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 seventh 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. 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.