Stewardship is alive and well in the Archdiocese of Mobile

Where do you see stewardship in action? In my position, I am blessed to witness the amazing results of stewardship in action every day. The Archdiocese of Mobile is filled with countless examples of faithful stewards answering God’s call to give back the gifts of time, talent and treasure entrusted to us by our generous Creator.   
Prayer is the first step to living the life of a Christian steward. To answer God’s call in our life, we first must build a relationship with Him. A few examples of good stewardship of time are visible when men gather for a Men of St. Joseph prayer meeting, students flock to adoration, the line for confession is long and our youth are present at daily Mass. Prayer isn’t always visible to others, but it is certainly visible to God. 
“But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (Matthew 6:6).
The faithful stewards of our archdiocese are amazingly generous when it comes to sharing their talents. Our parishes are blessed with ushers, servers, lectors and musicians who offer their talents during the Mass. Look at the ministries offered at your parish and throughout the archdiocese. Each of these ministries is filled with faithful volunteers sharing their talents. What ministry needs your talents?  
The faithful Christian stewards who generously donate their treasure to the annual Catholic Charities Appeal touch the lives of thousands in physical, mental and spiritual need throughout our archdiocese. The faithful Christian stewards supporting our seminarians with generous donations to the gala or Burse Club each year are making it possible to form our future priests. Every contribution to the Generations of Faith campaign leaves a lasting impact on the faithful of this archdiocese that will support our retired priests, seminarians and youth for generations to come.
While stewardship is alive and well in the Archdiocese of Mobile, we also have great opportunities. The reality is that over the last 25 years, the number of donors to the annual Catholic Charities Appeal continues to decrease each year. This is a trend affecting non-profits across the country. This is an opportunity for us to answer God’s call to stewardship. It is our responsibility, to pass down to the next generation, God’s call for us to be faithful stewards of all our gifts. 
Stewardship is a way of life. Once we embrace God’s call to stewardship it changes the way we look at every decision we make, and ultimately changes our lives and the lives of those around us. 
 “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1Peter 4:10).
­­— Shannon Roh is the Executive Director of the Office of Development and Stewardship for the Archdiocese of Mobile.