Bi-weekly news bulletin of the Catholic Diocese of Erie November 6, 2005 www.ErieRCD.org Program promotes stewardship as way of holiness By Jason Koshinskie is a word that begins with the mounted on the garage. The council members, the parish is FaithLife editor capital letter S with a line run- same must be done with the gift not the primary place where this ning right down the middle of it. of faith, as well. Good stewards occurs, he said. Stewardship must be seen in a Sometimes we can say one thing, are generous in sharing those “Those are all good things. broad sense of evangelization and and people will hear another.” gifts. God doesn’t give us gifts But that’s not the primary place. as a way of holiness and spiritual- Rather than thinking of it as so we can cling onto them tena- The primary place is out in the ity, says Fr. Daniel Mahan. just giving money, Fr. Mahan ciously but rather so that we world, beginning in the family More than 250 people, includ- says true stewardship is giving might share them with others. and extending in wider circles to ing clergy and lay ministers, and sharing of one’s blessings in Passing on blessings we have a place of work, school, market- heard Fr. Mahan’s message dur- the form of time and talent. received to others makes a return place, laws, government, arts, ing the Erie Diocese’s first-ever Stewardship should be thought to the Lord with increase.” any place that the Catholic inter- Stewardship Days Oct. 25-26 at of as a way of life, he said, that is The practice of stewardship acts with our society. That’s Sacred Heart Parish, St. Marys, deeply rooted in the person of not only benefits individual where the lay Catholic is to exer- and St. Mark Catholic Center, Jesus Christ. stewards as they grow in holi- cise the mission. And in doing Erie, respectively. “Jesus who came to do not Fr. Daniel Mahan ness, but also results in there so, our troubled world will be Fr. Mahan, a priest from St. his own will but the will of his being more people involved in changed, transformed by the Louis Parish in Batesville, Ind., is heavenly father; Jesus who came something to do that no one else the life of the parish and who are power of stewardship.” the author of More Than Silver or to serve, not to be served; Jesus on earth can do.” committed to the work of the Other Stewardship Days Gold: Homilies of a Stewardship who came to give everything Fr. Mahan referred to the church. events included sessions on Priest, published by Saint that he had to give so that we U.S. bishops’ 1992 pastoral on “But we must not think of becoming a stewardship parish Catherine of Siena Press. A well- might have life with him forev- stewardship, which described stewardship only as a means by and practical ways to encourage traveled speaker, he offered his er,” he says. “Stewardship is a good stewards as people who are which to bring benefits to the gifts of time and talent, a clergy reflections on the spirituality of way of life deeply rooted in the grateful, responsible and gener- parish,” Fr. Mahan says. “That study session on the role of the stewardship in his keynote talk. person of Jesus, and as such we ous with the blessings and gifts would be a very narrow view. pastor in stewardship and panel “When I’m at a parish on a can call stewardship a way of they have been given by God. Stewardship is about the individ- discussions. The program was weekend and announce that I’m holiness or spirituality. After all, “Blessings need to be taken ual steward seeing the opportu- sponsored by the Erie Diocese’s here to talk about stewardship, if we are imitating Jesus and his care of,” he says. “Gifts need to nity to make a difference in the Office of Stewardship and sometimes I see the eyes roll self giving, we draw closer to be nurtured and developed lest world and doing so.” Development. because people think they know him. We also draw closer to his they atrophy. Back in Indiana, as While lay Catholics may For more information on Fr. exactly what I’m going to talk bride, the church. We have a bet- soon as a kid shows the slightest exercise the mission of the Mahan’s book or to order, visit about,” Fr. Mahan says. ter sense of our mission in life. inclination of being able to drib- church as lectors, extraordinary www.saintcatherineofsien- “Stewardship, after all, they think The Lord has given each of us ble a basketball, there’s a hoop ministers, catechists and parish apress.com. 5 new saints Synod closes with emphasis on eucharistic renewal canonized By John Thavis sitions published; normally they Catholic News Service are considered confidential. He VATICAN CITY (CNS) – At said he would use the bishops’ a Mass celebrated Oct. 