"Hope Does Not Disappoint" (Romans 5:5) This verse has been chosen as the theme for both the Jubilee celebration of our church and the 2025 Catholic Stewardship Renewal (CSR). It’s a powerful and timely message—one we all can reflect deeply upon.
Some might ask, “What does this verse have to do with stewardship?” At first glance, the connection might not seem obvious. But let’s consider the full passage from Romans 5:1-5
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
When we understand this verse in its full context, it becomes clear: stewardship is deeply rooted in the spiritual virtues of faith, hope, and love.
In fact, these three theological virtues can be seen as the foundation of the stewardship way of life—symbolized through the three-legged stool of active stewardship – prayer, participation and sacrificial giving.
The mission of the Church is the salvation of souls. As St. Paul reminds us, “We boast in hope of the glory of God.” Without hope, we cannot fully embrace faith or love. And that is why hope does not disappoint—because it is rooted in the love of God poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
As we prepare for our Catholic Stewardship Renewal, take time to prayerfully reflect on Romans 5:1-5. Let it deepen your understanding of what it means to live a life of stewardship—grounded in faith, driven by hope, and sustained by love.
SHARED FOLDER WITH RESOURCES
Click the button below to take you to the shared CSR 2025 folder, which contains all the materials and resources we'll be using and updating throughout the campaign.
- Theme Overview: You can use this in bulletins or as a pulpit announcement.
- Reflections Document: This document contains reflections on how the CSR theme is reflected in the Gospels for all 3 CSR weekends.
- Pulpit and Bulletin Info: Relevant content for bulletins and pulpit announcements can be found in the same folder.
- Graphics: All graphics (available in English and Spanish, color and black & white). You can use these for social media, bulletin, etc.
Catholic Stewardship Renewal
A four-session small group guide which explores the spirituality of our upcoming Catholic Stewardship Renewal. This guide is available in English and Spanish and can be downloaded at no charge.
The Four Pilars of Stewardship
A four-session small group guide which explores the four pillars of the Stewardship way of life: hospitality, prayer, formation and service. This guide is available in English and Spanish and can be downloaded at no charge.
Helpful Resources
Parish Resources
Tips for Giving Lay Witness Talks
Click here to view a video guide for giving lay witness talks with a real-life example. Click here to find quick tips for giving a lay witness talk.
Stewardship Key Contacts
Director of Stewardship
Patricia Lutz
573-635-9127, ext. 230
Moderator of Stewardship
Fr. Stephen Jones
573-635-7991
Alphonse J. Schwartze
Memorial Catholic Center
2207 West Main St
Jefferson City, MO 65109-0914
What We Do
- Provide training and mentoring for stewardship councils
- Provide assistance and resources for Catholic Stewardship Renewal
What is Stewardship
What identifies a steward? Safeguarding material and human resources and using them responsibly are one answer; so is generous giving of time, talent, and treasure. But being a Christian steward means more. As Christian stewards, we receive God's gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord.
We plant seeds, knowing they hold hope for the future. We lay foundations, knowing much building must follow. There is a sense of liberation, however, in realizing this. We can do something, and we can do it very well. We can take the first step in making a difference, knowing that we may never see the end of the road, the results of our actions, the recipients of our giving. We receive and offer the gift of hope. The harvest will come.
Many of our days are spent "growing dirt," preparing the soil for future plantings. That is an act of hope. We know we are only workers, not the Master Gardner. Accepting the gifts of silence, light, the guiding Spirit and hope, we are co-creators of the future, which is in God's hands.
Why It's Important to Participate in the Catholic Stewardship Renewal
Each October all parishes of the Diocese of Jefferson City participate in the annual Catholic Stewardship Renewal (CSR). This local renewal process, facilitated by the diocese, is a means by which parishioners are asked to commit to living out the “3-legged stool” of Christian Stewardship in their parish through their prayer (attendance at weekend and Holy Day Mass) participation (using their time and talent to build up the parish) and sacrificial giving (pledging a proportional and sacrificial gift of treasure to support the ministry of the parish).
