Helping Out
Stewardship is a way of life whereby we as disciples are caretakers of all God's gifts.We are totally accountable and responsible in acknowledging God as creator and owner of all. As stewards we express our gratitude for these gifts in prayer and worship and we are encouraged to share these gifts out of love for God, community and for one another.

Is this just another fundraising gimmick?
Stewardship is based on references in Scripture. Jesus specifically talks about it in a number of his parables. By addressing stewardship directly, he made it clear how he wanted us to live. One of those ways is to become involved with others and share with them what we have, not only our treasure, but our time and special talents as well.

Stewardship is based on God's word, not on the fundraising needs of the Church. Stewardship is based on an individual's need to give, not on the Church's need to receive. It is based on the truism that all that we have and all that we are comes from God, and as a way to thank God for all his blessings, we return to God a portion of the time, talent and treasure allotted to us.

A person's decision to give of his or her time, talent and treasure is based on our need to give. Giving of time, talent and treasure is not limited to the Church. Most people will give of their time and talent as volunteers to community agencies in addition to volunteering in their parish. Most will give money to other community agencies in addition to supporting their parish.

Christian stewardship provides a spirituality that the lay person can take home from Church, exercise at work and express through personal involvement in the community and Church. It bridges the material world around us and the world of the spirit within us.

Stewardship is not job-oriented or project minded. It is a way of life for a lifetime. It gives joy! Those who voluntarily give their time and talents for work in the parish will always experience joy if they give them for Christ. They are able to measure the extent of their faith in and love of Jesus by the kind and quality of the stewardship they perform.

Jesus Christ is God's greatest gift to us. Stewardship tells us to share a portion of our time, talent and treasure so that the gift, Jesus Christ, may be given to those who do not know him.

Christian stewardship takes a positive view of money. In the way we acquire it, use it, and share it, we are revealed. It helps us to become aware that God is the ultimate giver of the gifts we have. To give to God should be from the top - not from what may be left over.

Stewardship is not giving just to meet the budget needs. Giving of time involves being with God in prayer and worship, sharing our love with family and friends, and volunteering our time in Church and community activities that help others and promote justice.

Sharing our talents arises from the fact that God has given each of us the abilities and gifts to do certain things well and we are to develop those talents for the good of others. Many individuals commit a certain number of hours each week to prayer and charitable activities.

Giving of our treasure is equally as important as giving of our time and talent. Since God does not hold back on any area of his giving, so we are not to hold back on any area of our giving, especially in the crucial area of supporting our parish, diocese, Catholic schools and the community organisations.

What Stewardship Is Not

• Stewardship does not disguise a non-deductible fee as a charitable contribution and is not judged by evaluation of income tax returns, or by conducting an inquisition of personal finances.
• Stewardship cannot be judged simply by whether or not it meets an arbitrary minimum such as 5% or 8% of a person's income.
• Stewardship does not distinguish between school families and non school families in regard to expectations or services.
• Stewardship does not insist on an individual act of faith without a corresponding parish act of faith.
• Stewardship is not a pledge to be compared with the amount of the parish's financial investment in the education of the children of a family.
• Stewardship is not a weapon to brandish; it is an instrument for saving souls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What difference will stewardship make in our lives?
A: The first difference is in the focus of giving. Instead of focusing on the needs of the group to whom we're giving financial support or helping with time and talent, the focus is primarily on God and the importance of our relationship with God. The second difference is in the motivation for giving. Stewardship is an integral part of our spiritual life and we give because we are grateful to God for what has been graciously given to us. The third difference is in the results. As we practice stewardship, we find that we grow spiritually and that our lives are changed for the better.

Q: What do we mean when we refer to stewardship as "a way of life"?
A: Because we have received every gift of nature and of grace from God, we are not the ultimate owners of our possessions. We are called to use and to return those gifts in a responsible and accountable manner and to place ourselves at the service of others, especially those who are most in need.

Q: What portion of my time, talent and treasure should I give?
A: It's important to think in terms of giving in gratitude to God, of considering how blessed we are, of using our gifts and talents for the good of others. In the area of time and talent, many individuals commit a certain number of hours each week to prayer and charitable activities. That prayer can be by yourself, with your family or with others. The charitable activities can include working in your parish, with various community agencies or with an individual in need. In the area of treasure, after prayerful thought about the size of your gift, when you do not find yourself making excuses for its size, when you know in your heart that it is sacrificial, that you have been completely honest with God and yourself, then your gift is of proper size.

