STEWARDSHIP

 

   

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:3

    Those of us who have been well blessed by God could be a little discouraged by the Beatitudes. At first it sounds like only those who have problems will find a place in heaven.  However, we are all guaranteed a spot in heaven if we are willing to be “poor in spirit.” We are poor in spirit when we recognize that we really do not own anything. Everything we have belongs to God. When we take this attitude we can more freely open our hand and offer our time, talent and treasure to help build up God’s kingdom here on earth.

 

 

Our offering of time, talent, and treasure is one way of saying: We belong to the Lord and to one another. It is an…

 

Act of Faith:

We profess that we belong to God and all that we possess is His.

 

Act of Trust:

We place our life in God’s loving hands and make Him our treasure.

 

Act of Worship:

We adore Him as the giver of all good gifts.

 

Act of Belonging:

We unite our offering with the rest of our Parish Family so that together we might care for the needs of one another, especially the poor.

 

 

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

 

Stewardship/Ministry Sign-Up Forms
English Form | Spanish Form
(all forms are in .pdf format - You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download.)
 

 

Ministry of Caring

Ministry of Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, and Altar Servers

Ministry of Liturgical Environment

Ministry of Music

Ministry of Parish Leaders

Ministry of R. C. I. A. (R. C. I. A. Web Site)

Ministry of Religious Education
 

Sunday School and Nursery Ministry
 

Ministry of Re-Membering

(Returning Catholics)

Vacation Bible School Ministry

Parish Fall Festival

Welcoming Committee

Parish Organizations

Ministerios de Administración en Español

 

  

St. Bernard's Church Financial Report

Fiscal Year July 2008-June 2009

 

Operating Income

 

Sunday Offertory                                  $1,142,614.00

           Christmas                                      $55,036.00

           Easter                                          $65,040.00

           Holy Days                                      $16,964.00

 

Sacramental Donations                             $115,928.00

Facility Revenue                                         $8,530.00

Rel. Education Fees                                 $131,015.00

Donations $23,948.00

Programs/Ministries                                   $82,560.00

CYO                                                       $21,639.00

 

Total Operating Income                         $1,663,274.00

 

Operating Expenses

 

Clergy/Religious                                       $297,012.00

Administration                                         $588,175.00

Buildings/Grounds                                     $171,966.00

Utilities                                                    $73,793.00

Diocesan Fees                                          $87,264.00

CYO                                                       $22,927.00

Rel Education                                          $178,195.00

Program/Ministry Exp.                                $202,262.00

 

Total Operating Exp.                               $1,621,594.00

 

Note: These amounts do not include the activities of the Parish School or Capital Campaign.

 

 

Every Bit Helps

      

    We are all called to be “Stewards” of the gifts God has given to us. The following theological

points serve as a basis for a Christian way of life expressed through stewardship:

 

  • Stewardship expresses a basic attitude of gratitude to God for God’s many gifts to us and the trust we have in God as the ultimate source of our security.

  • As stewards we are called to use these gifts to further God’s creative and redemptive purposes; as stewards we use God's gifts for God's purposes.

  • God’s creative and redemptive purposes are most fully revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of God's son, Jesus.  The basic pattern of Jesus’ work is found in the Paschal mystery.  It is a pattern of giving life for the sake of others, and in the giving, finding life more fully realized for ourselves and for those to whom we give.

  • The church is a gathering of disciples who nurture and encourage one another in discipleship.  The practice of discipleship in and through the Church is one of the primary ways we are called to follow Jesus. It is the whole Church, the Body of Christ that is responsible for carrying on the work of Christ in the world today.

  • Our sharing in the Paschal mystery of Jesus brings us to the notion of sacrifice as a sign of

    gratitude, praise, and trust in God. Sacrifice means giving from our substance – se we are

    changed by our giving.

     

An analogy: The bread and wine we offer at the Eucharist represents the whole of our lives. When they are transformed, the whole of our lives is transformed. So, too, the symbolic offering of a significant proportion of our time, talent, and money is a sign of our giving our whole lives to God and our whole lives are transformed in the action.