Receiving, Sharing and Growing God’s Gifts Is Theme of Annual Stewardship Day

By Linda Busetti

Over the past 30 years, Jackie Garrett has shared her time, talent and treasure at St. Therese of Lisieux parish, East Flatbush, in the choir, on the pastoral council, on the liturgy committee and as a prayer group member.

Marie Elena Giossi and Linda Busetti Photos 

Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros leads a session in Spanish on being a responsible member of the parish during the diocese’s annual Stewardship Day at the Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston, on Nov. 15.

She was one of about 350 people who attended the diocesan Stewardship Day, funded by the Alive in Hope Foundation, at the Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston, on Saturday, Nov. 15. The theme was “Stewarding God’s Gifts: Receive Them, Share Them, Grow Them.”

Lay leaders, pastors, parishioners and young people were invited from parishes throughout the diocese.
Garrett said she came, “so I can go out and evangelize and encourage more people in the parish to take part” in parish life.

After morning prayer in the chapel led by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, Msgr. John Bracken, Vicar General, offered an introduction to the day and welcome.
Michael Murphy, executive director of the International Catholic Stewardship Council, presented the keynote address in the chapel.

Vincentian Father Joseph Agostino, C.M., pastor of St. John the Baptist, Bedford-Stuyvesant, above, right, ran a session for the Spanish Track for a speaker whose flight was cancelled by bad weather.

After speaking about his time heading the first Development Office of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Murphy offered ideas on “four gifts we need to be good stewards of” – time, families, parish families and “fruits of our labors.”

The day was divided into three focus areas: Receiving God’s Gifts, Sharing God’s Gifts and Growing God’s Gifts. Presentations were made to Advance Stewardship, Stewardship, Youth, Spanish and Creole tracks.

Receiving God’s Gifts

Father Peter Vaccari, associate professor of Church history at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington, addressed the Advanced Stewardship/ Stewardship track. He gave an overview of the history of stewardship in the Brooklyn Diocese since 1853 paying tribute to the contributions of each bishop from Bishop Loughlin to Bishop DiMarzio. He praised The Tablet for “100 years of stewardship – second to none.”

Bill McGarvey, editor in chief of BustedHalo.com, spoke to the youth on the subject “Beautiful Mess.”

Laurie Whitfield and Robert Cammarata evoked laughter from these two girls, part of the youth ministry at Our Lady of Refuge, Flatbush, during the Youth Track presentation.

After an introduction by Father Hilaire Belizaire, Father Roman St. Vil, a Maryknoll missionary, addressed a session of about 60 in Creole, “Bondye, ou se Met; Mwen menm se jeran.” They came from SS. Joachim & Anne, Queens Village; from St. Matthew, Crown Heights, with pastor Father Andy Struzzieri; and a busload of 44 from Our Lady of Refuge, Flatbush.

Sharing God’s Gifts

After a break for lunch, Steve Foran of Giveraising Development Services, took on “Growing Parish Stewardship – What Will It Take” with the Stewardship track in the auditorium.

Father Gerard Sauer, director of the Pilgrimage Office, moderated a panel, “Our Experience of World Youth Day” for the youth track.

Faces of Stewardship, above, clockwise from top, right, Thomas Flood, executive director, Alive in Hope Foundation; Maryknoll Missionary Father Roman St. Vil, workshop presenter; keynote speaker, Michael Murphy, executive director, International Catholic Stewardship Council; and Msgr. John Bracken, Vicar General for Temporalities. Below, Youth Track participants.

In Spanish, Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros presented “Poner en Practica la Corresponsabilidad Cristiana a nivel Parroquial: La Experiencia del Pastor.” The group in College Hall was enthralled as the bishop spoke about the responsibility of participating in parish life using stories about his own family and humor to make his points.

In Creole, Father St. Vil presented another session, “Rol ak Responsablite nou kom jeran legliz la.”

Growing God’s Gifts

Julie Kenny from Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., spoke on “Stewardship of Treasure – Increased Offertory.” She had practical advice about increasing weekly giving to parish collections. This included envelopes for children, “starting the Offertory basket with the presider [priest]”; Scripture verse printed on offering envelopes; and encouraging those who may not have money to contribute their time and talent instead.

In the youth track, Laurie Whitfield, associate director for parish stewardship and Robert Cammarata, coordinator of pastoral development of the Rockville Centre Diocese, presented “Growing My Gifts.”

Good stewards from St. Therese of Lisieux parish, East Flatbush, and their pastor, Father Hilaire Belizaire, came out along with about 350 others in the diocese for Stewardship Day, a full day of workshops on how to better serve their parish through sharing time, talent and treasure. Below, a participant looks over a display at the Ministry Fair, which exhibited various parishes and ethnic apostolates in the diocese.

Father Joseph Agostino, C.M., pastor of St. John the Baptist parish, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Rick Lugo of field representative for the Annual Catholic Appeal, pitched in to moderate a question-and-answer session in Spanish, filling in for a speaker whose flight had been cancelled by bad weather. Room D was full with eager faces, some from St. Mary Star of the Sea, and hands that shot up at the chance to ask a question.

Msgr. Joseph Malagreca, pastor of Holy Cross parish, Flatbush, presented “Byen jere don Bondye yo se estil de vi yon kretyen” in Creole. He was warmly received by the session attendees, one of whom paid him the compliment that he seemed as though he was from Haiti.

Cookies and coffee were available as people filled in evaluation forms before traveling home.

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