Stewardship at Saint Dominic High School 

In the parable of the talents in Matthew’s Gospel (25:14-30), we encounter the story of a man who entrusted his possessions to his servants while he made a journey. To one servant, he gave five talents, to the second, two talents, and to the third, one talent. Each talent was worth much more than a full year’s wages. Upon his return, he meets with the three servants. The first two servants reported that they doubled the talents that they were given, while the third reported that he buried his one talent in the ground and made no gain on it whatsoever while his master was gone. The man praised and rewarded the two servants who were good stewards of his possessions. As for the third, the master rebuked and punished him for his lack of stewardship. 

This parable illustrates for us the true meaning of Stewardship. By definition “a steward is one  who takes care of something as his or her own when ultimately it is not.” All of us have been given many gifts by God (life, family, money, talents, etc.), and we are therefore called to cultivate and use those gifts in our lives for the praise of God and benefit of others.

Throughout the school year, our students will deepen their understanding of stewardship both in their theology classes and through special presentations offered by the Office of Campus Ministry.  They will also learn to live as good stewards in the world by completing twenty (20) stewardship credits over the course of the school year. A record of these credits will be kept by each student’s theology teacher. These credits will also contribute to 10% of each student’s theology grade for the entirety of the year. 

The Office of Campus Ministry will provide one large stewardship experience per grade level which will take place during the school day on a respective Holy Day of Obligation. These dates are already noted on the school calendar. The Office of Campus Ministry will also provide at least two optional stewardship outings a month which will take place after school from 3 pm to 5 pm on weekdays as a way for students to accumulate stewardship credits. These dates are also already noted on the school calendar. Students must sign up for these outings in the Campus Ministry  Office. Transportation will be provided for any stewardship experience sponsored by the Office of  Campus Ministry. 

We have encouraged our coaches and club moderators to organize a stewardship experience with their respective teams and clubs in order to assist their students in acquiring their stewardship credits while also contributing to the larger good of the community. 

Students are also free to accumulate stewardship credits on their own. In this case, prior to the stewardship experience, students must submit an application (attached here and available on  Google Classroom) to their respective theology teacher for approval.

Below is a chart outlining the number of stewardship credits that will be awarded per stewardship  experience:

These credits are not meant to be burdensome, but lifegiving. When we live as the good stewards that God is calling us to live as, not only does God bless us, but he blesses our communities (our families, friends, neighbors, etc.) through us.

At Saint Dominic High School, we are committed to the mission of Catholic Education which is truly an education of both the mind and the heart. Through this experience of stewardship, our  hope is to help our students grow closer to Jesus Christ who is “the way and the truth and the life.”