Stewardship conference marks 25th anniversary of pastoral letter

Clergy, parish staff and parishioners from the Archdiocese of Omaha are among those invited to an April 21 conference in Kansas designed to explore a document written 25 years ago that has been at the foundation of stewardship formation efforts across the country.

"It’s another opportunity for education and growth," Shannan Brommer, director of the archdiocese’s Office of Stewardship and Development, said of the Region IX Stewardship Conference in Kansas City, Kan., held every two or three years. Region IX includes Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa and Kansas.

The document, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pastoral letter, "Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response," takes people beyond the mechanics of financial giving and invites them to "think about and really discern the gifts they have received, recognizing they are from God, and how we can give thanks for that," Brommer said.

The conference, which will include Mass, features keynote speaker Archbishop Emeritus James Patrick Keleher, who as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas was on the ad hoc committee of U.S. bishops that produced the pastoral letter. Archbishop Keheler’s talk is titled "Reflections on 25 Years of Stewardship."

Father Jarrod Lies, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Wichita, Kan., will discuss "Portrait of a Christian Steward" and Dan Ebener, director of stewardship and planning for the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, will lead a panel discussion on "Rediscovering Stewardship in our Homes and Parishes."

Brommer can answer questions about the conference at 402-557-5650, ext. 1900, and registration is available at stewardshiparchkck.org/register.