Entries for September 2024

Dear Parishioners:

“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace” 1Peter 4:10

The theme for this year’s Stewardship Sunday is, A Steward is a servant of All. This idea flows out of the ministry of Jesus who told us he came not to be served but to serve.

In a commercial society, we waste a lot of time and energy trying to gain happiness from possessions; we will never have everything that we want. Taking time to be profoundly grateful for what we already have is a source of wonderful peace and joy. God has already blessed us with so many gifts. The gifts God has given us, including our money, were given to us in a sacred trust. They were meant to be shared. God will judge us by how we have shared the gifts we were given.

Here at the Church of the Annunziata we are blessed with an abundance of gifts. These gifts are evident in the people, in our buildings and in our community. We are blessed with people of faith who share their gifts with others--we are blessed with talents expressed in our liturgies and in our parish organizations and in our monetary contributions.

Prayer is the cornerstone to good stewardship. Stewardship begins with giving time to God in prayer. Then we are able to clearly see our Time, Talent and Treasure and how we can be good stewards of our gifts.

Our parish is in the process of reconstituting our Parish Council, Liturgy Committee, and Grounds and Maintenance committee. If you would be interested in sharing your gifts with any of these committees, please contact me at the rectory office. There will also be a financial report to inform everyone where their contributions have been used. As you will see we are truly blessed.

I ask you to prayerfully consider your gifts and blessings these coming weeks. Some points to consider in making your discernment might be:

Do I give the first day of the week to God by attending weekend Mass?

Do I make it a priority to share my time and talent in ministry?

Do I give a first share of my treasure to God, bringing to the altar a gift that is planned and proportionate to the many gifts God has given to me?

Thanks again for all your gifts that you share with our parish community and let us pray for one another as we all strive to follow the gospel message to be good and faithful stewards.

God’s Blessings,

Msgr. John Shamleffer

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Dear Parishioners:

Thank You!  Those two words might be the most important words we speak each day.  They evoke an understanding and awareness that we have been blessed by our God and others.  Think about that for a minute. What did you thank God for yesterday? Did you thank God for your family and friends, your health, your home, your job or livelihood? Did you thank God for the gift of faith or the abundant love that he showers upon you each day?

Stewardship, quite simply, is recognizing that everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God and being grateful and generous with those gifts.

Stewardship isn’t a process, or a campaign, or an accounting of our gifts.  Rather, it is a lifestyle rooted in gratitude and generosity.

The whole point of stewardship is to help each other strengthen our relationship with God and get to Heaven!  The foundation of stewardship is prayer – talking and listening to God every day, throughout the day.

Stewardship means putting complete trust in God, in all things.  Stewardship means sharing all of our gifts, especially that one that means the most to you.

By sharing all of our gifts, it helps us keep God first in everything, from putting other “gods” before God.  It helps us live “God-centered” lives and not “self-centered” lives.

Of all the gifts that God gives us, the one he wants the most is our heart.  He wants us to share out of love, not out of obligation.  When we align our thoughts and actions with God’s plan and use our gifts in the way God intended, our lives become transformed with Joy, Love, Mercy and Peace!

Again thank you, by your monetary contributions and the sharing of your gifts and talents with our parish community, you have helped to share the joy and peace of Christ always and everywhere.

Gratefully yours in Christ,
Msgr. John Shamleffer
Pastor

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The acronym C.H.R.I.S.T. stands for the six components and virtues of stewardship: charity, humility, respect, investment, sacrifice, and thankfulness.  Each of these Christian virtues undergirds the Christian reality of stewardship, especially at the intersection where money and faith meet.  As we reflect and pray about our gifts it is noteworthy to briefly review each component in their Christian setting of stewardship and in relation to finances and faith.

