1. Seven Attributes of a Healthy Stewardship Parish Michael Murphy Executive Director International Catholic Stewardship Council mmurphy@catholicstewardship.org

3. Eucharist  Center of our life of faith  “Source and Summit” of our lives  Expresses mystery of the Triune God  Shares death-resurrection of Jesus Christ

4. Eucharistic Insights  Church constantly lives out Christ’s dying and rising  Paschal mystery unfolds in our lives as we grow in faith  Paschal mystery transforms our communities and local church  Our Eucharistic communion is missionary  We are mission-minded – faith is expressed in evangelization and service

8. Discerning the Spiritual Vitality of Our Community  Sacramental  Strategic  Sustainable

9. Sacramental Inquiry How does our parish community celebrate the full spectrum of the sacramental life of the Church?

10. Strategic Inquiry How does our parish location and history affirm a need for its abiding presence and ministry?

11. Sustainable Inquiry How does our parish exercise good stewardship of its resources, sustaining all aspects of the Church’s mission?

13. “The Church is a kind of Sacrament or “Mystery”; a sign and instrument of communion with God and of unity among people.” - Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

14. The Parish: A Popular Understanding  A canonical structure  An organized community with geographic boundaries, generally  A place for worship and celebration of the sacraments  An umbrella organization for a variety of religious activities and voluntary organizations

15. The Parish: A Deeper Reality  A communion of faith which is to be a sign of Christ’s presence in the world  A communion of memory, rooted in the New Testament’s witness  A communion that nourishes a sense of global communion  A pilgrim communion that looks to the future, to the coming of the Kingdom of God  A communion that, through its prophetic speech and prophetic activity, offers solace, comfort, affirmation or tension

17. Seven Attributes of a Healthy Stewardship Parish

18. I.Create and Maintain a Parish Vision  Review, critique and communicate the parish vision periodically.  Integrate the Parish Mission Statement in all major decisions.  Involve parishioners in the annual planning process.

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20. II.Provide a Quality Worship and Prayer Experience  Critique your Eucharistic celebrations periodically.  Conduct additional communal prayer experiences.  Provide adult faith formation.

22. III.Create an Atmosphere of Hospitality and Inclusiveness  Commission greeters to serve at Masses.  Accommodate the physically impaired.  Make time for parish social activities.

24. IV.Empower Parishioners  Allow parishioners to give input into parish decision-making.  Involve more parishioners in ministry.  Extend personal invitations to parish service and follow up promptly.

26. V.Enhance Parish Outreach Efforts  Create opportunities for evangelization.  Provide outreach to the poor.  Raise awareness of community needs.

28. VI.Ensure Accountability and Transparency  Report regularly on the condition of the parish.  Start a Stewardship Education Committee.  Ensure adequate communications to the parish.

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30. VII.Teach Stewardship  Introduce the parish to stewardship through a formal process.  Integrate stewardship formation in the life of the parish.  Ask parishioners to prayerfully consider their own responsibility to the parish family.

32. A Community Pleasing to Christ

33.  A Community That listens before speaking, Welcomes without judging, Forgives without condemning, Announces the Good News without denouncing.

34.  A Community Where the simplest of our sisters and brothers will understand what others are saying; where the wisest of our leaders will know that they don’t know everything; and where the entire family of faith is embraced.

35.  A Community Where the Holy Spirit will feel at home because everything hasn’t been foreseen, and no plans settled without prayer, decisions made without discernment, aspirations quelled in advance.

36.  A Community Where the audacity to do something new will be stronger than the habit of doing things as they’ve always been done.

38. Seven Attributes of a Healthy Stewardship Parish Michael Murphy Executive Director International Catholic Stewardship Council mmurphy@catholicstewardship.org