News

Menasha parish wins international stewardship award

By Joanne Flemming
Compass Correspondent

MENASHA -- Stewardship is a priority at St. Patrick Parish, Menasha. And that focus has won international attention. St. Patrick was one of 14 parishes worldwide to receive the International Catholic Stewardship Council's Stewardship Parish of Excellence Award for 2007.

According to Joyce Naps, St. Patrick was one of two parishes in Wisconsin to receive the award; the other is in the Milwaukee Archdiocese. The Stewardship Council presented the award to the parish on Sept. 23 during its annual conference in Miami Beach, Fla.

Fr. Paul Radetski, pastor, said St. Patrick has been a stewardship parish for quite a few years. Receiving the award is "something in itself," he added.

To be eligible for the award, the parish had to outline for the council its stewardship activities, both within itself and within the Council, Naps said. Those cover three main areas.

"We try to encourage stewardship (in) prayer, service and sharing, to grow in a relationship with the Lord (and) to come to recognize the Lord so that we are able to serve him and share our time, talent and treasure," Fr. Radetski said.

As part of its prayer emphasis, the parish prepares prayer books for each of the liturgical seasons, including reflections and prayers written by members. These are then sent to parishioners' homes.

The first goal of service activities is community building, Naps said. Fundraising is secondary in this area. Service activities include the parish Christmas tree lot, fish fries, prison ministry and monthly meal preparation for Double Portion, a ministry shared with St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Menasha.

Under its financial focus, Naps said, the parish has had a balanced budget for 10 of the last 11 years. Parishioners are encouraged to pray about the amount of treasure they share with the parish.

St. Patrick has presented workshops on its stewardship practices at Stewardship Council conferences, including the Miami Beach one. It has also made presentations to the Milwaukee Archdiocese, and the Dioceses of La Crosse and Phoenix.