Teaching Stewardship

Katherine Bilbao, 4, and Joseph Bilbao, 6, put their envelopes into the collection basket during Sunday Mass at Little Flower Parish in Coral Gables. Both are praying for their deceased great-grandparents. The parish gives numbered envelopes to students to teach them about stewardship. The gifts do not have to be financial. They can include prayers said and good deeds done.

MARLENE QUARONI | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Posted: 11.04.09

CORAL GABLES | Anthony Francuz, 9, enclosed $1 and asked for prayers for the homeless as he dropped his “Sharing My Gifts” envelope into the basket at the Church of the Little Flower.

“People should not be sleeping in the street,” said Anthony. “I want everyone to have a home.”

Anthony and about 125 kids walked up to the altar steps and dropped their envelopes, one by one, into a special children’s offering basket during the 9 a.m. children’s Mass. The envelopes, white with a red border, have the words, “I feel good when I thank God!” written on them in a child’s scrawl.

All parish children, including students at St. Theresa School and the parish religious education program, are asked to take part in the new offertory program which began in August. The school advisory board created the program to help children become stewards of the church, said Father Arthur Dennison, Little Flower’s pastor.

“We want active Catholics, not just spectators,” said Father Dennison. “The children are the future. The foundation begins now. We want to show kids that they have an obligation to help others with their time, talent and treasure.”
Father Dennison said that half of the money collected goes to a particular charity each month. September donations went to help Holy Innocents Shelter run by the Missionaries of the Poor in Jamaica. The other half of the money is given to St. Theresa School. In September, the kids donated $2,098. The October charity was dedicated to St. Mary Cathedral School in Miami’s inner city.

In addition to the money offerings, kids are giving their talent by performing for their fellow parishioners at Mass. At the Oct. 18 Mass, Alex Calderon, 10, a St. Theresa School student, played “We Are the Church” on his harmonica. Past performers included a first-grade girl playing “Amazing Grace” on the violin and a second-grade boy playing “Ode to Joy” on the organ.

The children also are asked to include on the envelopes prayers for a special intention and a note on how they used their time and talent to help others during the week.

Julian Cazo, 11, a St. Theresa School sixth-grader, said he asked for prayers for his friends who had a lot of chores to do at home. He donated 35 cents and said he spent his time and talent “creating.”

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