Stewardship Prayer

STEWARDSHIP PRAYER

To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God

in everything he has given us

and He has given us everything.

Every breath we draw is a gift of His love,

every moment of existence is a grace,

for it brings with it immense graces from Him.

Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted,

is never unresponsive,

is constantly awakening to new wonder

and to praise of the goodness of God.

For the grateful person knows

that God is good,

not by hearsay but by experience.

And that is what makes all the difference.

Thomas Merton

Stewardship Questions and Answers

Stewardship Questions and Answers

“Dearest lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost.” - Ignatius of Loyola

Q. What is stewardship?

A. The concept of Stewardship is receiving God’s gifts gratefully, cultivating them responsibly, and embracing a spiritual relationship with God. It is not a program, but a spiritual consciousness or way-of-life, based in Scripture, which holds that all we are and all we have flows from God's varied grace. In turn, we serve as spiritual caretakers of our and worldly blessings.

Q. What makes one a steward?

A. We are already stewards. Each of us manages our time, talent and income carefully, so as to fulfill our individual and family responsibilities. As Christian stewards, we receive God’s gifts gratefully, and cultivate them responsibly. We do this in the same way that we provide for the material needs of our family, as we also have a responsibility to help provide for our parish, our faith community.

Q. How can I become a better steward?

A. Stewardship is living a life of gratitude by the sharing of one’s time, talent, and treasure and making daily decisions that glorify God. Give daily thanks for the blessings you have received from God, and ask yourself what you can do to help in your parish community. Being a good steward also means leading a generous, accountable way of life rooted in Christian discipleship.

Q. How can I learn more about stewardship?

A. Learn more about stewardship and what you can do to serve your faith community by contacting your parish priest. If your parish already has a set stewardship program in place, you may be able to offer your time, talent, and treasure to it. If your parish does not already have a program, you have the wonderful opportunity to help establish stewardship as a way of life in your own parish. In that case, please contact Danielle Parish, Administrator of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Gaylord at (989) 732-5147 or dparish@dioceseofgaylord.org for assistance.

Contact:	Danielle Parish
Phone:	989.732.5147