A STEWARDSHIP PRAYER for February
Gracious God, You sent us Your Spirit to help us live the Gospel according to the gifts we have been given. Show us how to be good stewards of your grace and passionate followers of Christ, Your Son. Grant us the wisdom to recognize that through His gift of the Eucharist there is …
Stewardship Saint for February: Saint Cornelius the Centurion
According to the Acts of the Apostles (10:45) the first pagan converted to Christ was an officer of the imperial Roman army. Cornelius the Centurion is described by the scriptures as a devout man who feared God, gave alms generously, and prayed constantly to God (10:1-2). Cornelius and the Apostle Peter had simultaneous visions that …
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STEWARDSHIP SAINT FOR JANUARY: SAINT JOHN NEPOMUCENE NEUMANN, FOURTH BISHOP OF PHILADELPHIA
Neumann, a small individual at 5’2”, arrived in Manhattan in June 1836 and was ordained three weeks later for the Diocese of New York. His first assignment was to provide pastoral care for a German-speaking immigrant community whose members were clearing forests for a settlement near Niagara Falls. After four years of working alone, Neumann …
Stewardship Saint for December: Saint Stephen
The day after Christmas is called “St. Stephen’s Day” to commemorate the first Christian martyr. It is also this “Feast of Stephen” that is mentioned in the English Christmas carol, “Good King Wenceslas.” Stephen was a Greek-speaking Jew living in Jerusalem. He became a follower of Jesus Christ and was one of seven individuals chosen …
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Stewardship Saint for October: Saint Luke
Luke is the author of the third Gospel and was a companion of Saint Paul. According to reliable tradition, he was a Syrian physician from Antioch who wrote his Gospel in Achaea (Greece). Both the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles are attributed to Luke, because he appears to be the person intended by …
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We Should be Grateful Believers Now More Than Ever
In the early 2000s, when the sex abuse scandal first shocked the Church in the United States, Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk (now retired), initiated a program he called “Grateful Believers.” He dedicated his weekly column in the archdiocesan newspaper to reminiscences about people and things for which he was grateful, and he invited all …
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Stewardship Saint for September: Saint Vincent de Paul
The feast day of Saint Vincent de Paul is September 27, the date of his passing in 1660. He was the founder of the Vincentians and the Sisters of Charity, and is the patron saint of all charitable organizations. Born in 1581 to a peasant family in southwestern France, Vincent studied for the priesthood at …
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Stewardship Saint for August: Saint Lydia of Philippi
Lydia is the first recorded person in Europe to become a follower of Jesus Christ. She was Saint Paul’s first baptized convert at Philippi. What we know of Lydia is found in the Acts of the Apostles. She was from Thyatira, an industrial center located in what is now western Turkey. She was a wealthy …
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Stewardship Saint for July: Saint Benedict
Saint Benedict, the father of Western monasticism, is considered a model of Christian stewardship. He authored the famous Rule of St. Benedict, a handbook of daily Christian living that emphasizes exercising stewardship over prayer, work, and community. Born in central Italy in the town of Nursia around 480, Benedict studied in Rome as a young …
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