Thanks to the efforts of Holy Trinity Church’s Stewardship Committee, the annual St. Francis of Assisi blessing of pets is more or-ganized. Franciscan Father Mike Dalton greets some furry friends at a previous pet blessing event. (Courtesy photo)
By Catholic Stewardship Consultants
www.CatholicSteward.com
In late 2013, Bob White was asked by Holy Trinity Church’s pastor, Father Dennis Koshko, to begin stewardship at the parish.
White was handed an envelope of fellow parishioners’ names and contact information to begin this journey of stewardship.
“I asked, and all accepted,” he said, and thus the Stewardship Committee began.
And stewardship, it seems, has continued to be a matter of “asking” — asking parishioners to help in various tasks, some visible and some behind the scenes. Although matters were put on hold during the pandemic years, the energy has returned with parishioners taking part in a multitude of roles at Holy Trinity in Kuliouou.
The Stewardship Committee’s first task was admittedly not the easiest to undertake — each member was asked to speak at Mass about what stewardship meant to them.
“That was hard to do,” White said. “But Father Dennis’ philosophy was, ‘Don’t worry about the treasure part. Start with time and talent, and the treasure will come.’ It did, and it strengthened over the years. That was the beginning of what we started to do. We had no idea of what would come, but we started to do stuff!”
Before the emphasis on practicing stewardship took place, there already were a number of ministries active at Holy Trinity.
“There were lectors, Eucharistic ministers and religious education teachers,” White said. “But we needed more. Now, the parish is very generous, but we’re aging. We’re physically not as capable, but we can share our treasure.
“And we weren’t as astute with technology. We had a printed bulletin, and knew what was going on, and how to sign up. But with COVID, there was no paper bulletin and communication suffered. There was no social engagement — we held Mass in the gym 6 feet apart, and people were afraid to come, especially with an older congregation.
“But even in this isolation period, we were able to continue our weekly Stewardship Corner article in our bulletin. We’ve been in a re-start in the last two to three years.”
Now, when White looks at the parish, he has found that stewardship has taken root, with support among the ministries, and the ministries themselves are growing.
Under Franciscan Father Michel Dalton’s leadership as pastor, new ideas have helped stewardship grow and blossom.
For example, the annual St. Francis of Assisi pet blessing now has a leader who organizes parishioners to bring their pet cats, dogs and birds to be blessed by Father Dalton.
Another example is the New Parishioners Committee.
“When parishioners joined Holy Trinity, no one knew who these new parishioners were,” White said. “The committee now meets with the new folks — they share their stories and tour the church. We bring in ministry leaders to share about their service and invite the new parishioners to join.”
This simple process helps the new parishioners engage in the life of the parish and get to know more people.
Father Dalton encouraged nametags for ushers so parishioners know who to contact for assistance. This concept developed into nametags for all ministers.
Now there are over 100 parishioners wearing nametags at Holy Trinity demonstrating the possibilities to become involved — just ask someone with a nametag.
“We developed a parish app as well as a website. During a ministry fair, two parishioners stepped up to maintain these ministries,” White said.
When Father Dalton shared that he has a collection of holy relics, White and the committee took steps necessary to build a proper reliquary in the church. A brochure detailing each relic has been produced as well.
“We got started with ministry recruitment and it is ongoing,” White said. “It is important. When personally invited, people will respond and come to find joy in service to our parish, which fosters friendship along with ministry growth.”
“What I hope will happen is we grow,” he added. “I don’t want to hear, ‘I don’t need any help.’ Ministries can always use help; we need to increase and improve ministries at Holy Trinity. Stewardship is a never-ending job of asking. So, you keep asking.”
