It’s no secret that the success at St. Thomas More would attract attention outside the community of Centennial. In 2007, the International Catholic Stewardship Council bestowed on the parish its premier award, the Archbishop Thomas Murphy Award for outstanding practice of stewardship. In 2009, Our Sunday Visitor published a book co-written by Father Andrew and the parish’s director of communications and stewardship, Mila Glodava, titled, Making Stewardship a Way of Life: A complete guide for Catholic parishes. In 2010, the book was on the Amazon. com stewardship bestseller list. In addition, many dioceses have used the book, sending it to their parishes as a practical guide to becoming a stewardship parish. Father Andrew is excited when he talks about the book. “Stewardship is not the end,” he says. “Stewardship is only a means to an end and that end is evangelization.” The book came about because of all the requests from other parishes and dioceses for assistance and resources. “We were delighted that Our Sunday Visitor wanted to publish the book and sees it as the ultimate resource,” Father Andrew adds. The relationship between St. Thomas More and Our Sunday Visitor goes back nearly two decades, when the church started using envelopes for offertory. “Since then, our relationship has grown,” says Father Andrew. “They are easy to work with and they are very willing to find solutions to our parish needs.” OUR SUNDAY VISITOR HELPS ST. THOMAS MORE WITH MULTI-DIMENSIONAL STEWARDSHIP SOLUTIONS T here’s something special about St. Thomas More Catholic Parish in Centennial, Colorado. With nearly 5,000 registered families, 300 active ministries and a thriving school serving students in Preschool through 8th grade, St. Thomas More offers something for everyone. From Christian formation for all ages to social outreach on a global scale, parishioners embrace and celebrate a lifestyle of stewardship and evangelization—and they want everyone to know about it. The Very Rev. Andrew Kemberling, V.F., serves as pastor for the ever-growing community alongside Fathers Marlon Rodrigues, O.C.D., John Green, and Israel Gonsalves, O.C.D., and deacons Robert Cropp, Robert Gregorius, Timothy Kenny, John Neal, Alan Rastrelli, M.D., Gary Rogge and Steve Stemper. Together they, and thousands of volunteers, minister to parish families and the surrounding community. And while the job isn’t always easy, it is always rewarding. Glodava believes the solutions Our Sunday Visitor provides to St. Thomas More contribute to the church’s success as a stewardship parish. In addition to handling all offertory envelope needs for adults and children, Our Sunday Visitor also prepares, addresses and mails monthly statements, special and seasonal mailings at Christmas and Easter, calendars, and more. Many times during the year, the church will insert a pamphlet or newsletter from Our Sunday Visitor into the monthly envelope packet mailed to parishioners at home. St. Thomas More also uses Online Giving, Our Sunday Visitor’s electronic offertory solution as a complement to its existing envelope mailing program. Online Giving is a secure, PCI compliant, web-based giving option that enables parishioners to schedule Enriching Parishes...Enhancing Community www.osvoffertory.com They are easy to work with and they are very willing to find solutions to our parish needs. ‘‘ ‘‘ www.osvoffertory.com 800-348-2886
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It’s no secret that the success at St. Thomas More would attract attention outside the community of Centennial. In 2007, the International Catholic Stewardship Council bestowed on the parish its premier award, the Archbishop Thomas Murphy Award for outstanding practice of stewardship. In 2009, Our Sunday Visitor published a book co-written by Father Andrew and the parish’s director of communications and stewardship, Mila Glodava, titled, Making Stewardship a Way of Life: A complete guide for Catholic parishes.
In 2010, the book was on the Amazon.com stewardship bestseller list. In addition, many dioceses have used the book, sending it to their parishes as a practical guide to becoming a stewardship parish. Father Andrew is excited when he talks about the book. “Stewardship is not the end,” he says. “Stewardship is only a means to an end and that end is evangelization.”
The book came about because of all the requests from other parishes and dioceses for assistance and resources. “We were delighted that Our Sunday Visitor wanted to publish the book and sees it as the ultimate resource,” Father Andrew adds.
The relationship between St. Thomas More and Our Sunday Visitor goes back nearly two decades, when the church started using envelopes for offertory. “Since then, our relationship has grown,” says Father Andrew. “They are easy to work with and they are very willing to find solutions to our parish needs.”
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR HELPS ST. THOMAS MORE WITH MULTI-DIMENSIONAL STEWARDSHIP SOLUTIONS
T here’s something special
about St. Thomas More
Catholic Parish in Centennial,
Colorado. With nearly 5,000 registered
families, 300 active ministries and
a thriving school serving students
in Preschool through 8th grade, St.
