The St. Pius X 2008 Stewardship Plan

Stewardship Form (pdf)for January 1 to December 31, 2008

Stewardship Form (.doc)for January 1 to December 31, 2008

(School families please also read Appendix B)

Stewardship is the practice of giving back to God the first fruits of our labor in thanksgiving for what we have received from Him. Stewardship is a way of putting into practice Jesus' life through giving of ourselves: our time, our talent and our treasures. It is our faith in action.

As members of the St. Pius X Parish Community, we devote ourselves to nurture the growth of and provide for the well being of the whole community. We believe we are called to thankfully and freely share the gifts God has given us with the community... within our parish and beyond.

It is our goal to live as a full stewardship parish, showing God our gratitude for His invitation to be part of the Body of Christ. To accomplish this ideal, each member of our community will:

It is important for all parishioners to recognize and accept equal responsibility as “owners” of the St. Pius X Stewardship Mission Statement. The goal is that collectively, each parishioner's return of time talent and treasure will meet the needs of all parishioners from cradle to grave. For Stewardship to work all parishioners are expected to participate through prayer, personal, and financial involvement.

A practicing stewardship parishioner at St. Pius X would be described as a registered member who regularly participates in the Liturgical life of the parish and demonstrates support of the parish by completing and living up to an annual Stewardship intention of time, talent and treasure.

All parishioners are asked to give at least 5-10% of their time, talent and treasure out of gratitude for all that is given to them by God. The St. Pius X Community will likewise donate 10% of its time, talent and treasure to outside charities.

The Stewardship plan will adhere to the IRS and the Archdiocesan Office of Stewardship views and philosophies in order to develop the best plan possible for the parish.

Education

St. Pius X Parish commits itself to ongoing education of parishioners regarding the concept of Stewardship by:

  1. Organizing an annual Stewardship campaign starting in September of each year.
  2. Offering homilies that will reflect Stewardship themes (living our faith) at least monthly and incorporating the theme when possible.
  3. Publishing quarterly information in the Dialogue.
  4. Printing “Did you knows...” in the weekly bulletin to provide thoughts on Stewardship.
  5. Highlighting in the weekend announcements the work of various parish groups that actively practice stewardship.
  6. Providing new parishioners an updated orientation packet and an opportunity to meet with a member of the parish staff to answer questions and address concerns about full parish participation.
  7. Organizing quarterly parish wide town meetings to keep people informed about the state of the parish.
  8. Publishing weekly updates in the bulletin on the parish budget regarding both income and expense.
  9. Sending quarterly letters to each parish household giving them feedback regarding their commitment of Time, Talent, and Treasure.
  10. Offering worship opportunities (i.e. Parish Missions/Retreats) that will help strengthen the faith of all parishioners.

Parish Responsibilities

As a Full Stewardship Parish, St. Pius X parishioners can expect St. Pius Parish to:

  1. Provide opportunities for parishioners to determine how they will be involved in the activities of the parish (intention forms).
  2. Provide for the spiritual growth of all parishioners from birth to death (Sacraments, Worship experiences, Formation sessions, Missions and Retreats).
  3. Provide for lifelong learning for all parishioners (Homilies, Educating the youth and Adult Formation)
  4. To be fiscally prudent in financial matters of the parish by participating in an annual budgeting process under the direction of the Finance Committee and approved by the Parish Council.
  5. To share 10% of the parish income with organizations or groups outside the parish. See Appendix A. (Ten Percent Committee).
  6. Limit second collections to only those times or situations approved by the pastor, i.e. Crusade for Children.
  7. Provide collection envelopes for each parish family to use on a regular basis.
  8. Send a quarterly newsletter to each parish household reporting on the contributions received and reminding them about the time and talent activities they have signed up for on their intention form.

Special considerations regarding financial matters:

  1. CSA is a separate Archdiocesan collection and not included in the regular Stewardship giving to St. Pius X.
  2. Parish organizations (i.e. Parish Life Committee) may charge participation fees for special events sponsored throughout the year.
  3. The Stewardship Committee will review all new fundraisers for approval.
  4. Any additional fundraising activities which receive approval must primarily provide a service, be community building and provide more emphasis on the value of social interaction than on the money making possibilities.
  5. Participation in any fundraiser must be voluntary with competition limited.
  6. Capital fund campaigns, if necessary, will be conducted separately from the Stewardship process.

Stewardship of Time, Talent and Treasure

Time is said to be one of the most precious commodities a person possesses. Giving time back to God is an excellent way to return to God what he has given us. A guideline for giving time might be to think of donating 5-10% of your time which equates to 1-2- hours per day back to God. This time may include attending Mass, time spent in prayer, stuffing envelopes, coaching, running the picnic, etc. Some can give more, others less. The key is the generous giving of one's self.

