Stewardship: Turning Cultural Values Upside Down
Many Catholics wince when they hear the word stewardship. It's a reaction prompted by a mistaken notion that stewardship is just another way the Church asks for money. This is not true.
The Life of a Christian Steward
The decision to share one's financial resources with one's communion of faith is an important aspect of being a Christian steward. But that is only part of the story. Christian stewardship is the commitment made in response to God's generosity: to live a life of gratitude; to make daily decisions to glorify God; and to share oneself and one's gifts generously as circumstances and talents allow.
A life of gratitude is the first mark of a Christian steward. God has endowed His followers with more gifts than they can imagine- life and faith, time and relationships, health, talents, skills and material wealth. Everything one has is a gift from God, and a Christian thanks God daily for these blessings.
Stewardship Involves Daily Choices
Stewardship means making daily, conscious choices that glorify God. Decisions are made daily that reveal a person's priorities. The axiom, "Tell me to what you pay attention and I will tell you who you are," holds true. There are such things as self-glorification and the exaltation of wealth, social status, race, success, power, peace of mind and security. However, one should be able to recognize the Christian disciple by the place God has in his or her daily life.
Christian stewards regard success, a high standard of living and the accumulation of material objects as secondary to a life of generosity, hospitality, and the privacy of personal relationship. In making these decisions, culture's values are turned upside down.
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As Christians, we recognize that our gifts of talents and skills are meant to be cultivated and shared with others, beginning with our family and friends, with those whom we gather to share the Eucharist, and with the world. The gift of ourselves blesses the particular community of Christians we are involved with and blesses those whom our parish hopes to touch.
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"Planned Giving" is a term that for many people sounds quite imposing and perhaps not clear what it means. Simply stated, planned giving is charitable giving that is part of a family's financial and estate planning.
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The annual Catholic Services Appeal brings a special opportunity for us to answer Christ’s call and to renew our personal commitment to his work in the Church.
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Changing Lives Together is an initiative designed to support and strengthen our parishes, which are the foundation of a healthy and vibrant archdiocese.
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Express your dedication and commitment to our Catholic faith and heritage by supporting our Mother Church. The Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament belongs to every Catholic in the Archdiocese of Detroit. It needs support from all of us.
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By providing the essentials – clean water, food, shelter and warmth – your contribution will help those who are most in need following Hurricane Sandy. All funds will be forwarded to Catholic Charities U.S.A., the organization commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to provide first-line response when catastrophe strikes in our own country.
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Join the Southeast Michigan business and professional community celebrating the Eucharist in thanksgiving for God's gifts of love and grace. Bring a Colleague!
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With gratitude for their years of faithful ministry, Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit have acknowledged and embraced the responsibility for helping our priests during their retirement.
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Each year during Advent parishioners throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit open their hearts to families from our region. While many families receive gifts of clothing or toys from a parish giving tree, they need your help to meet more direct financial needs such as food, prescription costs, rent and utilities
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Sample letters, manuals and collateral material for the Christian Stewardship and Catholic Services Appeal programs.