The journey of  embracing stewardship as a way of life in the  Diocese of Wichita   has taught us many valuable lessons since 1985.  As we celebrate twenty-five years of this journey, the documents you find below attempt to capture some of those lessons.  We share these documents with you.  We pray that the contents of these resources may be helpful to you in your faith journey.  We can only share our own history and experiences in the Diocese of Wichita.  Therefore, if you use these documents in presentations, we would ask you to make note of the source.  The history continues to unfold.  May all of us seek to be faithful followers of Jesus by denying self, taking up the cross and following Him (Mt. 16: 24).

The Spirituality of Stewardship DVD Formation Series and Facilitator Manual

Forming the mind and converting the heart to become a Christian steward is a life-long journey of faith.  This is true for the individual, the family, the parish, the diocese, as well as for the Universal Church.  During thi s journey, it has become very clear that formation precedes service. One must first be formed in the spirituality of stewardship prior to being sent into service in the parish and beyond.  Jesus Christ spent thre e years in ministry forming his disciples before he sent them out into service two by two, (cf. Luke 10:1-3).  The Diocese of Wichita embraced the journey of stewardship as a way of life in 1985.

Upon his arrival to the Diocese of Wichita in 2005, Bishop Michael Jackels assigned an important task to the Diocesan Stewardship Council.  Define what is meant by the word, “stewardship.”  As the Bishop rightly pointed out, “You cannot form what you cannot define.”  After prayerful reflection and discussion, the Council presented to Bishop Jackels the following definition:  Stewardship is the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognizes and receives God’s gifts and shares these gifts in love of God and neighbor. This definition mirrors closely the definition of a Christian steward as defined by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in their 1992 Pastoral Letter, “Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response.”

To form the parishes and families throughout the diocese in this definition and meaning of stewardship, the DVD formation series, entitled, “The Spirituality of Stewardship” was born.  The primary purpose is to explain the definition of stewardship given above.  Accompanying the DVDs is a facilitator manual which gives very specific instruction on how a person can facilitate this formation series in the parish setting.  Each session begins with a prayer that is found in the manual.  Then, the group watches 30 minutes of a DVD.  Following this, there are specific activities that can be chosen for the participants, strengthening a grasp of the material that was presented in the DVD.  This small group work also allows the parish to “customize” the formation to their particular parish family.  Each of the four sessions is designed between 60 and 75 minutes.

Three years were invested into this project, including designing the content, piloting the series live in actual parishes, filming and editing the DVDs and the writing of the facilitator manual.  The facilitator manual contains master copies of all of the handouts.  When one purchases the formation series, permission is granted so that unlimited copies of the handouts may be photocopied for use by the parishioners.

The first group in the parish that is encouraged to participate in this formation is the Parish Stewardship Council along with the Pastor.  After their training, the members of the Stewardship Council will assume the responsibility of facilitating this series with all of the leaders of the parish ministries and organizations.  Once formed in the spirituality of stewardship, these parish leaders can implement the spirituality into the actual service of each parish ministry / organization, or parishioners in general.

As stated above, the series ‘breaks open” our diocesan definition of stewardship.  Because the “textbook of stewardship” is the Word of God found in Sacred Scripture, the formation series uses many Scripture quotations.   As a student takes a textbook from school to home, one needs to know that the “school of stewardship” is the Mass, especially the gathering of the entire parish family at the Sunday Mass.

It is our main desire to assist parishes throughout the diocese and beyond to form parishioners to become Christian stewards.  If you order this series and, (after reviewing the contents), decide not to purchase the manual, we only ask that you return the manual to the Diocese of Wichita and cover the return shipping cost. If you have questions or are interested in ordering The Spirituality of Stewardship formation series, please contact the Office of Stewardship at 316-269-3900 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Characteristics of a Christian Steward

Identifies and describes personal characteristics that are essential and present in the lives of those individuals (stewards) who desire to fully know, love and serve Jesus. While there are many characteristics that could apply to stewards striving to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, the following ten (10) seem essential and ever present: Prayer, Humility, Trust, Patience, Responsibility, Gratitude, Generosity, Simplicity,Mercy, Perseverance

-View and print the document

Call to Stewardship Brochure (English & Spanish Versions)

This brochure provides a personal reflection upon one's God given grace and giftedness and provides the opportunity to further reflect upon how one is using this grace and giftedness in service to the parish, diocese and the wider universal Church out of our love of God and neighbor.

This brochure can be downloaded and copied for distribution to parishioners or made available in the parish pamphlet rack. Copies can also be ordered from the diocesan Office of Stewardship.

-View and print English document

-View and print Spanish document

Parish Stewardship Council Handbook

This handbook provides a brief introduction to the spirituality of stewardship that precedes information addressing and assisting pastors and parishes in the selection and ongoing formation of parish stewardship council members. This handbook also provides an overview of best practices, duties and responsibilities of parish stewardship councils as they seek to facilitate a successful stewardship process within their parish communities.

- View and print the document

2011 Annual Parish Stewardship Renewal Schedule and Guidelines

This document lists the chronological dates for implementing the 2011 annual parish stewardship renewal.  The Preparation Phase begins in June.  The tasks for the stewardship council are listed with dates and deadlines given for this phase, along with the Call to Commitment Phase in October and Novemeber and the Follow-Up Phase in December, January and February.  When a parish stewardship council follows these guidelines and timeline, there is a greater success for the parish stewardship renewal.  The renewal calendar listed below supplements the timeline outlined in this document.

-View and print the document

2011 Renewal Calendar

This renewal calendar is a quick view, one-page calendar summary highlighting the most important dates and deadlines in the 2011 stewardship renewal.  Divided into the three phases of the renewal, (Preparation Phase, Call to Commitment Phase and Follow-Up Phase), the calendar supplements the document lists above, 2011 Annual Parish Stewardship Renewal Schedule and Guidelines.

-View and print the document

Annual Parish Stewardship Renewal Evaluation

This document is a great tool to assist the pastor and parish stewardship council in evaluating the annual parish stewardship renewal.  Divided into the three phases of the renewal, (Preparation Phase, Call to Commitment Phase and the Follow-Up Phase), this evaluation should be completed by the parish stewardship council in February or March.  When the parish begins preparation for the following year's renewal in June, this completed evaluation is of great benefit to the parish stewardship council.  "What worked well in our last renewal?  How can we improve for this coming year?"

- View and print the document

Pillars of Parish Stewardship

This manual seeks to assist members of stewardship committees, pastoral councils, pastors and parish leadership as together they seek to develop, design, implement, and renew a successful stewardship way of life in their parish. This manual also identifies important building blocks within, under and around the "pillars" to assure there is a sound structure in place.

The four pillars of hospitality, prayer, formation and service invite parishioners to experience, witness and live the stewardship way of life in response to their baptismal call to discipleship.

-View and print the document

Parish Stewardship Handbook

An early document designed to facilitate the implementation of a comprehensive stewardship process in the parish.  The goal of the handbook is to provide step-by-step guidelines that will help create the opportunity for parishioners to live stewardship as a way of life and for parishes to carry out their mission.

The diocese currently uses Annual Parish Stewardship Renewal Guidelines which evolved from this document.

- View and print the document

Characteristics of a Stewardship Parish

- View and print document

Young Stewards in Formation

This manual contains suggested and specifically prepared classroom stewardship curriculums for students in parish school of religion (CCD) programs as well as for students in Catholic elementary and secondary schools. The curriculums and related lesson plans are prepared to provide for and assist the catechists as they strive to convey and teach the concept of stewardship to our Catholic youth.

-Document currently being updated

Please Contact the Stewardship Office to learn more.