Every parish in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has stalwart supporters who are always willing to write a check to keep the lights on, but more and more parishes find themselves relying on the same faithful few. St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Liberty Township isn’t immune to this, but through the years, the staff built a parish-wide culture of stewardship that goes deeper than seeking funds.

Lakmé Kodros, Director of Outreach, Parish Life & Stewardship for St. Max, said the process takes time, but the principles are simple.

Under the leadership of the late Father Terry Smith, pastor at St. Max from 2003-2009, and with Kodros and her experiences at the McGread Stewardship Conference, parish staff formed a stewardship commission. Their joint approach focused on asking for parishioners’ time and talent before asking for financial support. Currently, Pastor Father Jim Riehle has continued that approach.

“If you’ve invested in the parish with your time and giving your gifts back, the money will follow your passions,” Kodros said. “Before I moved to Cincinnati, my pastor said, ‘In order to pray together, we have to know how to play together.’ I kind of took on that model.”

As St. Max is a thriving parish with more than 3,000 families, opportunities to get involved abound. Father Riehle hosts periodic trivia nights, and then there’s the annual chili cookoff, Fat Tuesday pancake dinner, summer festival, bingo, potlucks, fish fry, dances and more. On a more spiritual side, the parish has multiple book and Bible studies and a variety of small faith groups and outreach ministries.

All that lays the groundwork for when the parish does need to ask parishioners for money. Recently, St. Max parishioners raised funds for a new roof and building project on the church. But the giving doesn’t stop there.

“The love language of our parish is giving things,” Kodros said. “When we have collections for personal care items for St. Vincent de Paul, the bin is overflowing … . No matter what kind of collection … . Whether it’s back-to-school supplies or pet supplies for St. Francis’ feast day in October, our people are just so generous.”

The stewardship culture extends beyond the parish borders to its twinning relationship with St. Patrick Parish in Uganda. St. Max’s faithful came together to buy oxen and plows for catechists and to dig 50 water wells in the community.

Training staff and preparing the faithful is an unending task, so St. Max parish staff enjoyed a Day of Stewardship with Archdiocese of Cincinnati Stewardship Director David Kissell in October. They then turned the focus outward.

To highlight “stewardship,” first, Father Riehle spoke on the topic during the final week of October, in particular on the theme of gratitude. Over the following weekends, Kodros and fellow pastoral associates shared many opportunities to get involved and parishioners could fill out commitment cards for giving their time, talent or treasure.

In fundraising, one axiom is, “People give to people.” When parishioners participate in church life, they more easily see the people receiving church support.

“You have to believe in it,” Kodros said of the time- and-talent-first approach. “If you’re doing it so that your end result is money, it’s not going to work. Your focus cannot be about money. It has to be about people. With the right people in leadership, it can be very contagious.”

This article appeared in the November 2023 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.