Deacon John's Stewardship Blog - Saint Patrick Roman Catholic Church

We are stronger as a parish when we work together.

Posted on October 18, 2018October 18, 2018 by Kathy Lucci

We are Dave and Jill Mogg. We have been parishioners at St. Pat’s for almost 30 years and are parents to three grown children: Emily, Conor, and Hannah. Jill is a lector and we are both Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, typically at 4:00 Mass. In addition to liturgical ministries, we also assist the fish frys, the festival, setting the environment and anything else we are called upon to help with. We have tried to be good stewards of the church because St Pat’s is more than our church; it is our extended family and our extended home. We are so very thankful to be part of this wonderful parish and help any way we can to create a welcoming and faith filled environment.

Volunteering our time and talent and supporting the church financially are all ways of expressing our gratitude. Gratitude for our church community, for friendship and support, for the parish and the spiritual role it plays in our lives, but mostly gratitude for God from where everything comes.

The role of church stewardship is to further the goals of our parish by drawing upon the resources of its parishioners. This is a very important part of how we can be as Christ-like as possible and can provide endless rewards. For us it enriches our lives in ways we had not thought possible. Over the years we have made many friends, had some amazing spiritual experiences, and allowed God into our lives to help us to be the best version of ourselves that we can be.

We are stronger as a parish when we work together, better as individuals when we worship together, better people of God when we do our best to make a better world, together.

There is something inherently unique and special about being able to serve the other members of your church and your community.

Posted on October 12, 2018October 12, 2018 by Kathy Lucci

Having grown up as member of the church from a very young age, it is very easy sometimes to simply take my faith for granted. However, this is where I believe that stewardship has shined in my life. Don’t get me wrong; reading the Bible, praying, and coming to Mass have helped my faith grow substantially, but there is something inherently unique and special about being able to serve the other members of your church and your community.

Being a lector and an altar server amplify the sense of belonging and community that I feel here at St. Pat’s. Being a member of the Celebrate team and working at our Lenten Fish Fries feels as though I am really doing God’s work. I firmly believe that there is no better feeling, no greater satisfaction, than knowing you are helping to make someone’s life — even just their day — a little bit better, and seeing that smile of gratitude on their face.

To me, it is through stewardship — through these acts of kindness and generosity — that we can bring the Kingdom of God to our families, to our friends, to our communities, to earth. Not just to those around us, whose lives we have the opportunity to impact for the better, but for ourselves as well. Being a steward has brought me comfort, serenity, a sense of community, and it has also allowed me to grow in my faith, both in the church and as an individual. I would like to thank all of you for giving me that opportunity and being part of that experience. — Jonathan Feigert

“Unselfish giving” which is what Stewardship truly is about.

Posted on October 6, 2018 by Kathy Lucci

My name is Pat Maiorca and like most others, I’m really not comfortable talking about myself but Deacon John can be very persuasive, so here goes.

I have been a member of St. Patrick Parish since shortly after my family moved to Hubbard in 1970. For many years we were not active members other than attending Mass on Sundays, Christmas and Easter. Life and work were more important than developing our faith even though our children attended St. Patrick School.

Years passed and it wasn’t until the late and loveable Joan DeVaney came into my life like a tiny whirlwind and we became close friends. Joanie pushed, prodded and nagged me into becoming more actively involved. She was my mentor and became God’s instrument in my life. With her encouragement and guidance, I became a Eucharistic Minister and Lector. She was also the greatest influence in my attending the Women’s Renewal in 2002. This Renewal Weekend literally changed my life in so many ways. That weekend stirred my heart, giving me the desire to want to do much more in and for my church.

In the intervening years, I became actively involved with the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, now the St. Pat’s Food Pantry, began regularly delivering Meals on Wheels and became an active member of the Youngstown Bluecoats. I’m also an annual Festival worker and participate in our Lenten Soup Suppers. In all of these activities, God has filled my heart with a great love for people and their needs. I have made many amazing, and yes, fun-filled and lasting friendships which, I’m sure, will endure the rest of my life. I also learned “unselfish giving” which is what Stewardship truly is about. St. Patrick’s isn’t just my church. It’s my extended family!

Each one, as a good manager of God’s different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God.

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Kathy Lucci

We are the Williamson’s—Brad and Debbie. We had never sat down to define what Stewardship meant to us until recently when Deacon John asked us to tell our story.

Deacon John’s question forced us to take a closer look at our 43 years of marriage and take an inventory of sorts. Debbie is a lifelong Catholic and I was raised in a Christian Church. We had very different upbringing but shared similar values and basic Christian beliefs. I became a Catholic when our son, Andrew was approaching his first Holy Communion at St. Joseph Church in Sharon, PA. In 1994 we shared a very special time in our faith lives as we received our First Holy Communion together at the Easter Vigil. While at St. Joseph we were part of the RCIA team and were Eucharistic Ministers. We are still part of a “small Christian community” that has become part of our family.

As time went on we were missing something. We found that spark at St. Patrick Church! With Fr. Mike, our amazing Deacons and our parish family we have come home and are eternally grateful to each and every one of you. We have been richly blessed by God and when we participate in parish activities it is a pleasure to pay back God’s bountiful blessings. We now help at the Lenten Fish Fry and Parish Festival. We have found our Christian calling here at St. Pat’s. Deb became a Lector and I am a Eucharistic minister. I attended the men’s renewal in 2017 and have since become a member of the Men’s Renewal Team to share my experiences with others.

As 1 Peter 4:10 states “Each one, as a good manager of God’s different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God”. Our version of Stewardship means sharing our talents and giving of ourselves to others. We thank God daily for all our blessings especially our time at St. Patrick’s.