October: Archdiocese Stewardship Month

WelCom October 2017:

‘All it takes is one good person to restore hope’ – Pope Francis

The essence of Stewardship as Catholics is that we are all called to a life of holiness. Our Baptism calls us into a life with Christ and daily we are encouraged to reflect on what it means to be Christ’s disciple.

To to grow his vision for a ‘Stewardship Archdiocese’, last year Cardinal John Dew announced that each October, the Archdiocese would reflect on a Stewardship theme. Together with the Stewardship team, Cardinal John has been facilitating Stewardship Days among parishes to support this.

The Stewardship theme for October 2017, ‘Go now, you are sent …. to be Stewards of Creation’, has been a focus on Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment Laudato Si’. He says, ‘Only by profoundly reshaping our relationships with God, with our neighbours and with the natural world can we hope to tackle the threats facing the planet today.’

The team has produced a range of resources to support parishes with ‘Stewardship life’ during October. Included are prayers of the faithful, commentaries on readings for parish bulletins, a group reflection on Laudato Si’, and a powerpoint for the beginning of Mass. Resources are on the archdiocese website stewardship page at: tinyurl.com/ADW-Stewardship

Caring for our environment

Other online resources that support Laudato Si’ and the Season of Creation:

• 1 September to 4 October, include: YouTube clips with Pope Francis – seasonofcreation.org
• Mercy International’s contemplative calendar – tinyurl.com/Mercy-Contemplative-Calendar
• Pope Francis’ practical tips for helping the environment – tinyurl.com/Helping-Environment-Tips