STEWARDSHIP PRAYER

Oh Lord, giver of life and source of our freedom,
we are reminded by the Psalmist
that yours is “the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.”
We know that it is from your hand that we have received all we have
and are and will be.

Gracious and loving God, we understand that you call us to be
stewards of your abundance, the caretakers of all you have entrusted to us.
Help us always to use your gifts wisely and teach us to share them generously.

May our faithful stewardship bear witness to the love of Christ in our lives.
We pray with grateful hearts, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Stewardship at St. Anselm in our weekly liturgies.

A recent visitor to St. Anselm, coming from another parish, stopped me after Mass on a Sunday and asked me, “Is this a Catholic parish? You didn’t take up a collection!”

I laughed, then, gently explained how we place our offerings in the baskets as we come into the church at the beginning of Mass. Then, I noted that if people forget to give at the beginning of Mass, people are free to place an offering in the baskets after Mass.

The man smiled and said, “I like that! You’ve made it very comfortable. I really enjoyed the song during the offertory….the words were so beautiful. Everything was beautiful! I really felt that I prayed today!”

I thanked the gentleman, and thought to myself…”That’s what it’s all about. We want people to join in the prayer of the liturgy. If people have a good experience of prayer in song and ritual, they will become stronger members of the community.”

So, it’s our policy here at St. Anselm to only rarely “pass the basket” at Mass. Usually the only time we take up a “special collection” is for the annual Mission Appeal mandated by the diocese, and for a “special need” such as a response to a flood, earthquake, or other disaster.

Remember, our parish sets aside a percentage of our weekly income to help people in need. Our Community OutReach (COR) committee responds to emergency needs in our local community. We also “give aid” to local charitable organizations like Catholic Charities by providing meeting spaces for them, and hosting some of their outreach programs. We also host a large number of “Anonymous” programs that provide support for people dealing with addictions and disorders.

Our hospitality does have a price, however. You know how the cost of energy is rising, so too for us here at St. Anselm. We have bills to pay for water, electricity, phones, etc. We need your generous stewardship to help us to continue to be a place of hospitality and welcome. We need your help to maintain the beauty of our buildings and grounds.

Thank you for all that you do to share your gifts of time, talent and treasure to build up the community of St. Anselm.

Fr. Gene Vavrick

Creative responses to Stewardship at St. Anselm:

Recently several Boy Scouts working toward their Eagle Scout rank approached me and asked if I had any ideas for a service project that would help them attain their Eagle. So, I pointed out the need to “clean up” the main sign at the entrance to the driveway….and one scout and his friends and family took that on as a project. Another scout recently refurbished the fencing around the Peace Garden. Both projects came out beautifully, and helped improve the grounds here at St. Anselm.

Another parishioner, noticing that the weeds were overtaking her corner of the Peace Garden, told the landscaper that cares for her family’s yard, to come over to the Peace Garden and remove the weeds. She figured, “I’m already paying him to pull my weeds….why not pay him a little more to pull the weeds in the Peace Garden!”

Our pantry near our kitchen was disorganized and was badly in need of a good cleaning and organizing. One family volunteered an afternoon to clean out, and label and organize everything in the pantry. Now, we know where the different organizations store their materials, and they’re all labeled nicely.

One parishioner just told me of her intent to remember St. Anselm in her last will. She has no family, and wants to help St. Anselm into the future. Her gift will enable us to continue to reach out to the needy.

A friend stopped in to chat one day and reported that her doctor had just told her to eliminate caffeine from her diet as soon as possible. This was going to be tough for her since she really enjoyed her several cups of coffee in the afternoon. She didn’t care where it came from: Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or even an IV drip! I suggested that she “offer it up” and take the money she would have spent on coffee, and donate it to one of our many charities. She has increased her weekly offering to our parish by $15. And, I’m glad to report, she’s feeling and looking great!

Look for more “creative” ways to practice Stewardship in future articles!

Peace,

Fr. Gene

Join the Stewarship Committee!

Contact Mary Jo Lopez mjlopez18[at]comcast.net

Reflection: When much has been given to people, much will be required of them. More will be asked of those to whom more has been entrusted. (Luke 12:48)