Recent
DVD production to serve as tool
for
teaching ‘stewardship’ to youth
The New Ulm Diocesan Office
of Stewardship, under the direction of Sr. Mary Charles Mayer, diocesan
Director of Communications, recently produced a 30 minute DVD production entitled
"Stewardship". Narrated by Wayne Pelzel, diocesan Director of
Development and Schools, the program features Bishop John C. Nienstedt, Alex Barraza and Julie Soehren.
Bishop Nienstedt’s
role in the production was to elaborate on the United States Catholic Bishop’s
Pastoral on stewardship. Barraza, a youth minister
from
Last year, prior to this
production, Soehren and Pelzel attended the
International Catholic Stewardship Conference in
Intended for Catholic school
and religious education teachers in the diocese, this program provides assistance
and guidance for introducing stewardship into the Catholic school or religious
education curriculums. The goal is that stewardship would be covered every year
at a different level of the child’s development.
"In the past, parish
records have indicated that our young people do not give like the older
generation, commented Pelzel. However, how can we expect our young people to
learn about giving if we don’t teach them how to give…if we don’t model for
them this giving behavior?"
Pelzel continued, "We
must teach stewardship in our schools and religious education programs as well
as our homes if we expect our young people to understand what it means to
return some of God’s generous gifts back to Him."
For the distribution of the
DVD and curriculum aids, Pelzel envisions a visit to each school where he will
meet with the school’s faculty, show the DVD, and talk about stewardship
implementation into the school’s curriculum. Ann Przybilla, interim director of
Religious Education for the diocese, will distribute copies to Directors of
Religious Education during the annual diocesan DRE Spring Fling.
For further information
contact the Office of Stewardship,