On Saturday of last week, a group of about 60 parishioners spent the morning and early afternoon in our parish hall, participating in a Leadership Enrichment Day. Ms. Debbie Gunn, from the diocesan office of planning and development, conducted the sessions. The morning was spent deepening our awareness of stewardship. The afternoon focused on the five-year plan which the Parish Pastoral Council has been developing, in response to the parish report card questionnaire of last year.

Giving up most of a Saturday requires faith and dedication. Many who participated have expressed their appreciation of the day. It is always stimulating to gather like-minded people to discuss matters of mutual concern. Getting together any group of the fine parishioners of St. Joseph is always worthwhile. Bringing together some of those who are leaders in our various ministries was bound to reap good results.

Video selections from a talk given some years ago by the late Archbishop Thomas Murphy of Seattle bracketed the morning's presentation.  Archbishop Murphy worked on a committee for the U.S. Bishops' Conference to develop a document on stewardship. What the committee came to realize in the course of its work was that it was really dealing with the Christian life. How do we come to a deeper realization of the grace of our baptism?  How do we respond personally in gratitude for that grace? How does our gratitude lead to generosity in giving our time, talent, and treasure for others?

God has given us the greatest treasure possible, his only-begotten Son. God held nothing back when it came to giving. By faith and baptism we have received the Holy Spirit of Jesus. We share the life of God. We have the hope of eternal happiness. We can never fully grasp what this means. We can only stand in awe.

Eucharist, thanksgiving, is the natural response to our baptismal grace. Holy Eucharist is so important that the Church tells us that, at least once a week, we need to come together with our family in Christ to say thank you to God, to celebrate and strengthen our living of God's gift. But we should give thanks to God every day.

When we realize how blessed we are, and when we wish to give thanks, we want to return all we have to God who has given it so generously. The people in the room last Saturday all have felt that way for some time. That is why they are so involved in the parish. What a tremendous force for good our parish becomes, as more and more people capture this spirit. How can we make the circle wider?

The five-year plan of the Parish Pastoral Council is a means to address that question.   For the first year of the plan, beginning last July, the focus has been on leadership. That is why we have had workshops for our liturgical leaders. Parish and school staffs, as well as the Council, have also benefited from workshops conducted by Debbie Gunn. We are trying to start from within and work out.

The Pastoral Council has chosen to organize its plan around the diocesan plan: To know Christ better and make Christ better known. In the months ahead we will try to move beyond the inner circle to the parish at large. Please pray for this effort. Give your ideas to your Pastoral Council representatives. Reflect on your baptismal call, and see if there are new ways to respond in gratitude to God's infinite generosity.