Plan Your Giving

The Stewardship Connection

In their pastoral letter, Stewardship: A Disciple's Response, the U.S. Bishops remind us that good disciples and stewards do the following:

"As Christian stewards, we receive God's gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord."

Each generation of Catholics is given an important mission: how do we pass on the faith to the next generation? Foremost is evangelization - knowing our faith well and sharing it with others. As important, is the careful and prayerful sharing of God-given resources. One of those resources - our assets - includes the things we have accumulated over our lifetime.

As Catholic Christians, we believe that our assets and our ability to accumulate them are gifts from a loving, generous God. We have a responsibility to use these gifts wisely and prudently - as well as to share them with others - our family certainly, but also with those institutions devoted to spreading God's reign on earth.

Bequests in a will, charitable gift annuities, trusts, insurance and gifts of appreciated stock are all planned gifts, or gifts that come after much thought and consultation with professional advisors. These important gifts will ensure that our lives will touch the lives that come after us to build the faith for generations to come.