Q: Does the cost of Catholic education count as part of our commitment to stewardship of treasure?
A: Each person or household ultimately decides for himself or herself what they count as their stewardship of treasure. In looking at the true meaning of stewardship, however, the cost of education would not be included in stewardship of treasure because it is clearly a payment made for services received - Catholic education. Only when one gives sacrificially in gratitude to God, with no specific expectation of receiving anything concrete, can it count as stewardship.

Q: How important is it for children to be taught about stewardship of time, talent and treasure?
A: The earlier we can begin teaching our children about stewardship, the better. We teach children while they are very young about Jesus, about prayer and about love. We take them to church every week. These are all important parts of Christian life. Giving of ourselves is an important a part of our Christian life, and we need to start teaching children the meaning of giving while they are young.

Q: How do our needs or the needs of a family fit into the concept of stewardship?
A: One of your responsibilities is to take care of your needs and the needs of your family - not necessarily all their wants. In looking very carefully at what we need versus what we want, we end up placing material things and money in the proper perspective. Many people find that when they trust in God and return some of their income to the Church and other charities, they can live adequately on their income. The amount is something people decide in prayer and after due consideration of their needs and the needs of their family.

Q: Doesn't the Church talk about money too much?
A: Individual churches may or may not talk about money too much but the reality is that God's work requires money. In fact, it is a duty of the Church to ask for money, not only for its work but for the work that is done by charitable organisations in the community. The Church sees so much suffering and so many needs to be addressed and it has a responsibility to help address that suffering and those needs. Even Jesus' apostles had a treasurer who kept track of their expenses and we read in Scripture of certain wealthy women who followed Jesus and his disciples, helping to support them out of their own means.

On a number of occasions, the apostle, Paul, also urged churches to give money to help those in need. Stewardship is based on the individual's need to give, not on the Church's need to receive. Stewardship is based on the premise that all that we have and all that we are comes from God and, as a way to thank God for all his blessings, we return a portion of our time, talent and treasure.

Q: Isn't committing to stewardship of time, talent and treasure asking a lot of us?
A: Yes, it is. Committing to stewardship of time, talent and treasure is an important part of living a Christian life and real Christian living asks a lot of us and is not easy. Making a commitment to stewardship is a particular challenge with the current emphasis on materialism, consumerism and leisure time. We realise that we are involved in a gradual conversion process. The conversion process involves a conversion of heart, mind, values, budget, wallet, calendar and time. In this conversion process, we are called upon to say "yes" to God and to a way of life he has spelled out for us in scripture. We are called upon to say "no" to the influences in our society that emphasise values and aims that are selfish, thoughtless and opposed to stewardship as a way of life.

Q: Am I expected to give all of my time, talent and treasure to the Church?
A: No, giving of time, talent and treasure is not limited to the Church. Many people give of their time and talent as volunteers to human service agencies in the community in addition to volunteering in the Church. Volunteer work in the community could still be done in conjunction with the Church, or it could be done separately and apart from the Church. Many people will give money to other community groups in addition to supporting the Church.

How your financial contribution helps further the mission of the Church
Q: Why do we have two collections during Mass?
The first collection is used for the welfare and well being of all the priests of our diocese, those currently working, sick or retired eg. priest's stipends, superannuation, medical contributions. The proceeds of the first collection are administered by the Maitland Clergy Central Fund, which is a body elected by the priests themselves.

The second collection is to provide the resources for our parish to carry out its work. All the costs of running your parish. It helps cover things like office costs, pastoral work, the costs of maintaining the parish church, parish primary school, the presbytery, the parish hall and any other parish buildings.

The second collection also has to cover things like insurance, salaries and stipends, and contributions to diocesan works. The second collection goes into the parish's account and from there, the parish finance committee advises on how the revenue is used.

For more information contact:

Postal: PO Box 756 Newcastle NSW 2300
Ph: (02) 4979 1100 or Fax: (02) 4979 1189