Living for the Glory of God. The 2015 International Catholic Stewardship Conference. October Issue 5. Stories to share?

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1 October Issue 5 Divine Mercy Catholic Community: Reducing Tuition and Living for the Glory of God 2015 International Catholic Stewardship Conference Our Duty to Care for Creation Saintly Steward: St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Stories to share? If you have a stewardship story to share, please send it to the Office of Development and Stewardship at stewnews@archspm.org The 2015 International Catholic Stewardship Conference Congrats goes out to Pax Christi Catholic Community for their award at this year's ICSC in Chicago! Pax Christi was honored for their Parish Stewardship Commitment Renewal Process. Mary Kennedy, the parish's Director of Stewardship, received the award on behalf of the parish. Living for the Glory of God Reducing Tuition Three Consecutive Years at Divine Mercy Catholic School The faith community at Divine Mercy Catholic Church and School in Faribault is intentional about integrating the spirituality of stewardship into their way of doing things. It is easy to identify their motivation behind what they do: a desire to live generously for the glory of God. The continual challenge, however, is to allow this motive to impact decisions made in the parish and school. Though it has taken persistence, by embracing this challenge Divine Mercy has also been able to embrace many joys that come as a result. A cause of recent celebration in their community is seeing a yearly enrollment increase at Divine Mercy Catholic School, while simultaneously lowering the school's tuition for three consecutive years. In an effort to remove unnecessary roadblocks for parishioners and families to participate in their faith community, the parish has aimed to reduce or entirely remove fees for its ministries. As the parish tithe has increased, the multitude of fundraisers at the parish and school have gradually been removed. The heart of these accomplishments can be seen in the parish's mission statement:

2 "Divine Mercy Catholic Church, an inviting and diverse community of faith, glorifies God through Liturgy, and in our words, actions and lives with the Eucharist as our center." Mary Kennedy (left) and Margaret Slawin, the Director of Development and Stewardship for our archdiocese, celebrate Pax Christi's award at the conference this past weekend. Mary gave a presentation at the conference titled "Sharing our Time and Talent Wherever and However We are Called." Using the theme for this year's stewardship renewal at Pax Christi, "Open Wide the Door," Mary shared insight on the call for parishes to both welcome people, and go meet people where they are at. She discussed how ministries at their parish have responded to this call, and how Pax Christi inspires members to share their gifts of time and talent. A Few Tips From Pope Francis to Better Care For Creation "There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions..." In his encyclical letter Laudatio Si', Pope Francis invites all people to have a conversation about "the care of our common home." In his appeal to the whole human family, the pope seems to place just as much importance on the need for improved global policies as the small day to day efforts made by people who strive to live in "union with all creatures." When learning about the negative effects of climate change, it can be easy to fall into one of two skewed reactions. One way we can react is to let the problem overwhelm us and to feel like it is hopeless. To combat this anxiety-ridden mentality, Pope Francis offers encouragement: For the folks at Divine Mercy, stewardship is simply a way of living this out, a means to glorify God in their "words, actions and lives." The parish's approach to stewardship has developed over time, but it has always been marked by perseverance. A fire for stewardship at Divine Mercy was rekindled in August 2008, when two parishioners traveled with the parish's former pastor, Fr. Kevin Finnegan, to Wichita, Kansas for the Msgr. McGread Stewardship Conference. At the conference they listened to parish leaders from around the country share personal stories of how their community has endeavored to live out stewardship in a tangible way. The Faribault attendees received encouragement from these stories, and it served as a launchpad for a fresh vision back home. After returning from the conference they set up a stewardship committee at Divine Mercy. Fr. Finnegan began talking with parish and school leadership about revitalizing their focus to directly promote stewardship and a lifestyle of generosity. In November 2009, the parish hosted its first Ministry Fair. They also began having an annual Prayer Fair right before Lent, where people could learn about resources and opportunities for prayer offered at the parish, such as Eucharistic Adoration, Stations of the Cross, Prayer Shawl Ministry, and preparing "Prayer Pockets" for the home-bound. Parish leadership took a step back to evaluate the parish's commitments to different missions and ministries, and it was agreed that the school should become a more primary mission of the parish. In hindsight, it seemed like that should have always been an obvious priority. Karen Sommers, the Director of Stewardship for the parish, commented, "This could not have happened at a better time since enrollment was declining over the past couple years. It was then leadership decided to lower tuition and fill the empty classroom chairs with more students instead of raising tuition for those already there." The parish community truly took on a greater sense of ownership of Divine Mercy's school. The parish continued its journey in stewardship education, and everyone was being invited to discern how they are stewards of God's gifts. A "$10 Challenge" was proposed for the month of November, asking parishioners to increase their weekly Sunday giving by $10 out of thanksgiving and trust in God's generosity. Divine Mercy began to host regular "Gloria Gatherings," which were evening events for Fr. Finnegan, the associate pastor Fr. Erik Lundgren, and parish leaders to share a stewardship vision with other members of the community. Fr. Finnegan talked about his hopes that the school and ministries would become more available to all parishioners. As an example, he spoke about the fees for Vacation Bible