23 in St. VATICAN CITY (CNS) — recommendations in preparing Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict The Synod of Bishops closed his own document sometime in XVI canonized five new saints. with a strong call for eucharistic the future. The newly canonized were: renewal, urging a deeper under- The synod also published a • St. Jozef Bilczewski, 1860- standing of the Eucharist among final message, which asked 1923. During World War I, as the world’s Catholics but no Catholics to allow the Eucharist Polish archbishop of Lviv in what major changes in church rules on to transform their lives and the is now Ukraine, he helped numer- priestly celibacy or shared life of the world. ous Catholics, Orthodox and Communion. The message expressed pas- Jews. Pope Benedict XVI, who toral concern and sadness for the • St. Zygmunt Gorazdowski, presided over the three-week situation of Catholics who have 1845-1920, also a Pole. As a assembly, formally closed the divorced and remarried civilly priest in Lviv, he was known as synod Oct. 23 with a Mass in St. without an annulment, but the “priest of the homeless,” Peter’s Square. He thanked the offered no relaxation in church Parishes in the Erie Diocese held their own closing of the Year founding two homes for the hun- more than 250 bishops for their rules that prohibit them from of the Eucharist services. Fr. Paul Seibert presides at an outdoor gry and destitute. In 1884, he input and invited Catholics to receiving Communion. eucharistic procession Oct. 23 for St. Mark Parish, Emporium. founded the Sisters of Mercy of contemplate the Eucharist as the The status of divorced and More than 100 people attended the service. St Joseph. key to revitalizing their faith. remarried Catholics was one of strong endorsement of the liturgi- They also emphasized that • St. Alberto Hurtado The Mass also officially closed several sensitive pastoral issues cal reforms of the Second Vatican while the Eucharist is the center Cruchaga, 1901-1952. After the Year of the Eucharist. raised by bishops on the synod Council, saying they had greatly of Christian life not everyone has growing up in poverty in Chile, Catholics should also under- floor, leading some to expect the benefited the church. Abuses an automatic right to receive it at he became a Jesuit priest and stand that “no dichotomy is synod to call for revision of have occurred in the past, but all times. began teaching and working with admissible between faith and church policies. But in the end have substantially diminished The synod’s other recommen- the poor. He founded the Hogar life,” he said. the assembly recommended no today, it said. dations included: de Cristo movement, which pro- On Oct. 22 the synod handed significant changes. Despite recent speculation • Better emphasis on the mis- vides vocational training and the pope a list of 50 propositions, Instead, the synod: over wider latitude for celebrat- sionary aspect of the Eucharist. other services for young people. or final recommendations, which • Praised the value of priestly ing the pre-Vatican II Tridentine • Study and possible change • St. Felice da Nicosia, 1715- acknowledged a priest shortage celibacy and called for a greater Mass, the synod’s final docu- in the order of the sacraments of 1787. As a Capuchin friar in in some parts of the world but push in vocations as the answer ments did not even mention that baptism, confirmation and the Sicily, he often was humiliated said eliminating priestly celibacy to the priest shortage. It said possibility. Eucharist. for his illiteracy. He collected and ordaining married men were ordaining married men in the The synod encouraged pro- • Possible relocation in the donations for the monastery and not the solution. Latin church was “a road not to motion of eucharistic adoration, liturgy of the sign of peace visited prisoners every Sunday. “I think it is significant that follow.” but stressed that the practice exchange. • St. Gaetano Catanoso, there has been a massive restate- • Reaffirmed that shared should be seen in relation to • Reminding the faithful of 1879-1963. The Italian founder of ment of the tradition in the Latin Communion with non-Catholic Mass. the importance of genuflection or the Congregation of the Church of mandatory celibacy Christians “is generally not pos- To promote better Mass atten- other gestures of adoration Daughters of St. Veronica, he was for priests,” Australian Cardinal sible” and said an “ecumenical dance, the bishops recommended before the consecrated host. dedicated to the holy face of George Pell of Sydney told concelebration” of the Eucharist better liturgies, strong preaching • Better awareness of the Christ.