Tips for successful stewardship forthcoming at 2015 Diocese of Salt Lake City Pastoral Congress

Friday, Aug. 21, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — Parishioners throughout the Diocese of Salt Lake City continue to give their “time, talent, and treasure” years after a call for an increased focus on stewardship was initiated by the Most Rev. John C. Wester who, following eight years as head of the Utah diocese, in June was installed as Archbishop of Santa Fe. 

The theme of stewardship will be addressed during several workshops at the upcoming Pastoral Congress: Monsignor Robert Bussen will focus on “Stewardship and the Parish Response;” Father Ken Vialpando’s talk is titled “Eucharist and Stewardship: Taken, Blessed, Broken and Given;” and Father Martin Diaz’s topic will be “Stewardship: An Overview.”

“There’s a greater awareness of what stewardship does because of the leadership of Bishop Wester,” said John Kaloudis, director of the Diocese of Salt Lake City Office of Stewardship and the Diocesan Development Drive. “One of the key phrases Bishop Wester used about stewardship was to ‘create an attitude of gratitude,’ and to show that stewardship is a way of life.”

Kaloudis noted the overlap between stewardship and the DDD, saying that “our primary goal and responsibility as Catholics is to be faithful stewards. Once we are faithful stewards, we are able to fund what we need to fund and expand the ministries of the diocese.” 

Christ the King Parish in Cedar City is an example of successful stewardship, he said. 

“There’s a very nice synergy between Fr. Bussen as the leader of the parish and the laity. He’s directed his lay people extremely well and has chosen couples to direct the DDD and stewardship programs that are committed to it,” Kaloudis said. 

Msgr. Bussen, pastor of Christ the King, credits the parish’s success to its organizational structure, which includes a stewardship committee that works on the same level as the parish and finance councils, because “that is what Bishop Wester was encouraging.” 

Additionally, Christ the King has an annual fall Stewardship Fair to stimulate parish ministries. 

“We are trying to find ways to translate the stewardship message to everyday lives,” said Msgr. Bussen. “That’s a bit of a challenge, to re-image it so that people realize that it’s not just an annual activity or fair, but an everyday awareness, and that is why we have the stewardship council.” 

Carol and Bill Stenger, co-chairs of Christ the King’s stewardship committee for the past five years, said that their task has been “to keep stewardship visible and on people’s minds, because it is a process, not a campaign. With stewardship, people recognize that church is part of their family, and the more a person is involved in the church, the more important the church becomes.”

This is especially important for Bill and Patty Lund, DDD co-chairs at Christ the King. Noting that ‘treasure’ is an important part of stewardship, Bill Lund said “there is a direct relationship between stewardship and how successful a parish is.” 

At Christ the King, “We’ve typically exceeded our goals [for DDD]. Last year we exceeded it significantly, and as a result they raised it. I think that the pledges this year have already exceeded that goal,” said Bill Lund. 

“Stewardship changes people,” said Bill Stenger, adding that once people get involved with stewardship, “it takes time to make the changes within us, but people soon realize that it’s about centering your life, giving your life to God, not to yourself. That’s the heart of stewardship.” 

Msgr. Bussen “embraces the role of a priest who identifies and calls forth remarkable gifts from the laity,” said diocesan Religious Education director Susan Northway. During the Pastoral Congress, “I know he is planning to share his rich experiences in parish ministry and add interesting stories about successful stewardship practices.”