Charity: The virtue of charity is a selfless act by those who have the means to enable, enrich, and empower others in the service of God, community, and neighbor.  The practice of charity leads to a life of grace.  Charity is also important in handling money.  Christians are called to be good stewards of their finances and to be responsible for others quality of life as well because “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Humility: The virtue of humility is rooted in the reality of truth and a deep awareness of our limitations and shortcomings.  Humility is closely connected to apage (love) and is lowliness becoming selflessness.  Observing humility in matters of money will curb greed and materialism and help to live moderately.  Tempering humility and our own self-worth can be a delicate act, but a necessary one: “for everyone who exalts themselves will eventually be humbled” (Luke 18:14).

Respect: The virtue of respect is the foundation of any healthy relationship and it should be freely given and freely received.  Respect also involves responsibility and both are necessary in handling money.  Respect is an important for developing financial responsibility and integrity because it forces Christians to view money as a tool for stewardship not a measuring-stick of self-worth.  “Give respect to all, love the community, fear God, honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17).

Investment: The virtue of investment is often overlooked by Christians; however, there are many ways to invest one’s self into something worthwhile: school, sports, family, relationships, God, and money.  Investment in terms of stewardship is important because it allows Christians to develop practices that can become habitual and long term.  “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones” (Luke 16:10).

Sacrifice: The virtue of sacrifice is closely connected to spirituality and stewardship because sacrifice is part of living the Christian live.  Unfortunately, knowing when and how to sacrifice is something that few people understand. In terms of finances and money, sacrifice requires that the amassing of material goods and wealth or the accumulation of financial debt should not get in the way of Christian ideals.  “Live in love. . . and as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).

Thanksgiving: The virtue of thanksgiving is paramount in the Catholic tradition because it is strongly associated with gratitude (gratus—“thankful”) and Eucharist (eucharistia—“thanksgiving”) as responses and signs of the God’s wonderful gifts.  Stewardship is born out of thanksgiving and love for Jesus the Christ the par excellence gift of God!  If Christians are not thankful for the gifts they have then it may be quite difficult to share with others their time, talent, and treasure. “Do not cease to give thanks. . . to God” (Ephesians 1:16).
These six components of stewardship are essential to learning about faith-based money management, sacrificial giving, and living as a Christian disciple in a complex world. 

Stewardship is a Catholic Christian way of life based on the spiritual principles of the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels. When lovingly embraced, Christian stewardship produces a spirituality that refreshes our lives with the Holy Spirit, deepens our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and glorifies our Heavenly Father.

Simply stated, stewardship is an expression of gratitude to God. It reminds us that we are the administrators, not the owners, of our assets. It fills a need deep within each of us to worship God and to thank Him for the abundant blessings He has showered upon us.

God Bless,

Msgr. John Shamleffer

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Dear Parishioners:

The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program is set to begin both here at The Church of the Annunziata and at Ste Genevieve du Bois.   I again encourage anyone who is interested or knows of someone interested in the Catholic Faith to please contact me at the parish.  This year we will be conducting a joint RCIA program with the two parishes Gathering together.  An introduction meeting will take place on Wednesday September 18 at 7pm in parish meeting room at Ste Genevieve du Bois. I also ask for your prayers for our catechumens and candidates, those who are preparing to enter into the faith this year.  Your solidarity with these men and women is a great source of support to them.

A catechumen (from Latin - catechumenus, Greek - instructed) is one receiving instruction in the principles of the Christian religion with a view to baptism. For this reason, those who are already validly baptized in another Christian Faith are not known as Catechumens, but rather Candidates.

The Catechumenate is an extended period during which the candidates are given suitable pastoral formation and guidance, aimed at training them in the Christian life.

This is achieved in the following ways:

1. Suitable catechesis; solidly supported by celebrations of the Word.
2. The Catechumens and Candidates learning to:Turn more readily to God in prayer

• To bear witness to the Faith
• In all things to keep their hopes set on Christ
• To follow supernatural inspiration in their deeds
• To practice the love of neighbour, even at the cost of self-renunciation

Our parish community has again been blessed this year with men and women who are journeying in the faith and preparing for reception into the Church at the Easter Vigil.  Please keep them in your prayers as they begin their journey of faith in the Catholic Church.

Blessings!

Msgr. John Shamleffer

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