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More than silver or gold I recently attended the parish mission at Our Lady of Mercy in Harborcreek. I was a firsttimer. The only thing I knew going into it was our speaker would be Father Daniel Mahan, executive director at the Marian College Center for Catholic Stewardship in Indianapolis. Over the course of three evenings, Father Mahan wove a beautiful tapestry of three virtues: gratitude, responsibility and generosity. Using his own life travels and those of Jesus through numerous biblical accounts, Fr. Mahan had us ask ourselves how we respond to God’s call to be good stewards. Stewardship is about more than silver or gold. A good steward is grateful for the blessings received, responsible in using those gifts and generous in sharing them with others. Father Mahan suggested we hold onto our gifts loosely, giving them away freely. Our talents, time and financial resources are all designed for that purpose, if we truly model Jesus and respond to his call. In sharing all of our gifts with our family, our parish, the larger church and our community, we live out Christ’s instruction to “love one another as I have loved you.” Where do we learn this sense of generosity? First, we learn in our homes, where every day is filled with teachable moments. We also learn generosity in our church when we listen to Scripture and find the inspiration to provide for the least of our brothers and sisters. Father Mahan asked that we not always give at a distance, but often up close and personally. A major research study indicated that every other person does not have a church to call his or her own, so they are without a faith community that reinforces the virtues of gratitude, responsibility and generosity. As I thought about this, I began to understand more clearly why we are facing such a collapse in our values, work ethic, family bonds and commitment to living out faith. May each of us ponder Father Mahan’s question, “How am I living our God’s call to be a good steward?” Editor’s note: Father Mahan preaches on the topic of stewardship throughout the world. He considers it integral to Catholic thought and an essential foundation for our understanding of human dignity, marriage and family life. His book, More than Silver or Gold: Homilies of a Stewardship Priest, was published in 2006 by St. Catherine of Siena Press. — Dr. Emma Lee McCloskey, president of The Catholic Foundation, may be reached at 814.824.1236 or by e-mail at emccloskey@eriercd.org. Visit tcfrcd.org for more information. Please tell us what you thought of this feature Lee and Ottilia show us the way My grandfather, Lee McCloskey, passed away in the 1960s and his beloved wife, Ottilia, in the 1970s. Despite the more than 40 years that have passed, I can still recall the times when my grandmother asked my brothers as they were growing up, “Are you going to be our priest? We help to educate the young seminarians. You know, you could be one of them.” Fast forward to a couple months ago. As I walked up the stairs at St. Mark Catholic Center, I saw my grandparents’ names on a beautiful benefactor plaque. While neither of my brothers followed a priestly course, Lee and Ottilia were proud to financially support our seminarians’ educations – just like other hard-working families. Now, 52 of these past seminarians are diocesan priests between the ages of 60 and 69. Thirty-seven of them are between the ages of 70 and 79 and 29 are 80 years or older. As life expectancies increase, how will our retired and sometimes frail priests face rising costs in housing and health care? The time has come to ensure that priests have the financial ability to enter assisted living residency when needed. Clergy without surviving relatives need an advocate to follow their health crises to maximize recovery. Some elderly priests need help covering costs for residency or for nursing homes and other locations that provide support services. Many people are unaware the annual collection for retired religious is not for our diocesan priests, but only for order priests and women religious. Just as there was a call to educate seminarians resulting in major gifting for this purpose, it’s time for a new call to action. Many of our retired priests, who devoted their entire lives in service to others, now face a wrenching financial reality. The Catholic Foundation has created an effective way for people to contribute to the Clergy Health and Welfare Endowment, easing our priests’ burdens. More information on the Clergy Endowment Fund is available at www.tcfrcd.org. As Cheryl Vicary, a donor to The Catholic Foundation has said, “On a daily basis, priests have seen our families through times of both joy and sadness, listening to our needs, hopes and disappointments … it’s an honor to be able to give something back.” — Dr. Emma Lee McCloskey, president of The Catholic Foundation, may be reached at 814.824.1236 or by e-mail at emccloskey@eriercd.org. Visit tcfrcd.org for more information. Please tell us what you thought of this feature "Maybe it will help those who are poor from going under..." Nearing 90 years old, a woman who is long retired from her job in a local factory still resides in her cozy, tidy home. She tells her sister that she wants to get her affairs in order. “It’s time,” she says. Meanwhile, she attends Mass nearly every day, greeting the small community of regulars at the service. In between phone calls from her sisters, nieces and out-of-town family, she enjoys TV, parish activities and keeping up with happenings of her former pastors by reading the FaithLife news bulletin, an insert into her parish bulletin. Once in awhile she finishes the entire FAITH magazine. This week, she sees a woman at 5 p.m. Mass, who, on the coldest day of the week, is wearing shorts. She comments to her friend, “How cold that woman must be!” She thinks about how hard it must be for this refugee woman, one of several who attend her church, to survive in this country. How do they feed and clothe their children, or continue to pay the rent? She has seen this woman with her children in the past. “ Did this woman buy winter pants for her children and run low on money for her own winter clothes?” she wonders. Some time ago, she read an article on St. Martin Center in FAITH, and knows the Catholic Charities affiliate agency helps many who come to its doors with emergency rent, mortgage and utility costs. In the past she’s even given some housewares and clothing to its Thrift Shop. She knows emergency assistance centers are located around the diocese…Prince of Peace in Farrell, St. Elizabeth of Hungary Center in Oil City and the Good Samaritan Center in Clearfield. She’s always been committed to her Catholic faith. She recalls the Gospel when Christ says, “The greatest commandment is love. Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.” Being quiet and modest, she cannot approach the woman in shorts. But she feels compelled to do something. She asks her younger sister to call Catholic Charities to ask about giving a gift of stock. “It’s not much at all, but maybe they will take it. Maybe it will keep some of those who are poor from going under,” she says. This is a true story that will help you understsand why I am inspired each day. “Tell them no need to mention me by name in public,” she tells her sister. “ I’m just lucky I have a warm coat and roof over my head. But I have to do something.” Will you do something? Every gift counts. The need in our diocese far exceeds what we can accomplish. Will you help The Catholic Foundation to build endowments to help people today and in the future? These funds directly benefit people served through endowments for Catholic Charities, evangelization, Catholic education and aging clergy. Contact me today to talk about how you can help your brothers and sisters in need. — Dr. Emma Lee McCloskey, president of The Catholic Foundation, may be reached at 814.824.1236 or by e-mail at emccloskey@eriercd.org. Visit tcfrcd.org for more information. Please tell us what you thought of this feature
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