We are the Behnke family, Freddy, Danielle, James, and Annaleigh. We began attending St. Patrick Church not long after James was born in 2006, and officially converted to Catholicism in 2010. James and Annaleigh were both baptized at St. Pat’s, and all of us received our sacrament of First Holy Communion here as well. We decided to join St. Pat’s after feeling a sense of belonging here, more so than any church we had attended throughout our lives.
Not long after joining St. Pat’s, there was a ministry fair held after Mass one Sunday. I (Danielle) decided to go down to the church hall to see what it was about. Although speaking in public was never something I had any desire to do, I felt compelled to sign up to be a lector. I was terrified before my first reading but knew immediately afterwards that I had made the right decision. Since that day, our entire family has found ways to be positive stewards by joining various ministries and volunteering at the annual festival and Lenten fish fries.
Stewardship, however, is much more than what we do for our St. Patrick family. It could be mowing the lawn or shoveling the driveway for an elderly or incapacitated neighbor. It could be a smile and hello for someone longing to be greeted by a friendly face. It could be setting time aside each week to pray for a random person you encountered the previous week. Whether your acts are large or small, Christ’s light shining through you will be apparent. The opportunities to be a good steward for the Lord are endless, you need only be ready and willing to do so with a glad heart. “Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others.” (Colossians 3:23).