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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.
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
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