While celebrating all the Masses this past weekend I had an opportunity to watch the Stewardship video three times. I realized that it was only five years ago that we were still “under construction”; still renovating the church and that Deacon Joe was with us at the time and attending all three Masses. Seems like so very long ago.
The focus from “time, talent and treasure” to action words; “Giving, Praying and Serving” makes so much sense; because it takes all of us acting on behalf of our community that keeps a faith community alive, vibrant and the doors open.
Each of our witnesses touched on issues that really approach stewardship in a variety of ways. “Taking ownership of the church,” “The Sabbath is made for us, not us for the Sabbath, Mass is not an obligation it’s a celebration;” “Church and ministry is a priority in our household;” “in June of 2006, St. Gabriel’s in Brighton closed…I was crushed, it was the place where I received all my sacraments, where my first son was Baptized, where I was married, where I buried my mom!’ “My parents encouraged me to get involved, and now I want to be more involved.”
As I heard these thoughts I was pleased and at times wanted to go deeper. Pleased that the seeds of stewardship were growing here in our parish; that we are taking ownership and responsibility for our parish community. Pleased that parents were encouraging their children to get involved in ministry and families were making church and ministry a priority.
At the same time, I wanted to know why St. Gabriel’s in Brighton closed. I know some of the stories of parishes that closed in our own diocese; was it the same? Were people there unwilling to make a commitment to the vitality of parish life and the community? Then I also thought of Jesus closing question in Sunday’s Gospel; “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
What did you hear and gain from our witness talks? What are you pondering in your view from the pew? I wish to thank our witness speakers for their willingness to speak when invited; the technicians who put the video together, and the Stewardship team for their hard work at inviting us all to take responsibility for the vitality, and commitment necessary for us to remain “The Catholic Community of Sacred Heart!”