Stewardship seminar to focus on spirituality

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Fr. Andrew Kemberling

SALT LAKE CITY — Stewardship is about salvation, says Benedictine Father Andrew Kemberling who will present a workshop on the subject in the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

Fr. Andrew is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International Catholic Stewardship Council, an organization with 1,200 members worldwide that “promotes and supports Catholic teaching on stewardship by providing education and resources for dioceses, parishes, and institutions of the Roman Catholic Church,” according to its website. He also is co-author of the book “Making Stewardship a Way of Life: A Complete Guide for Catholic Parishes.”

Now pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Denver, Fr. Andrew previously was assigned to St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, Colo. While he was pastor at St. Thomas More, the parish received numerous awards for its stewardship efforts.

Although Fr. Andrew speaks of the three T’s of stewardship – time, talent and treasure – he emphasizes that “stewardship in and of itself is not the goal. The goal is the salvation of souls. It’s the conversion. So often people think stewardship is money. It’s not. It’s the means to the end of being a disciple.”

Stewardship is a practical way to find God in today’s society, Fr. Andrew said. It “teaches you how to behave, how to act, how to pray, what to do, how often to do it. … It fits perfectly with the forces that are at work in our society today, which is especially secularism and materialism. Stewardship doesn’t totally get rid of them, it just subverts them into being of service to God.”

In his own parishes, Fr. Andrew has asked his congregations to consider giving not only of their time, talent and treasure, but also for commitments of faith and vocation; as they do this, “they start to interact with other people and the parish begins and continues to grow,” he said.

Many Catholics consider a monetary tithe to be a way to pay the parish bills, he said, but “I show how people make their money holy by bringing it as a gift to God and the church” by explaining how that giving can be a precious and worthy offering during the liturgy.

“When people intentionally give that way they see their gift as something special at the Mass that they have to offer to God,” said Fr. Andrew, who also will speak at the diocesan clergy convocation that will be held that week.

Fr. Martin Diaz, chairman of the diocesan Board of Ongoing Formation for Priests, said Fr. Andrew’s presentation will be helpful for local priests.

“A stewardship parish calls forth the gifts of the laity in a way so that the laity are not simply parish centered, but oriented to the larger community,” Fr. Diaz said. “To reach the larger community Pope Francis is calling upon the laity to be missionary disciples. For the priests it is most helpful to gain a mature understanding of stewardship.”

At the workshop, Fr. Andrew will give practical methods of “things you can actually start doing right away, and details of how and when to do them,” he said. These best practices, which he has learned about as a member of the International Catholic Stewardship Council, allow parish leaders to “find the success others have had and reach that level quicker,” he said.

Fr. Andrew’s presentations are inspiring because of his understanding and his ability to implement stewardship in his parish, said John Kaloudis, director of the diocese’s Office of Stewardship, who organized the stewardship workshop.

Everyone who is interested in transforming their parish should attend the workshop, Kaloudis said. “In particular, it’s for people who work in stewardship in their local parish and all those who work with the Diocesan Development Drive, because stewardship is the driving engine of the DDD.”

WHAT: Stewardship Seminar

WHEN: Oct. 3, 6-8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 1745 East 9800 South, Sandy

A light meal will be provided. No RSVP necessary.