By Mary Jean Bega, Maui Commissioner on Stewardship
Special to the Herald
On Feb. 15, parishioners from all corners of Maui met at St. Anthony Church in Wailuku to be a witness to the goodness of God, who couldn’t have provided us with a more beautiful day to gather for the Maui-Lanai Vicariate Stewardship Day.
All 10 parishes on the island were represented with approximately 300 faithful hearing and experiencing the same message centered around the theme “Bread of Life, Acts of Service.” As participants arrived, they were greeted with smiles from the overwhelming number of volunteers welcoming them into the church.
(Although our brothers and sisters from Lanai couldn’t join us, a team will be traveling there in the future to bring Stewardship Day to them.)
The day started with Mass celebrated by Bishop Larry Silva and concelebrated by nine priests.
Bishop Silva’s homily touched upon the concept of ownership versus stewardship and reminded us that the ministry we belong to is not ours: It is not my youth group, or my lectors, or my hall/kitchen. A true steward recognizes that we are given the task to take care of God’s ministry, his gift to us, by inviting others to experience this gift.
Bishop Silva challenged us to step out of the box instead of doing the normal things. Also, by giving thanks for what we have, no matter how small, God will multiply our blessings. Because the Eucharist means thanksgiving, we must give thanks to God for all our blessings and gifts.
After Mass and a short break, participants were gathered back into the church by the co-emcees, Father Ese’ese “Ace” Tui and fifth grader Mackenzie Guiwa, both from St. Anthony Church in Makawao.
The first speaker was Blessed Sacrament Father Apolinario “Poli” Ty, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Hilo. His talk was preceded by a beautiful prayer done by youth Landon Tantisira of Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Keokea.
In Father Ty’s session, “Forming Us to Be a Church, a Community of Stewards of God’s Love,” he explained that as Catholics, we are called to be stewards because we are disciples of Christ and it is our identity. As disciples of Jesus we are in a loving relationship with him. It is not an option but a calling and a commitment.
Father Ty elaborated on the journey of a disciple as a steward of God’s love, emphasizing the four pillars of stewardship and their connection to the Eucharist. God wants us to be disciples; it is his desire for us.
Tom and Debbie Sategna from Immaculate Conception Church on Kauai were the speakers for the second session. They humbly shared their life journey through their life stories and experiences as a foundation for living a stewardship way of life.
The Sategnas highlighted the fact that their former pastor, La Salette Father Edison Pamintuan, provided the leadership and support needed to jump-start their stewardship journey. Under his guidance, they began to understand the power of hospitality and that using the old-school method of inviting individuals, one on one, to participate in various ministries proved most successful as they saw an incredible increase in ministry participation, as well as projects being completed by many hands.
The road wasn’t always smooth, but with perseverance, a clear focus and strong leadership, changes in people’s mindsets began to take shape. A few tears were shed and hearts were touched as stories of God’s work in the people they encountered were shared.
To wrap up the day, Father Tui used the game of football as an analogy: He said our goal is to protect the football (Gospel) and carry it toward the goal line. Father Ty’s talk provided the mission of stewardship, and the Sategnas provided the plan to spread the Good News.
All in all, the day proved successful, based on not only the huge turnout but also on the overwhelming display of “strongly agree” on the evaluation forms.
The stewardship committee comprises a representative from each of the 11 parishes in the Maui-Lanai Vicariate. The group’s spiritual director is Father Pamintuan of St. Joseph Church in Makawao.
Let us all be challenged to be more aware of our personal growth and seek out moments that we are being called to be true stewards of the Eucharist, the sacrament of God’s love for his people.
Tom and Debbie Sategna, above, and Blessed Sacrament Father Apolinario “Poli” Ty, below, were the speakers at the Maui-Lanai Stewardship Day Feb. 15 at St. Anthony Church in Wailuku. (Photos courtesy Mary Jean Bega)
