Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Stewardship at the present time:

What is the diocese?
The diocese is the local church. In our Catholic tradition, every parish is an "extension" or "outpost" of the diocese, the diocese being led by a bishop, one of the successors to the apostles appointed by the Holy Father, the Pope. Everthing within the church is properly subject to the bishop. Our diocese, the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, provides a wealth of services to individuals in our diocese, such as direct support of Catholic Charities and other charitable outreach, legal services for those in need, retreats and faith formation opportuniites for the faithful, and the ongoing formation of the clergy. The diocese also provides a wealth of support to parishes that would cost us an immense amount of money if we had to provide them for ourselves, things such as HR assistance, benefits administration, legal, property, and building assistance, financial issues assistance, the office of Catholic Schools that supports our schools and principals, and much, much more. The local church - the diocese - is funded by the support of us, the faithful in its parishes.

What is this new move the a "stewardship way of life?"
In our diocesan synod in 2017, representatives of all of the parishes in the diocese resolved for our church to move towards intentional discipleship and stewardship. Part of this is to encourage the faithful to move closer to the Biblical model of tithing. Seeing stewardship as a grateful understanding that all we receive is a gift from God and ultimately returning to God, we look for ways to try to meet the Biblical model of tithing - giving back 10% of what we've been given - to the church and to other charitable organizations that are important to us. This could be 5% to our church and 5% to other charities, or some other mix. This can also be in the form of our time (prayer and service) and/or our gifts (financial.)

And the parish now participates in stewardship by tithing to the diocese?
Yes. Each of the parishes in our diocese, starting next year, will move to a more simple and straighforward model of stewardship than in the past with the Annual Catholic Services Appeal (ACSA). After this year, instead of having an annual goal to meet in support of the diocese, each parish will instead pass along (or tithe) 10% of the regular offertory it receives to the diocese, to help fund the operation and needs of the greater church.

What is this year's stewardship goal to the diocese?
This year, our parish's goal to help support our diocese is just over $46,000. This is up slightly from last year, but down from the few years prior. It represents roughly 10% of our usual parish offertory in 2019.

Then why is there still a goal or "assessment" this year?
This year, as a year of transition, each parish still has a goal to meet. Those who participated directly in ACSA with pledges in years past received a letter from Bishop Paprocki asking them to help again this year. Anything collected from the parish, or sent to the diocese via these letters marked from our parish will count towards our parish's goal. If we exceed our goal, the excess will be returned to our parish this one last year. Again, after this year, we move to the model of simply sharing a tithe (10%) of our regular offertory with the diocese.

What's important for me to consider next?
As always, your help to meet our goal in supporting our diocese this year is important. It's also an important call to reflect upon each of our gifts and whether we can help participate more fully in the financial stewardship of our parish, and providing or its needs. The more you can provide, the more we can do together as a parish. Also, after supporting this year's goal to the diocese, anything that you would have given in the past via ACSA is important to consider starting to give to the parish in your offertory across the year, realizing that the diocesan support will now come directly from the parish's regular offertory collection.

Please send your questions to Father Alfred at pastor@stelizabethgc.org, and we will work on responding via email and possibly posting the answer here if more people may be helped by it.

An easy and automated way to make your weekly parish contributions... Sign up for GiveCentral:

1. Log into www.givecentral.org and select “FIND YOUR CHARITY.”
2. Enter our zip code “62040” or “St. Elizabeth Catholic Church” in the search box and select the 2300 Pontoon Rd site.
3. Select the “Event” or fund to which you would like to make your one-time or recurring donations.  Select “View More” to see all fund categories.
4. Enter “Amount”, “First Payment Date”, and “Frequency” and select “Ongoing” to make continuous donations or select “Custom” to enter an end date for this Contribution.
5. Select “Add to my Gift Basket."
6. Proceed to “Checkout."
7. At this time, you will be asked to create a “Username” and “Password”.  First, select “Complete Profile” where you will enter your demographic and bank account or credit card information.  Be sure to check the “I accept the user policy” box and select “Register and confirm gift”.

You will be able to log in anytime to update your contributions or personal information.
For help or to answer any questions go to support@givecentral.org or call (312) 929-2306.