Thomas More offers something for
everyone. From Christian formation
for all ages to social outreach on a
global scale, parishioners embrace and
celebrate a lifestyle of stewardship and
evangelization—and they want everyone
to know about it.
The Very Rev. Andrew Kemberling, V.F., serves as pastor for the ever-growing community alongside Fathers Marlon Rodrigues, O.C.D., John Green, and Israel Gonsalves, O.C.D., and deacons Robert Cropp, Robert Gregorius, Timothy Kenny, John Neal, Alan Rastrelli, M.D., Gary Rogge and Steve Stemper. Together they, and thousands of volunteers, minister to parish families and the surrounding community. And while the job isn’t always easy, it is always rewarding.
Glodava believes the solutions Our Sunday Visitor provides to St. Thomas More contribute to the church’s success as a stewardship parish. In addition to handling all offertory envelope needs for adults and children, Our Sunday Visitor also prepares, addresses and mails monthly statements, special and seasonal mailings at Christmas and Easter, calendars, and more. Many times during the year, the church will insert a pamphlet or newsletter from Our Sunday Visitor into the monthly envelope packet mailed to parishioners at home.
St. Thomas More also uses Online Giving, Our Sunday Visitor’s electronic offertory solution as a complement to its existing envelope mailing program. Online Giving is a secure, PCI compliant, web-based giving option that enables parishioners to schedule
Enriching Parishes...Enhancing Community
www.osvoffertory.com
They are easy to work with and
they are very willing to find solutions
to our parish needs.
‘‘ ‘‘
www.osvoffertory.com800-348-2886
and send contributions to a variety of funds set up by the church office.
Established in 1971 with just 590 families, St. Thomas More is now one of the largest churches in the western United States with more than 4,500 families that contribute over $4 million each year in offertory. How does such a large parish maintain the semblance of a close-knit community?
“We have a clear and meaningful mission, vision, goals and objectives, supported by stewardship as a way of life to provide the necessary resources,” Glodava says.
Glodava believes a stewardship parish is a giving parish, and St. Thomas More is extremely giving. “Just as we ask parishioners to give a tithe of the time, talent and treasure, we also ask the same of the
parish,” she explains. “Since the 2000-2001 fiscal year, the church has given more than $4 million in charitable grants to various causes locally, nationally and internationally.”The list of giving goes on and on, but some of the more visible contributions include budgeted donations as well. Habitat for Humanity, Angel Tree (for children of prisoners), Project 600 (for inner-city school children) to name a few. “Through their generosity of time, talent and treasure, St. Thomas More parishioners have helped build schools, hospitals, orphanages, houses and churches,” Glodava says. “And we have sent missionaries to near and far places, and helped other churches become self-sustaining by teaching them to embrace stewardship as a way of life.”
According to Father Kemberling, the fine balance between stewardship and
discipleship works because St. Thomas More is a community of believers answering the universal call to holiness. “All of the work supported by the time and talent of parishioners wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for their generosity of treasure,” he explains. Glodava agrees. “Our parishioners’ gifts of time, talent and treasure make our evangelization possible. And our evangelization bolsters our stewardship. As a result, St. Thomas More is truly a faith-filled and spiritually alive parish.”
That’s one of the main reasons St. Thomas More and
Our Sunday Visitor have remained close partners through the decades. With its expertise in providing proven stewardship solutions, Our Sunday Visitor continues to find new products and services that meet the needs of parishes just like St. Thomas More.
“They have thought of everything a parish might need: envelopes, online giving, newsletters, stewardship newsletters, website services, webinars, branding and more,” Glodava says.
“Our Sunday Visitor is a not-for-profit company,” she adds. “They give their profit to Catholic, charitable organizations in the truest sense of stewardship. No other offertory supplier can say that.”
Enriching Parishes...Enhancing Community
www.osvoffertory.com
www.osvoffertory.com800-348-2886
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Our Sunday Visitor serves millions of Catholics worldwide through its publishing, offertory and communication services. Established in 1912 by a local parish priest, Our Sunday Visitor has grown into the nation’s largest supplier of offering envelopes, parish and diocesan mailings, books, periodicals, curriculum, address management and stewardship services. Our Sunday Visitor is a not-for-profit organization, returning a portion of net earnings back to the Catholic community through the OSV Institute.
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