Way to build stewardship is to bolster discipleship

A new, pilot discipleship program is in progress at Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church in LaPlace. “Encountering Christ” puts faith in action by enlightening Catholics about their faith, leading to stronger parishes.

The Stewardship and Development Office of the Archdiocese of New Orleans created this after searching for a sustainable program to help parishes build stewardship among the people in the pews.

The program uses the stewardship definition – “expression of discipleship” – from the 2002 revision of the 1992 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pastoral letter on stewardship, said Cory Howat, director of stewardship for the archdiocese’s Office of Stewardship and Development. 

When Howat and Father Walter Austin, Ascension of Our Lord’s pastor, started exploring this notion, Father Austin said, “Then, I need more disciples!”

The further they discussed the pastoral letter, Father Austin echoed the USCCB document’s words: “Stewardship always starts with the personal experience of the risen Christ in our midst and in our hearts. … The authentic disciple regards all he or she is and possesses as gifts and blessings and realizes the need to share those gifts and blessings with others for the sake of the kingdom of God.”

Father Austin believed he needed to first bolster the faith journeys of parishioners before they could examine how to share their time, talent and treasure with the parish beyond attending Mass.

“This insight was significant,” Howat said, and with Archbishop Gregory Aymond’s approval, Howat began formulating a program where the understanding of stewardship is more than giving money for causes. It is a way of life.

“We needed to create something to reach the person in the pew on Sunday,” Howat said, guiding adult learners to find answers to life’s meaning and to better understand aspects of the Catholic faith that they may not have learned.

“This allows more exposure to our rich faith; it makes people dive deeper,” Howat said.

With the Holy Spirit steering the effort, “encountering Christ” was born. The pilot has four invitation phases with four weeks of material handed out during Mass in each phase: “Searching for Meaning”; “Opening Your Heart to God’s Saving Grace”; “Discovering Jesus” and “Learning to Live in His Way.”

Weekly handouts gently nudge Catholics to begin a journey from a secular understanding of life to the depth of love that God offers without all the heavy theology. This is accomplished through a series of non-judgmental, exploratory questions with resources and Bible passage suggestions (and even current quotes from Pope Francis).

“We wanted to start with a broad approach for anybody (to feel welcomed) and then slowly guide people through various invitation phases,” Howat said. “We’re trying to teach them first the love of Christ and where to encounter him.”

Space for self-reflection on handouts allows a personal approach to faith. A summary sheet wraps up each phase and invites participants to the next. Throughout, participants are encouraged to share their reflections with others, although it is not mandatory.

“It brings you to understand you are a disciple of Christ and how you are using your gifts,” he said. “As we guide them through their spiritual journey, it will guide them into action.”

What Ascension did
Ascension of Our Lord established a discipleship/leadership team of diverse lay parishioners hand-picked by Father Austin to work closely with Howat six months before the pilot was launched in March. The parish has completed two phases since Lent, distributing 800 copies of “encountering Christ” in the pews each weekend.

The parish also has created folders (available in back of church) in which to store individual handouts, and the handouts have been color-coded  so participants could easily find a week’s reflection they may have missed. Additional spiritual resources were given during the summer hiatus between phases.

The third phase – “Discovering Jesus” – will launch in September, with the final phase starting Oct. 26 and ending late November.

The leadership team took time out in the summer to offer Howat feedback on how the program was going.

Ascension will do a review of the first two phases Aug. 17 and 24, then after Labor Day hand out a survey (devised with input from the Office of Stewardship and
Development) and offer it online to gauge how the program was being perceived and enjoyed by parishioners. Focus groups also were scheduled.

“From the beginning, we knew discipleship is personal,” said parish secretary Linda Biven. “It’s not for everyone, even though we’d like it to be.”

Program open to change
With the feedback from the pilot, Howat is considering ways to improve the program. The current structuring of “encountering Christ” doesn’t present thought-provoking questions that necessarily coincide with the readings of the liturgical year, so a reworking is being considered to simplify for pastors a way to reinforce homily messages.
While the single-sheet format and content will not be altered, faith-sharing opportunities may be added, and the timeline may be shortened.

“By rewriting it to mimic the liturgical year, you’re reinforcing what the people are hearing on Sunday,” Father Austin said, adding he’s tried his own way to match the liturgical year.

He admits that for the ideas presented in “encountering Christ” to be sustainable, it has to be an ongoing process, not just a one-shot program.

“You have to be constantly renewing these skill sets,” Father Austin said.

Biven sees how “encountering Christ” can impel people to be more active in their parish.

“If you are close to Christ, you would be ready to serve,” she said.

As word has spread, other parishes have inquired about the “encountering Christ” pilot. While he’s not sure where the program will go next, Howat is proud of the resource he’s created to help parishes bring more Catholics into a personal relationship with Christ. It’s a precursor to a parish stewardship program also in the works at several parishes.

“We wanted to extend an invitation to faith,” Howat said. “If people were able to explain their purpose, they would know that God is calling them to do something more.”

Christine Bordelon can be reached at [email protected].