Our parish is blessed with a group of men who show pride in our church, school, and grounds and share their many talents, performing various maintenance and improvement tasks around the campus. Each Wednesday, these men show up and help keep our buildings and grounds looking good and in good repair. If you're interested in joining this group and sharing your skills, contact the parish office.

150 Club

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Parish Picnic

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School Auction

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School Trivia Night

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Scrip

Scrip is a fantastic way to support our parish and school through your everyday household and gift purchasing. Scrip = gift cards to common retailers, restaurants, and more. When you buy Scrip, a percentage of the face value of the gift card you purchase comes back to the parish. Many retailers offer between 2% and 10% of the face value of the Scrip back to our parish. Some common types of Scrip are available for sale at the parish office - others are available via submitting an order.

• Scrip Sales Sheet
• Scrip that we sell
• Online Scrip Sale Setup

BINGO

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From the Office of Parish Vitality & Mission of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.

The Theology of Stewardship

In 1992, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response. The bishops defined a Christian steward as one who:

• Receives God’s gifts gratefully
• Cherishes and tends God’s gifts responsibly
• Shares God’s gifts in love and justice
• Returns God’s gifts with increase.

Stewards acknowledge that God is Creator and Owner of all and shares of their gifts out of love for God and one another.

Disciples as Stewards

As members of the Body of Christ, Jesus calls us to be disciples. This has astonishing implications.

• Mature disciples make a conscious decision to follow Jesus, no matter what the cost.
• Christian disciples experience conversion, life-shaping changes of mind and heart, and commit their very selves to God.
• Christian stewards respond in a particular way to the call to be a disciple.

Stewardship has the power to shape and mold our understanding of our lives and the way in which we live. Christian stewards recognize God as the Origin of Life, the Giver of Freedom, and Source of All. We are grateful for the gifts we have received and are eager to use them to show our love for God and for one another. We look to the life and teachings of Jesus, the model steward, for guidance in living as Christian stewards.

Stewards of Creation

The Bible contains a profound message about the stewardship of material creation: God created the world, but entrusts it to human beings. Caring for and cultivating the world involves the following:

• joyful appreciation for the God-given beauty and wonder of nature;
• protection and preservation of the environment;
• respect for human life- shielding life from threat and assault, doing everything that can be done to enhance this gift and make life flourish;
• and development of this world through noble human effort- physical labor, the trades and professions, the arts and sciences—our work.

Stewards of Vocation

Each of us has a human vocation—our human role in carrying out God’s divine plan. Our challenge is to understand our role in this plan, and respond generously to this call. Work is fulfilling a human vocation. The Second Vatican Council points out that, through work, we build up not only our world but the kingdom of God, already present among us. Work is a partnership with God- our share in a divine human collaboration in creation. It occupies a central place in our lives as Christian stewards.

Stewards of the Church

Stewards of God’s gifts are not passive beneficiaries, but collaborators with God. We are obliged to be stewards of the Church, collaborators and cooperators in continuing the redemptive work of Jesus—the Church’s essential mission. This mission, proclaiming and teaching, serving and sanctifying, is our task. It is the personal responsibility of each of us. All members of the Church have their roles to play in carrying out its mission:

• Parents, who nurture their children in the light of faith;
• Parishioners, who work in concrete ways to make their parishes true communities of  faith and vibrant sources of service to the larger community;
• All Catholics who give generous support-time, money, prayers and personal service according to their circumstances—to parish and diocesan programs and to the universal Church.

Obstacles to Stewardship

People who want to live as Christian disciples and Christian stewards face several obstacles. In the United States and other nations, a dominant secular culture often contradicts religious convictions about the meaning of life. This culture encourages us to focus on our pleasures and ourselves. At times, we can find it far too easy to ignore spiritual realities and deny religion a role in shaping human and social values. As Catholics who have entered into the mainstream of American society and experienced its advantages, many have also been adversely influenced by this secular culture. The struggle against selfishness and greed is almost constant; for many, it is harder today to accept the challenge of being a Christian steward. It is essential, therefore, that we make a special effort to understand the true meaning of stewardship and live accordingly.

A Steward's Way

The life of a Christian steward models the life of Jesus. It is challenging and even difficult, in many respects, yet intense joy comes to those who take the risk to live as Christian stewards. Women and men who seek to live as stewards learn that “all things work for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28).