3 "May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope." School, "How much is Vacation Bible School...and we have to ask these kids to pay it. Wouldn't it be great if our kids could just go to Vacation Bible School?" Another common reaction, which seems to be the route most of us take, is indifference. Seeing the scale of the problem, we fail to look for ways that we can be a part of the solution. This is a mindset that Pope Francis confronts in Laudatio Si', and he prays that everyone will avoid the "sin of indifference." Practical Advice from Chapter 6 of Laudatio Si' "A person who could afford to spend and consume more but regularly uses less heating and wears warmer clothes, shows the kind of convictions and attitudes which help to protect the environment." (sec. 211) TIP: Instead of cranking up the heat, throw on a sweatshirt "Education in environmental responsibility can encourage ways of acting which directly and significantly affect the world around us, such as avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably be consumed, showing care for other living beings, using public transport or car-pooling, planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights, or any number of other practices. All of these reflect a generous and worthy creativity which brings out the best in human beings. Reusing something instead of immediately discarding it, when done for the right reasons, can be an act of love which expresses our own dignity." (sec. 211) TIP: Car-pool or take the bus Divine Mercy Catholic School students join the current associate pastor, Fr. Nick VanDenBroeke, in prayer. Divine Mercy liked models of stewardship witnessed in other parishes and dioceses, however, aimed to embrace a stewardship culture unique to their parish and school. Karen Sommers described, "We no longer use the word volunteer, but rather 'Partners in Ministry,' because we truly partner together to make ministry happen. We now use the terminology 'Prayer, Gifts and Tithe' instead of 'Time, Talent and Treasure.' Yes, we use the word tithe. We are in the process of becoming a stewardship parish that includes tithing. It takes time for us to change our lifestyles. Some have always embraced tithing, and some are just learning the beauty of tithing. Just as God has promised, we are finding it is fruitful." In October 2014, the church paid off a final payment to an outside investment for the new church that was dedicated August 2, At one of the parish's 2012 "Gloria Gatherings," Fr. Finnegan stressed the idea that stewardship is not its own category, but rather needs to be lived in every section of our lives. "If it is not lived in the family, it is not going to be lived... And so we have to live our faith in a very tangible, in a very concrete way, in our families and in our own personal lives. And that means our families need to be involved in the decisions we make. And they are, either directly or indirectly." Fr. Finnegan continually urged for a community that mutually supported each other in their prayer, gifts and tithing. "If we really believe, if we have Jesus Christ at the center of our lives, God will give us the grace to really live for Him... It's what we are called to do, it is how to live beyond ourselves and live for the glory of God." Divine Mercy looks forward to continuing their stewardship journey with their current pastor, Fr. Kevin Kenney. TIP: Turn off the lights when you leave the room "As you can see," described Karen, "We are trying to live like it says on the image of Divine Mercy: Jesus I Trust in You."

4 "One expression of this attitude is when we stop and give thanks to God before and after meals. I ask all believers to return to this beautiful and meaningful custom. That moment of blessing, however brief, reminds us of our dependence on God for life; it strengthens our feeling of gratitude for the gifts of creation; it acknowledges those who by their labours provide us with these goods; and it reaffirms our solidarity with those in greatest need." (sec. 227) Special thanks to Karen Sommers for the article idea and information. TIP: In your mealtime blessing, pray for everyone who had a part in the preparation of the food and for those who go without Divine Mercy Catholic Church in Faribault, MN "Society is also enriched by a countless array of organizations which work to promote the common good and to defend the environment, whether natural or urban. Some, for example, show concern for a public place (a building, a fountain, an abandoned monument, a landscape, a square), and strive to protect, restore, improve or beautify it as something belonging to everyone. Around these community actions, relationships develop or are recovered and a new social fabric emerges." (sec. 232) TIP: Pick one way to care for a public place in your community Saintly Stewards: Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez Feast day: October 30 It is easy to "keep tally" of our good deeds--how much we tithe, how many hours we volunteer, how often we pray the rosary, and so on. God doesn't judge us by how much we give in comparison to others, but rather that out of the little or the abundance that we do have, we offer it to Him. Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez is a saint who seemed to be reduced to nothing. His business failed, his loved ones passed away, and even religious orders dismissed him as inadequate. While it seemed he didn't have much, he gave everything he had, and his life was a beautiful gift for God. Alphonsus was born in Segovia, Spain in As a teenager his parents sent him and his brother to study at a Jesuit school. When his father unexpectedly passed away, his mother

5 asked Alphonsus to return home. He left school and returned to Segovia to help manage his father's business. At the age of 26 he married Maria Suarez, and they had two children. The family business took a turn for the worse, but that was only the beginning of Alphonsus' troubles. His daughter fell ill and passed away. Shortly after, Maria died giving birth to their third child, and the newborn did not survive. The death of Alphonsus' mother and his only remaining child followed, leaving Alphonsus alone in his grief. He turned to God in prayer for strength and direction. Alphonsus felt called to join the Society of Jesus. He interviewed to be a candidate for the priesthood, but they turned him away due to his poor health and limited education. Alphonsus returned to his studies for two years and then once more applied to be a Jesuit candidate. He was denied a second time, but the Jesuit provincial overrode this decision and allowed Alphonsus to enter the religious order as a lay brother. He was sent to a college on Majorca, an island off the Spanish coast. He served the simple job of doorkeeper for the college. His daily life consisted of welcoming visitors, connecting them with students they came to see, taking messages, running errands, giving out alms, and consoling those who needed a listening ear. Every time someone came to the door, Brother Alphonsus would say, "I'm coming Lord!" A lot of students came to him for prayers and encouragement. Peter Claver (now Saint Peter Claver) came to the college in 1605, and became good friends with Brother Alphonsus. It was Alphonsus who encouraged Peter in his vocation to the South American missions. Alphonsus was a good steward of everything he had. Whenever we think that we have little to offer, the life of Saint Alphonsus reminds us that even our small gifts can be used by God in a powerful way. This saint showed respect and care for everyone who came to his door. He gave undivided attention to anyone in need of encouragement or counsel. His daily life was simple, but it was the simple gifts Alphonsus offered that God used to form great saints for the Church. Know someone who would like to receive our s? Forward Not yet signed up to receive our s? Join Now