3 Habits of Highly
Effective Stewards

# 1   Be Grateful!

Gratitude is foundational to a stewardship way of life.  All  is gift and demands our thanks and sharing in deed. 

# 2  Be Generous! 

Made in the image and likeness of God, we are called to be givers, given and giving. In this way we emulate our God and achieve our destiny. Since the economy of grace is not one of scarcity but extravagance, the more we give away the more it comes to be passed on once again.

# 3  Be Prayerful! 

To pray is to be in dialogue with the God who speaks to us and listens to us.  In our times of quiet God’s will becomes known to us.  That will calls us to a selfless life, one that is sacrificial.

 
 

Hospitality

 

What does hospitality have to do with Stewardship?  Authentic Christian Stewardship leads to evangelization.  Stewardship is an evangelization that is never satisfied until all within the faith community are approached, heard and invited to participate.  We welcome all to our parish, we hear their story and we invite them to participate in the building of God’s kingdom by sharing their gifts with the parish.  We need to be a hospitable community.

 Msgr. James A. Comiskey, founding member of the Southwest Liturgical Conference, writes in ParishWorks  that here was a time when hospitality  was not considered necessary at our liturgies.  We were there either because the Church told us to be there, or because we wanted to be there.  We did not expect to be welcomed.  But our Catholic worship world has changed.  Vatican II has changed our approach to worship.  How might hospitality work?

 

·          GREETERS—Just inside the door of the Church there are greeters. These people who are willing to hold out their hand, greet the person, tell them their name, and invite their name in return.  The greeter tells the visitor, stranger or member of the parish how welcome they are and how glad we are to have them there. 

·          GATHERING SPACE—Utilize the “gathering” space to welcome and greet new people and friends.    

·           SEATING—Does the seating allow for good participation in the liturgy?  How welcoming is the seating?   

·          THE PARISH OFFICE—In almost every parish there is “someone” who is there just inside the door to the parish office.  The person is a real messenger of hospitality.  No matter who comes to the office the person they meet give the flavor to the parish.  A hospitable welcome to the office is important no matter who comes. 

·          CLASSES—Almost every parish offers classes of one kind or another.  Have greeters who welcome the people who are attending.  The coffee break in these classes is a golden opportunity for hospitality. 

A parish cannot have hospitality every other month, or when they feel like it .  Hospitality must be a part of who we are as Roman Catholic Christians.  Our motive for hospitality is deep, wide and meaningful—”See how these Christians love one another.”