Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We receive God's gifts gratefully.
We cultivate them responsibly.
We share them lovingly.
We return them with increase to the Lord.

Greetings from the Office of Stewardship!

As the Vicar of Stewardship for the Diocese of Phoenix, I have been asked by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted to educate and form the Catholic Faithful in the way of life known as Stewardship. A Christian Steward is someone who is grateful, responsible, and generous in their time, talent and treasure realizing that all is gift and will return that gift with an increase back to God.

As Christian Stewards we will grow in our understanding and practice of stewardship as Disciples of Christ.  As good disciples we make a conscious decision to follow Jesus, no matter what the cost.  Through our experience of ongoing conversion, we will place the Lord first in our lives and commit our very selves to the Lord.  Each and every one of us, has been given a gift from God with is unique to us.  We our grateful for those gifts and we responsibly develop those gifts honing the talents so we can share those gifts with others. 

As collaborators in the continuing mission work of Jesus Christ, we cooperate with God in that redemptive work.  Our mission: to proclaim, to teach, to serve, and to sanctify.  We all have our own parts to play: Parents nurture their children to grow in the light of faith; parishioners participate to make their parishes' true communities of faith as well as vibrant sources of service for the surrounding community; All Catholics give generous support (time, talent, treasure) to parish and diocesan programs as well as to the universal Church.

Sound pretty simple?  Unfortunately we face serious obstacles to living as Christian disciples and stewards.  Here is Arizona, we well as the Untied States, we face a dominant secular culture that often contradicts religious convictions about the meaning of life.  We are bombarded with individualism, materialism, hedonism to name a few.  We know what it is to struggle against these "-isms" and that it is hard for many today to accept the challenge of being a Christian steward. We strive to make that special effort to understand the true meaning of stewardship and to practice it in our lives. 

When we seek to live as stewards, we learn that "all things work for good for those who love God" (Romans 8:28)

Do we wish to be disciples of Jesus Christ and Christian stewards of our world and our Church?

Will you make stewardship a part of your journey?