‘Come, follow me’

In the day chapel of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Father Jarrod Lies shared with those gathered for Diocesan Stewardship Day Aug. 28 how his parents’ inability to afford the plastic go-cart of days-gone-by set the wheels in motion for a life devoted to God.

"The meaning of it for me as a child of six or seven is that sometimes things aren’t right, even though they may be good," said Father Lies, chaplain of Bishop Carroll High School in Wichita. "The meaning of it for me was a little workshop, for a little boy, that is called self-discipline. …

"Mom and Dad taught us discipline when we were children," he added. "As the scripture says, every father disciplines his son. … Without discipline, you don’t know how to give of yourself, which is the heart of stewardship.

"My early childhood, symbolized by this little Big Wheel, was a childhood reared by parents who knew the value of self-discipline."

This presentation, as well as presentations by Bishop Ronald M. Gilmore and other featured speakers, would pound home the fact that stewardship is not about the collection basket, but is an umbrella term for a giving of yourself to the Church.

Father Lies was one of several speakers at the conference, which included presentations in English and Spanish and was attended by more than 150 people from throughout the diocese. Other speakers included Dan Stemel, Director of the Office of Finance and Stewardship, David and Glenna Borho of Sacred Heart, Pratt, Jose and Maria Sanchez of St. Mary, Garden City, Father Jerome Beat, moderator of the Cursillo Movement in the Diocese of Wichita, and Gary Bartak, CIMA, Senior Institutional Consultant and Investment Consultant for the Diocese of Dodge City.

Greg Lix of St. Andrew Parish, Wright, and Trish Keller of St. Dominic Parish, Garden City, spoke of how they were able to better discern their gifts and charisms after attending a Called and Gifted Workshop.

Following an opening prayer service, Bishop Ronald Gilmore spoke about how each individual is called to his or her own personal vocation. Referring to a recent visit to St. Nicholas School in Kinsley where he asked the children what they want to be when they grow up -- and what God wants them to be -- he asked the adults at the cathedral what they hoped to be when they grow up.

"And I can ask that in all seriousness, because I know that if you are like me, if you are like the rest of the people, there is a certain uneasiness in your life, a certain dissatisfaction. Things are not quite what you imagined they would be at this stage …."

In chapter 19 of the Book of Matthew, Jesus told a young man to " ‘Go, sell what you have and give it to the poor,’" Bishop Gilmore said. " ‘… Then come follow me. Go free yourselves from all your attentions, and come be with me.’

"The young man, the gospel tells us, could not do it. He could not respond …. He missed his calling.

"Now that has to be one of the saddest moments of the gospels," Bishop Gilmore said. "Someone came to him, someone turned away from him. Someone is everyone. That young man is you. That young man is me. His story is our story. His story is always happening to us. ‘Come follow me,’ always resounding in our souls."

Following the speakers’ presentations were workshops that included subjects such as: the history of stewardship in the diocese; discerning gift and charisms and how people are called to use them in service to God and others; implementing stewardship initiatives – such as stewardship fairs – at the parish level; and socially responsible investing.

The day was organized by Stremel, who was named Director of the Diocese of Dodge City Office of Stewardship in 2001 (although he had been involved with stewardship efforts since the early 1990s).

Stremel said he was "very happy with the turnout and with the program as a whole. Most of the people were extremely positive in their evaluations and found the day to be enriching and worthwhile.

"The goal of the program was to provide an educational experience that would motivate growth in our understanding of stewardship. The goal was achieved, and I am pleased with the support of the priests who encouraged their parishioners to attend.