From our pastor, Father Neil Herlihy:
Stewardship has been referred to as a way of life. In its essence, it is giving of self. It is an integral part of our spiritual life and we give because we are grateful to God for what He has given us. We give freely because we want to, not because we have to. As we practice stewardship, we find we grow spiritually and that our faith is deepened. Our lives are enriched.
In the first letter of St. Peter, he reminds us, “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” Our Church leaders have indicated that throughout Holy Scripture, there are constant reminders that we are called to be good stewards of all God’s gifts. This includes our time and our talents. We are invited to recognize that everything belongs to God and we are stewards who are expected to use the gifts in service of God and in service of one another. In stewardship of time and talent, we are called to give of ourselves and our time to the Church and to our community.
In connection with our stewardship efforts here at our Parish, stewardship booklets will be available in the pews, and in the back of the Church, in the Parish office and an e-copy on our website for your review and consideration. They contain a listing of the more than eighty ministries we have here at St. Brigid. We ask you to prayerfully consider offering your time and talent to one or more of these ministries, as a way of more fully serving your Parish community, and as a way of more fully embracing stewardship as a way of life.
Stewardship deepens our relationship with the Lord and can bring each of us a sense of peace and joy. Jesus promises us that by practicing stewardship, we will grow spiritually. Each parishioner is called to support the Parish in some way as we strive to bring Christ’s healing touch to our faith community. Our Parish family is blessed with many different members, each of whom has special talents and abilities that can benefit our Parish. Today I invite you to take a few minutes and reflect on the stewardship prayer that appears in the adjacent column, and then prayerfully consider how you can commit your time and talent to serve our Parish. Today I also pray that we as a faith community will grow spiritually because of the unselfish giving of our stewardship gifts.