Stewardship Minutes

Michael Munro

Good morning. My name is Michael Munro. I have been coming to Saint Nicholas for almost 17 years. In August 1987, I rented a room up the street in a house on Belle Haven Drive. The first Sunday came along and I asked where the nearest Catholic church was. I walked in to this worship space and took a seat near the back. At that point the alter was over there where the statue of the Virgin Mary is now. Fr. Don Michael Hanna was the pastor. Things have changed a bit since then.

That first day on my way out, several parish members greeted me and introduced themselves. I felt at home. The next week I was welcomed by some of those same folks. I have attended Mass at other churches in the area but none was as special as this community. Part of that was the outward expression of Stewardship this parish has always showed in word and deed. It made me want to become involved in the parish life right away.

After three or four weeks I saw the annual notice inviting folks to join the Family Choir. On a Thursday evening I walked in and was welcomed into the choir. That started me on my many hours of service to the community with the Family Choir, the Christmas Choir, the Easter Choir, and for the past seven years the Folk Group.

Singing with the Folk Group exposed me to the youth of our parish. We have a hidden treasure in the youth of this community. After my experiences with the youth in the Folk Group I readily accepted the invitation to join the Adult Team working with them on the Antioch Retreat.

The Antioch Retreat is provided for high school age teens and is held twice a year. It is run by and put on by the teens with the adults staying in the background during the retreat weekend. The adults help in many different ways. Some of the adults meet with the teens for the eight to ten weeks before the weekend to assist in the preparation of the talks. These talks are the foundation of the retreat and directly affect the success of the weekend events. It has been a privilege to work with these young folks for six years.

For the past four years I have worked with the Confirmation program assisting in preparing the youths for that special milepost on their personal faith journeys. I have been a sponsor three times as well. This evening I will be talking to them about the topic "the Wisdom of Catholicism."

These are the ways I made Stewardship a way of life. I invite all of you to look at how you can. There are many easy ways to share your time and talent with the community. Ask your friends if your modesty does not allow you see your own gifts as special.