Not unlike “Time, Talent, and Treasure” campaigns of the past, the Catholic Stewardship Renewal seeks to provide the pastor and parish leadership with the data needed to successfully sustain and grow the ministries of the parish.
However, the Catholic Stewardship Renewal process is much more intentional than any stewardship campaigns we have done before, because each year we will be asking all parish families to participate and fill out the stewardship materials provided by the parish.
This request is something which causes many of our long-time parishioners to ask “Why do I need to fill this material out every year? You know that I come to Mass and that I give to support the parish, so why do I need to fill out all this paperwork?”
The answer to this question is quite simple: the Catholic Stewardship Renewal is not just something which is administrative but is also deeply spiritual. It is the yearly opportunity for each parishioner to purposefully and prayerfully review, redirect, reaffirm and recommit.
- Reviewing & Redirecting allows parishioners to ask themselves the following questions: How am I doing at striving to live as an active steward in my parish? How is my Mass attendance? How do I participate in the communal life of the parish? How well does my level of giving support the ministries of the parish?
- Reaffirming & Recommitting allows parishioners – on a yearly basis – to concretely proclaim “Yes! I am a part of this parish, and I am supportive of its mission and ministries!”
While the CSR does provide the pastor with a lot of important data which will help him plan for the budget and the various ministries of the parish, it is also a lot like what Catholics experience every year at Easter.
At the Easter Vigil and on Easter Sunday the priest – standing before the gathered people of God – says the following:
“Dear brothers and sisters, through the Paschal Mystery we have been buried with Christ in Baptism, so that we may walk with him in newness of life. And so, now that our Lenten observance is concluded, let us renew the promises of Holy Baptism, by which we once renounced Satan and his works and promised to serve God in the holy Catholic Church.”
Following this exhortation, the gathered assembly engages in the three-fold renunciation of Satan and the three-fold affirmation of our Catholic Faith. Finally they are sprinkled with Holy Water as a sign and reminder of our baptism, and enter the Easter season renewed in faith.
The yearly parish Catholic Stewardship Renewal process is very similar in that it gives us an ongoing opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to our parish and its ministries. It is our way of concretely renewing our commitment to our parish and showing that – through that commitment - we belong to our parish family and are supportive of its vision, mission, and ministries.
Pillars of Stewardship
The four pillars of stewardship are Hospitality, Prayer, Formation and Service. These pillars invite parishioners to experience, witness and live the stewardship way of life in response to their baptismal call to discipleship. Each baptized person is called to give of time, talent and treasure to strengthen these four pillars that support the parish community – your parish community.
Previous Tithing Model
- Given to the diocese by parish
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- Cathedraticum (tax the diocese charges parishes)
- Christmas Assessment
- Easter Assessment
- Universal Collections
- Faithful give to the diocese directly
- Catholic Stewardship Appeal
New Tithing Model
- Given to the diocese by parish
-
- Christmas Assessment
- 10% of Ordinary Receipts
- Faithful give directly to the parish
- 8% (or whatever % is their personal sacrificial gift) — the other 2% goes to charities of their choice that promote the common good through Catholic values
- What they would have given to the Catholic Stewardship Appeal
- What they would have given to Universal Collections
Stewardship...Growing our Faith
TIME
Good stewardship requires us to make the most of our time. In so doing, we make God the center of our lives.
When we use our time to give back to God, we most effectively make meaningful connections with others, planting seeds for future harvest.
TALENT
Our loving Creator has given each of us special blessings: talents, skills and abilities. He has entrusted us to "steward" our gifts, calling us to use them to benefit others.
We fulfill the unique purpose He has designed for each of us in His perfect plan.
TREASURE
Everything we have is a gift from God to be shared with others – for our benefit and for the benefit of others.
When we recognize that what we accumulate in this life does nothing to prepare us for the next life, it is easier to let go and use that treasure in ways that will pay dividends in heaven.