Becoming a Total Stewardship Parish

In assigning Bishop Shawn McKnight to the Diocese of Jefferson City, Pope Francis not only gifted us with a priest of exceptional experience and knowledge. Bishop McKnight had the great privilege of growing up and being formed in the diocese that is the model of stewardship for the entire U.S. Church. In welcoming Bishop McKnight, we are also welcoming the way of parish discipleship that his home diocese of Wichita, Kansas, is famous for:  that of stewardship as a way of life. 

True to his roots, Bishop McKnight has made stewardship one of the main pillars of parish planning and renewal for the Diocese of Jefferson City. He asked each parish put stewardship as one of the three pillars of a pastoral plan. He has tasked Father Stephen Jones to lead the parishes of the Diocese in their transformation into  total stewardship parishes. It’s been two years since the first group of seven parishes began their transformation according to the four pillars of stewardship—hospitality, prayer, formation, and service—to reform the culture of the parish. My former parish of Our Lady of the Lake was set to be part of the second cohort of seven parishes; but after my transfer, Bishop McKnight asked me instead to lead the people of Mary Immaculate, Saint Rose and the Newman Center to be among the second cohort.

I agreed to the request. I see this as a perfect vehicle for focusing my initial efforts at coming to know my parishioners, their needs, and their talents. The work of stewardship begins with an awareness of God’s past and present blessings. The awareness of our beatitude leads us to become truly grateful for all of God’s blessings. Our gratitude then prompts us to share these blessings with others, especially those in most need. Over this past month, I have become more and more aware of how people are living out their baptismal calling in so many ways. I also realize that we are still transitioning to the new normal with the pandemic and community activities have not yet returned to customary levels of engagement. Some are still wondering at times where the blessings can be found. Looking at these challenges through the optics of stewardship will go a long way toward restoring our enthusiasm, identifying priorities, and allocating resources in service of the mission of evangelization.

In the past several years, I have been preparing for this pastoral transformation. I have been studying the documents from the United States Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Diocese of Wichita, among others. I have paid particular attention to the themes of stewardship in the Sacred Scriptures. Most important, I have asked Our Lord to open my heart and mind to the way of stewardship, that I may be a better leader for others on this journey.

The change in culture necessary for the flourishing of stewardship requires a specific team of people whose role is to understand the theology and spirituality of stewardship, educate the parish on stewardship’s virtues, provide resources to parish leadership regarding stewardship formation, and to perform the critical role of engagement and assessment necessary for success. A chartered commission will have the resources and authority to guide our culture of stewardship to be more in line with best practices, especially as exemplified by the parishes in the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas.

I have been working on a charter upon which a parish can base its stewardship endeavors. That document is almost finished. It does lack one important component, a team to finalize it and make it their own. I am ready to start the process of interviewing potential members of a stewardship commission. I have posted the commission charter on the parish website for the parish’s review. I invite all parishioners to read through the charter and get a better sense of the core values of stewardship and different kinds of service that the commission entails. I will be contacting those who have expressed interest in stewardship but also will reach out to folks who have been suggested to me as suitable collaborators in the work of the commission.

The parables which Christ speaks to us reveal the mystery of the Kingdom of God. The key characters in the parables are people who have been entrusted something great and are asked to use this grace as a means of building the Kingdom. Farmers, shepherds, fishermen, merchants, bridesmaids, and household stewards are called to live a life that manifests the superabundant mercy of God through their labor and industry. The Lord’s Prayer itself is a prayer of stewardship when we pray “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In praying the Our Father, we are proclaiming our willingness to cooperate with God’s grace so that the Kingdom is visible here and now, inviting us to walk the path of the Kingdom to the everlasting light of heaven.

I look forward to the coming months as we all engage in this sacred conversation, discerning God blessings, recognizing the promptings of the Spirit, and following the invitation of the Lord Jesus to join Him in building the Kingdom.

A Personal Commitment to Stewardship

My parish is composed of people like me.
I help make it what it is.
It will be friendly, if I am.
It will be holy, if I am.
Its pews will be filled, if I help fill them.
It will do great work, if I work.
It will be prayerful, if I pray.
It will make generous gifts to many causes,
if I am a generous giver.
It will bring others into its worship,
if I invite and bring them.
It will be a parish of loyalty and love,
of fearlessness and faith, of compassion, charity,
and mercy, if I, who make it what it is,
am filled with these same things.
Therefore, with the help of God,
I now dedicate myself to the task of being
all the things that I want my parish to be.
Amen.