Catholics from across the island will be coming together to develop a greater understanding about the Biblical principal of stewardship next weekend.The annual Stewardship Day will be hosted at St Theresa’s Church Hall on March 16, with special presenter, Jim Kelley, the Director of Development for the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina.“Mr Kelley is a person who lives the stewardship life,” explained LaVerne Lau, Director of Stewardship for the Bermuda Diocese. “He constantly expresses gratitude ... and feels a responsibility to nurture stewardship in others.”While most equate the concept of stewardship with giving money to the church, Mrs Lau strongly believes that it is so much more, and that it, in fact, is a very spiritual practice that consists of action and ability, as well as one’s abundance.In her own Christian walk, she had to learn the true meaning of stewardship through personal growth.“I had to look at everything I did,” she shared, in order to develop an appropriate balance of her personal wants and desires, and compared that with what she was actually giving to the church, both in terms of financial gifts as well as time and energy given in ministry.Stewardship, she explained, is about becoming an imitator of Christ and using the things you have been given and giving them back through helping others.“This is what stewardship is — becoming a disciple. You have to live out discipleship ... Stewardship is a way of life — spending time, using your God-given talents, and sharing the treasures we have. Unless we give away love, we are not open to receive more.”The Stewardship Day is held every year as a way for church members, from the various parishes across the Diocese, to garner a greater understanding as to what stewardship means for the Catholic, as well as how it can be implemented into daily life.In the past, the day has been fairly well attended, with anywhere from 70 up towards 100 people attending.Some of the exercises have included breaking down their activities through the day on a 24 hour clock, and then looking at a regular week, to determine how much time is being given to prayer, church attendance and activities, and other forms of ministry and outreach.This year, Mr Kelley will share twice, covering ‘How to Incorporate Stewardship in Your Parish’ and ‘Best Practices in Stewardship’.In addition to the Stewardship Day, the Diocesan Stewardship Committee also plans an annual Sharing Dinner every November, and a Stewardship Month, also in the fall, during which priests will focus their homilies on stewardship and a variety of other activities, including witness talks and seminars are offered.The Committee is assisted, in many cases, by stewardship teams.“We’re trying to develop stewardship teams in each parish,” Mrs Lau said, which can encourage their own parish church to develop and grow in terms of their giving.At St Michael’s, where Mrs Lau also serves on the parish stewardship team, the team has discovered ways to encourage giving through the church’s poor box by designating giving for a specific project, decorating it and providing information on the project, and keeping giving open for members for a month or two, depending on the needs of the project.“It has been amazing how much we’ve pulled in ... We’re a small church,” she exclaimed.While the day is designed for Catholics, all are welcome to attend the Stewardship Day seminars.The day begins at 10.30am and sessions finish at 3.30pm, and includes a lunch.The event is free, but donations are accepted to help cover costs.Registration is required, and can be done by contacting Mrs LaVerne Lau via e-mail at bilmar@ibl.bm, or by calling 236-7223.