Office
of Stewardship
Mission
The Archdiocese of Hartford, through the Office of Stewardship,
will endeavor to assist all parishes of the Archdiocese in fostering a Stewardship
Way of Life.
As Christian
disciples, we recognize God as the origin of life, giver of
freedom and source of all things. We look to the life and teaching
of Jesus for guidance
in living as stewards. We are grateful for the gifts we have received and are
eager to use them to show our love for God and for one another.
The Office
of Stewardship will work with parish stewardship committees
and
pastors in concert with the guidelines developed by the Archdiocesan Stewardship
Committee.
The Office of Stewardship will create an annual stewardship theme and assist
parishes in asking parishioners to renew their stewardship commitment of
time, talent and treasure on an annual basis.
History
In the fall of 1998, the Archdiocese of Hartford held a Priest
Day to introduce the concept of Stewardship. Two
nationally recognized speakers addressed the priests of the diocese.
Shortly thereafter, the Archdiocese of Hartford hired an outside
company to work with pastors and parishes to create a formal
stewardship renewal of time, talent and treasure. That fall
every parish in the Archdiocese participated in the first diocesan
wide stewardship renewal. Since 1999, parishes have been encouraged
to conduct
a formal renewal of stewardship.
In the
spring of 1999, the Archdiocese of Hartford hosted the first
Stewardship Evening. Stewardship Evenings
continue to be held each year with record attendance. Just
this past year over 600 people attended the sixth annual
Stewardship Evening. The evening now includes an opportunity
for parishes
to provide a display of an exceptional ministry. To create
a collaborative approach to stewardship, offices and agencies
in the Archdiocese were also invited to provide displays
of ministry opportunities available.
Going Forward
The Archdiocese of Hartford is a member of the International Catholic Stewardship
Council and strongly promotes attendance at the annual conference. This year,
twenty-four priests and lay persons, from the Archdiocese of Hartford, attended
the ICSC Conference in New Orleans. The Office for the Continuing Formation of
Priests has approved the conference for continuing education reimbursement.
Each
year a theme and an appropriate prayer are created. Parishes can order prayers
cards. Parishes can then display and distribute the prayer cards to coincide
with their renewal of stewardship. The stewardship office also creates procedural
manuals, these too can be ordered by parishes. Both of these materials are
provided at no cost to the parishes.
Quarterly
newsletters are mailed to stewardship committee members, priests,
deacons, school principals, directors of religious education
and agencies in the Archdiocese
of Hartford.
Recognizing
that stewardship is not just about fundraising, the Office
of Stewardship continues to provide on-going support
to pastors and parishioners by telephone, email, personal visits, and attendance
at parish meetings. Information provided includes: creative ideas for stewardship
fairs, working with committees, maintaining and improving communication through
bulletins, website, newsletters and ministry directories.
To
contact the Stewardship Office:
Colleen Boccaccio Corriveau
Director of Stewardship
Archdiocese of Hartford
467 Bloomfield Avenue
Bloomfield, CT 06002
Telephone: 860-242-4777 / 1-866-697-9192
Email:
stewardshipoffice@stseminary.org
