Those who come to St. Lawrence from other parishes are often surprised to find no bingo, no annual carnival-fund­raiser, no bake sales or raffles at the church door each Sunday. Oh, we have our picnics and festivals, but we do not depend on them to underwrite parish life. As a parish we have dedicated ourselves to the principle of Stewardship, which means that we depend only on a prayerful annual commitment of time, talent and treasure from each household to accomplish the work and mission the Lord asks of us as a parish church. 

The roots of Stewardship are found in our biblical tradition, which reveals God as Creator and Giver of all gifts. To be stewards means that we are not owners of these gifts, but
rather grateful caretakers and ser­vants. Our model for this is Jesus Christ himself, the faithful and loving servant who em­braced the world and gave his own life for us all.

The happiness that God wants for us starts with the recognition that everything in life is a gift. He has given us our time on earth, our talents, our abilities, our possessions. Whenever we cling tightly to these gifts, they become a burden. Yet, there is a special happiness in returning to God a grateful first portion of the time, talents and treasure he has given us.

Stewardship calls us to plan our giving, returning the “first fruits,” not the leftovers. 
Deciding to do this involves faith: trusting that what is left over will be enough for our needs.
Many of those who make this decision to put God first in their sched­ules and budgets find their faith deepened and, far from being impov­erished or over-committed, they find them­selves en­riched spiritually and materially.

The Bible speaks of giving a tithe: ten percent. Interest in tithing, as an expression of
gratitude for God’s gifts, has grown among Catholics. Many Catholics give five percent of
their income to their parish, one percent to the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal, and four percent to other charities of their choice. If this seems too much now, consider starting at a lower figure and in­crease later if possible. The impor­tant point is to reach a decision through prayerful consideration.

At St. Lawrence, we recommit our­selves to Christian Stewardship each fall during the Stew­ard­ship Renewal. This renewal begins with the Time and Talent Fair, in which the scores of parish ministries and organizations showcase their work and educate parishioners about oppor­tunities for spending time and talent in building God’s kingdom. Each household is then asked to reflect to­gether prayer­fully on their present circum­stances, and to update their commitments of time, talent and treasure for the coming year.