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You can contact
the Parish Office
via e-mail at
sjncc@catholic.org.
If you would like to comment
or make e-file submissions
for
the
website, you can e-mail
jps4x4@earthlink.net.
SJN staff and volunteers will
attempt to update this site as
often as possible. Please advise
us of any changes that may be
required. Thank you and God Bless.
Evaluating Stewardship in Our Daily Lives
.......sharing
of our Time, Talent, & Treasure
When
we consider stewardship, we are taught to prayerfully evaluate God’s gifts to us
and return them in proportion to what we receive. That is, returning a portion
of our Time, Talent and
Treasure. Without all three, we cannot respond as wise and
grateful stewards. As Catholics participating in
our annual Stewardship effort, we are being asked to reflect on and evaluate the
amount of sharing we do within our home life, parish community and the greater
community in which we live. We must ask ourselves:
v What portion of our time are we investing to enhance our parish life and to deepen our faith through prayer, study, worship, social action and fellowship?
v What talents are we sharing for the betterment of our fellow parishioners to support a Christian way of life for all of us?
v What predetermined percentage of our income are we giving in the weekly offertory collection as a shared investment in our parish’s well being?
Giving out of Gratitude
When we give out of a feeling of gratitude, we begin to offer the gift that God wants us to give – the gift of our self! We find that we are more apt to share our gifts because of the blessings we have received than because of the need of the parish budget or the need for volunteers. As we give, we are blessed in many ways. Stewardship is important to our spiritual growth as Catholics, both as individuals and as a parish. Making stewardship a way of life changes our lives and changes the life of the parish, our home and the greater community. It is not an option because we are already stewards of God’s blessings. The challenge for each of us is to decide…
TIME
Prayer; attending Mass; praying the rosary; grace
before and after meals; participating in the sacraments; making ourselves
available to loved ones who need our
attention; relaxation time spent with our families.
TALENT
Volunteering
our God-given talents at our parish and favorite charities. Such ministries may
include serving as a Lector, Eucharistic Minister, Youth Minister, Usher, Choir
Member, Welcome Volunteer, Faith Formation Instructor, prayer line, homeless
shelters, nursing homes, food banks, etc; helping an elderly person or friend in
our neighborhoods, sharing the talents we have with other family members.
TREASURE
Giving a portion of the money we earn to our parish
and to other charities, such as the annual Diocesan Support Appeal, and various
community agencies.
“My brothers and sisters, what is the good of professing our faith if we do not live our faith?” (James 2:14)
"Give to others and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands all that you can hold. The measure that you use for others is the one God will use for you.” (St. Luke 6:38)