Your talents are the tools that are used to further the mission of Stewardship. A tool that sits in a personal toolbox is useless. Talents that you may be able to share include visiting the sick, singing in the choir, being a lector, serving on a committee, organizing a booth at the picnic, working at the fish fry, helping with church maintenance, or coaching a team, to name a few.

Treasure follows time and talent. People give with their hearts. When a person gives of themselves, their time and talent, their heart will lead them to give their treasure. Biblically, God tells us that we should give ten percent of our income to charities. As a full Stewardship Parish it is requested that each parishioner give 5-10% of their gross annual income to the parish.

  1. New parish members will receive the intention form and Full Stewardship will be explained to them at the time of registration into the parish.
  2. Intention cards should be returned to the parish office by mid-October. The commitment period will start January 1 of each year. For new parishioners the commitment will begin at the time of registration with the parish.
  3. Quarterly letters will be mailed out to all parishioners indicating the intention and actual giving. The Finance Committee will review those not current.
  4. Stewardship families who failed to honor their Stewardship commitment will then be moved to a fee for service status. (E.g. Sacramental preparation and fees, weddings, funerals).
  5. Stewardship participants that experience unexpected changes in their lifestyle which may alter their Stewardship commitment, are asked to contact the parish office so that changes may be made. (A committee will review these and report back to the parishioner their Stewardship status in a timely matter. The Pastor will have final say in all such decisions.)
  6. For new families wishing to join St. Pius X Parish, the parish office will contact their former parish to verify that they left in good standing (current with time, talent & treasure). If current with the former parish the new family will be eligible for Full Stewardship benefits. The Stewardship Committee will review the information and make a recommendation to the Pastor. The Pastor has the last say in matters of Stewardship.
  7. New parish families (families registered less than one year at St. Pius X) not current with their former parish and school families electing not to fulfill their prior commitment will be required to pay a non-participating tuition rate at John Paul II Academy. Guidelines are listed in Appendix B
  8. Fees will be charged for books and other materials needed to complete Sacramental Celebrations and for Religious Education classes.
  9. Some organizations such as athletic groups, scouts, bible school, etc. will charge participation fees
  10. St. Pius X reserves the right to rescind Full Stewardship status should circumstances warrant (notification would be given in writing)

The plan is submitted by the Parish Council and the Stewardship Committee to the parishioners of St.Pius X Catholic Church. This document like Stewardship is developing. The plan will continue to grow and change as the parish moves forward to reflect the goals and objectives of the parish.

All questions and concerns may be directed to the Stewardship Committee.

Fr. Chuck Walker (Pastor)

Tina Clark

Monty Reeves

Sheila Seelbach

Mary Helen Thompson

Appendix A

The following would be considered valid fundraising activities.

  1. Summer Picnic
  2. Fish Fries
  3. Casino night
  4. Seasonal dances
  5. Kroger Card sales
  6. Flower sales
  7. Doughnut sales
  8. Family Fun Day
  9. Breakfast With Santa
  10. Scout fundraisers

Second Collections/Charities

St. Pius will give 5-10% of its budget to outside organizations including, but not limited to the following. The following are examples of Charitable Organizations the parish has given to in the past, but may not be limited to in the future. The responsibility for dispersion of the funds will be determined by the 10% Committee.

  1. Mission Sunday
  2. American Bishops Overseas Fund
  3. Catholic Higher Education
  4. Black and Native Americans
  5. Retired Religious
  6. Catholic Education
  7. Peters Pence
  8. Holy land
  9. Campaign for Human Development
  10. Crusade for Children
  11. Clout
  12. SEAM
  13. Holy Family Commitment
  14. Propagation of Faith
  15. Rice Bowl
  16. Catholic Charities
  17. Opportunities for Life

Second Collections will occur. Prior to the collection, parishioners will be reminded that St. Pius Parish is a Full Stewardship Parish and the parish is making a donation to that charity. Some parishioners may want to donate more to a specific charity and this will give them the opportunity to do so.

Appendix B

Category 1: Participation at Parish

A student in this category would be classified as one whose family is practicing good stewardship at the parish. Since that involves the giving of one's time, talent, and treasure, benchmarks need to be established. Please note that the following benchmarks are minimums developed by the parish in order to determine if one qualifies for a participation at parish status at John Paul II Academy. They are in no way intended to weaken the stewardship message. Due consideration must be given to the fact that not all families are prepared to make responsible stewardship decisions without first receiving some initial guidance.

Category 2: Non-participation at Parish

A student in this category would be classified as one who does not meet all of the above criteria.