts together have brought us to a stronger position in our finances. That is a major step, revealing faith and care.

But Stewardship, in itself, is not about the numbers, good or bad. It’s about our spirit of gratitude to God, for all he has given each one of us. It’s an awareness of our fundamental relationship to God, w

hich is that he has given us far more then we could ever give back to him. I’ve been inspired, as you’ll hear this weekend, by parishioners who show a sense of praising God at all times and places.

Our STEWARDSHIP SEASON this year calls us to make a daring, faith-filled response to God’s generosity, in unusual ways. You should’ve already received a brochure with the invitation to reflect on God’s goodness (call us if you didn’t get it.) I’ll call us all, like every year, to look at responding in our Offertory Giving, and our service to the parish in Time and Talent. This is all that STEWARDSHIP is!

Next week some of our lay parishioners will tell their story of responding in to God’s goodness, We’ll have another fun event outside on the corner of the church, and hold our Festival of Ministries in the hall. Then you’ll receive your Intention Card in the mail, and we ask you to bring it to Mass as a renewed offering of your time, treasure, and talent. We will be stronger the more of these cards that are returned.