GIFTED TO GIVE: an overarching theme for Spirituality of Stewardship

This year’s theme of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, Gifted to Give is the overarching theme of all other celebrations until 2022.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has issued a pastoral statement to adopt a gradual abolition of the arancel or the fixed amount for the church services.

CBCP President Davao Archbishop Romulo G. Valles,D.D. at the latest virtual meeting with heads of pastoral agencies explained that this move was passed during the last virtual plenary assembly of bishops.

“With the aim of the Jubilee year is the promotion of stewardship,” he said. “It was envisioned by CBCP that the whole promotion of stewardship is part of the celebration of the 500 Years of Christianity,” he added.

The conference said on January 28 that the system “can be a hindrance for the poor to receive God’s grace and blessings.”

After collecting the church “tariff” for centuries, Philippine bishops have finally decided to abolish it.

“Stewardship is directly tied up with the whole idea of GIFTED… we can only be fully “manggihatagon” if we realize how gifted we are, “ he continued. The promotion of stewardship is a legacy of the celebration of the 500 YOC.

It was imposed during the early years of Spanish colonial rule when Spanish missionaries fell short of the funds needed to build churches in the newly colonized Las Isla de Filipinas, as the Philippines was then known.

Money from Spain took years to arrive. Missionaries needed to look for alternative sources of funds to continue their missionary work. As a result, the arancel system was instituted primarily to supplement revenue derived from church estates.

The bishops said the abolition of the arancel system is a “concrete step” in renewing the practice of stewardship. They have committed themselves to the education, formation and catechesis in the Spirituality of the Stewardship for the clergy, religious and the laity.

Parishes are being urged to set up a concrete program of stewardship to instill in the minds of churchgoers the spirit of generosity. Forging a stronger spirit of stewardship will hopefully propel churchgoers to be generous in supporting church projects or missions.

In the Archdiocese, some parishes have adopted the SOS or Spirituality of Stewardship such as at the Ascension of the Lord Parish in Matina and St. Francis Parish in Maa, to name a few.

They feel by instilling the significance of generosity in the hearts and minds of churchgoers, missionary projects will remain afloat.