Stewardship Today

CATHOLIC SAINTS ON STEWARDSHIP

From St. Cyril of Jerusalem:

“The root of all good works is the hope of the resurrection; for the expectation of the reward is what moves the soul to good works.”

Holy Week Observances

recommended

The Vatican has provided a Holy Week and Easter Sunday schedule for Pope Francis, and the papal observances offer a framework of participation and worship for all faithful. As you plan your personal and family involvement at this season of the Lord’s Passion, please consider opportunities for worship and service through your local parish. Sunday, April 14, is Palm Sunday, and April 21 is Easter Sunday. In between, Chrism Mass will be held on Wednesday, April 17; Maundy Thursday services are scheduled for April 18; Good Friday services and Holy Saturday services follow, and various parishes have scheduled Reconciliation, the Way of the Cross, and Easter Vigil observances and services. As grateful Catholics, we worship the Risen One and humbly rejoice with the news St. Paul conveyed to the Corinthian church: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, he was buried, and he was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3b-4). Please join with others and honor Christ Jesus with your presence this Easter season.

THE STEWARD'S BOOKSHELF

Recommended Resources
for Reflection and Study

A Minute of Margin: Restoring Balance to Busy Lives - 180 Daily Reflections (Pilgrimage Growth Guide) by [M.D., Richard A. Swenson,]

Please visit “The Steward’s Bookshelf”
for additional recommendations.

Click Here

NATIONAL CATHOLIC NEWS

FROM THE ARCHIVES

At Dawn, Rejoice and Dance

From the Stewardship Today Archives, April 2010

The earth responded to the crucifixion of Jesus with consuming darkness, thunder and lightning, and an oppressive sense of foreboding unease. It didn’t last. Each Lenten season, we are reminded of the sacrifice of Christ and the significance of our uniting with him in baptism, purposeful and sober, reflective and selfless. Easter week, we celebrate the sacrificial death of the Savior in somber terms and meditative worship....read more

Download Stewardship Today Free

For the convenience of our readers, a four-page, abridged set of monthly Stewardship Today articles is available as a downloadable PDF file.

Download the PDF Version

LOCAL DIOCESAN NEWS

The Way of the Cross

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, in coordination with St. Joseph Cathedral and St. Vincent de Paul, is again hosting the annual Downtown Way of the Cross on Good Friday, April 19. The procession will begin at the Cathedral at 9 AM, and will conclude at 10:30 AM. Call (225) 336-8700 for additional information.

Diocesan News Page

St. John Baptist de la Salle

lightisonforyou

Through Holy Week, the Diocese of Baton Rouge will continue to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation. From materials provided through the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis: “We enter into the liturgical season of Lent with a spirit of hope. This is a time to reflect, renew and rejoice in the mercy of God through the sacrifice of Jesus, who upon the cross, redeemed mankind.

“As the People of God, we are called to reflect upon actions which cause separation between ourselves, God and others. In response, we are invited with contrite hearts to turn away from sin and return to God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation in order to receive healing and to be restored. This ultimately renews hope as we rejoice in God's eternal mercy and desire for all to be in union with him.

“This is a personal invitation to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation during this season of prayer and penance. The light is always on for you.” Additional information—including the many ways parishioners might take part—are available through the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, www.evangcatbr.org/light

STEWARDSHIP IN SCRIPTURE

“ ‘I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’ ”

(John 11:25-26; New American Bible, Revised Edition)

Planned Giving

In One Sentence, Make the Impossible Possible

Remember the Diocese of Baton Rouge in Your Will or Living Trust

What if all you had to do to ensure our organization can be successful for years to come is to write a simple sentence? Sound impossible?

Securing the future of those we serve really is as simple as one sentence. By including a gift to the Diocese of Baton Rouge in your will, you can support our mission tomorrow without giving away any of your assets today.

April 2019

Stewardship: A Louisiana Legacy

Please Support the BAA

steward oct2018

For decades, contributors to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal have extended the love of God to our neighbors, fellow parishioners and friends. A timeless call directs us to all those who long for our care and compassion throughout the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Investing the blessings God has granted, we honor the Lord as we serve and as we give. It is Christ’s example, and we Follow the Shepherd’s Lead.

Because we desire to be good stewards of God’s blessing, we purposefully support efforts like the BAA, aware that the collective gifts of many faithful parishioners can accomplish much. Through your generous contributions, you address others’ needs, and you point them to Jesus Christ, the shepherd of us all. Please give to support the work of the Bishop’s Annual Appeal.

Follow the Shepherd’s Lead Appeal Brochure

Follow the Shepherd’s Lead Donor Mailer

The Stewardship of Prayer

A Lyrical Echo of Sacrificial Death

We read the following, are told the text is found in the Scriptures, and reasonably wonder from what Gospel narrative the message comes to us: “All who see me mock me; they curl their lips and jeer; they shake their heads at me: He relied on the Lord—let him deliver him; if he loves him, let him rescue him.” We picture the cruel setting: Christ on the cross, Roman soldiers mocking him even as he hung there and suffered for us. ....read more

Watching Over Us ... read more

The Stewardship of Ministry

The Ministry of Mercy

Jesus taught the blessings of forgiveness and mercy. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). The Lord frequently addressed crowds gathered at the temple, and he chose to illustrate those lessons clearly, publicly and in full view of those who threatened his life. Chief priests and Pharisees objected to the content of his teaching, condemning him and sending guards to arrest him. To test Jesus just as publicly, they directed an accused lawbreaker and made her stand before him and those crowds. How would he respond?. . .read more

He Really Did Die for Us ... read more

The Stewardship of Finance

Well-Taught, Well-Lived, the Cost of Eternal Life

Training and professional development programs collectively cost corporations and industrial firms billions of dollars every year. According to the Training Industry Report, companies spend almost a thousand dollars a year per employee, much of it invested in management-level personnel, and a great deal of that using traditional instructional approaches, or what researchers described as a “stand-and-deliver instructor in a classroom setting”—tried and true pedagogy, objectively meaningful and at substantial cost to those institutions. . . .read more

Our Strength and Our Help ... read more

“Our Lord himself I saw in this venerable sacrament of prayer. I felt as if my chains fell, as those of St. Peter at the touch of the divine messenger. My God, what new scenes for my soul!”

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

“Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin, all hope consists in confession; in confession there is a chance for mercy.”

St. Isidore of Seville

“If you want to flee from God, flee to him instead. Flee to him by confessing to him; don’t flee from him by trying to hide. For you can’t hide, but you can confess.”

St. Augustine of Hippo

“Have you sinned? Go into church and wipe out your sin. As often as you might fall down in the marketplace, you pick yourself up again. So too, as often as you sin, repent of your sin. Do not despair.”

St. John Chrysostom