Fr. Ben Flores, Pastor and Fr. Sergio Legarreta, Parochial Vicar of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish and Deacon Bob Guerra, Parish Administrator at El Buen Pastor Mission attended the International Catholic Stewardship Conference in Anaheim, California on October 2nd thru the 5th to learn about the meaning of Stewardship and how to do Parish Stewardship.
The International Catholic Stewardship Conference is an annual conference that fosters an environment in which stewardship is understood, accepted, and practiced throughout the Catholic Church. The ICSC Conference offers the opportunity to pray, learn, network, cultivate new relationships, and reflect on the life of stewardship in the Catholic Church. The conference also opened the opportunity to exchange ideas on how to prepare for the Church’s transformational future in the post-pandemic environment.
Presentations are offered for diocesan personnel and parish administrators, topics such as: “Preaching Stewardship: How effective homilies are essential to the Stewardship message,” “Best practices to help parishes promote Stewardship more effectively,” “Steps to create a Stewardship Ministry in Parishes” and “What are we still learning about re-engaging parishioners post pandemic.” Presentations are offered in English and Spanish. Over 720 attendees from throughout the world participated in this year’s conference. Speakers included: Most Reverend Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop from the Archdiocese of San Francisco, California, Scott Whitaker, Director of Stewardship and Development from the Diocese of Austin, Texas, Leisa Anslinger, Director of Catholic Life and Faith, Armando Cervantes, Director of Youth and Young Adults and Hispanic Ministry from the Diocese of Orange, California and many others. The conference also gives an opportunity for attendees to enjoy the city’s attractions, this year main attraction was: Disney Downtown.
Fr. Ben Flores, said: “ICSC was a fine learning experience; I gained a greater understanding of our call for faithful stewardship. The basics of presence and sound communication were re-emphasized. Above all that because it is based on our Christian Spirituality of love, stewardship begins with serving the needs of others.”
On a local level, the parishes of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and El Buen Pastor will receive Stewardship ministry training this Fall from the Catholic Foundation. Stewardship Coordinator, Karina Sandoval Enriquez mentions that “this training has become essential in our local Church, and is focused on inviting everyone back to the Eucharist in the post COVID-19 setting”. The Stewardship ministry training will explain the meaning of Stewardship and the importance of discipleship, also the training will explain the different activities that can assist a parish to increase ministry participation and Sunday offering, activities include: Stewardship Commitment Day, Parish Outreach, and Ministry Fairs.
The 2023 International Catholic Stewardship Conference will focus on the National Eucharistic Revival on October 1 thru the 4th in Orlando, Florida, for more information visit: catholicstewardship.com
What is Stewardship? Stewardship is our gratitude to God of our time, talent and treasure for all the gifts that we have received. If you are interested to learn about Parish Stewardship please contact: Karina Sandoval Enriquez at 915-872-8412 or at ksandoval@catholicfoundationelpaso.org. ** **