St. Ann’s Approach to Stewardship is Award Winning and Life Changing

The Catholic Church of St. Ann has been honored with the Archbishop Thomas Murphy Parish Stewardship Award. Served by the Missionaries of La Salette and led for the past two years by Father James Henault, the parish has developed a different approach to stewardship, and the results of their efforts caught the eye of the International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC). 

“In a lot of parishes, it seems over the years, stewardship as a formal activity has died or, even worse, stewardship means money. And that’s the last thing stewardship should be about…Stewardship is not a weekend program. Stewardship is a way of life.” – Father James Henault

Cultivating this way of life comes by viewing stewardship through the eyes of a disciple and reframing the approach to time, talent, and treasure.  

“Let’s shift the focus to discipleship, because stewardship is a disciple’s response. So, let’s go and make disciples, and you can make disciples all year long.” – Father James Henault 

St. Ann’s parish makes efforts throughout the year for people of all ages to get involved. From Pre-K to adulthood, Father Henault emphasizes that stewardship is something for everyone. The classic stewardship framework of “Time, Talent, and Treasure” has been reinvigorated at St. Ann’s. “Time” is prayer and presence, “talent” is putting faith into action, and “treasure” is generosity.  

“People at first would talk about time and talent as one thing, the time you spent using your talent, rather than the time you spent helping yourself to grow in your faith…Talent is what I do for others. Time is what I do for myself.” – Father James Henault 

Whether participating in Mass, learning in faith formation, or socializing at community events, all ages can commit their time to becoming lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. Father Henault makes this commitment easier by ensuring there are free events throughout the year, from the annual Christmas dinner to smaller gatherings like movie and game nights.  

“You get that sense of ‘if you feed them, they will come. If they come, they’ll be generous and respond.'” – Father James Henault  

Parishioners have responded. They put their faith into action by volunteering to keep the La Salette cross and pray for vocations, making cards for the elderly, delivering communion to the homebound, and so much more. Whatever someone’s unique interests and abilities may be, the parishioners of St. Ann’s welcome and appreciate them.  

This focus on generosity has aided parishioners in better understanding the impact of the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. Father Henault explains that, too often, it can be viewed as an assessment, instead of a way for the parish to do more than it could on its own.  

“We just built a columbarium. We had people from Catholic Construction Services to help us…We had a leaking gas pipe and [with help from the archdiocese] saved almost $50,000.” – Father James Henault 

While past recipients of the Archbishop Thomas Murphy Parish Stewardship Award were lifetime awardees, St. Ann’s fresh take is being honored because the International Catholic Stewardship Council saw it as a moment of evangelization. St. Ann’s will serve as a resource and point of contact for those looking to grow discipleship and stewardship.  

“Make stewardship a way of life, make discipleship who we are, [so] we leave church energized and able to do great things.” -Father James Henault 

To learn more about the Catholic Church of St. Ann and its stewardship initiatives, click here.  

To learn more about your stewardship impact through the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, click here.