Workshops help Catholics identify, share God-given talents
By Holly Jean Dunbar
Correspondent
As disciples of Jesus, every Catholic is called to embrace his mission, to proclaim the Kingdom of God. To accomplish this, however, people need to be aware of the charisms, talents and skills they have to offer.
To help identify these gifts, the diocesan Office of Stewardship hosted two Gift Discovery Workshops Oct. 29 and Nov. 3 in the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway, presented by Robert Cammarata and Laurie Whitfield.
Cammarata is the former director of parish stewardship for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y.
Whitfield is the associate director of the Office of Parish Stewardship for that same diocese. She has developed many resources for parish stewardship leaders and is author of Taking Care of God’s Gifts, a children’s stewardship resource.
More than 60 people attended the workshops, representing stewardship committee members, parish catechetical leaders, members of religious orders and teachers.
“Your community has all the gifts it needs to proclaim God’s Kingdom,” Cammarata said. “We need to identify these gifts, affirm, celebrate and develop them.”
He explained that identifying the gifts God has given is the first step to becoming engaged in Christian stewardship. “It’s a universal call to holiness,” he said, “and it’s not just at church. We need to think of everyday opportunities as a call to holiness.”
“Most of the people in your parish do not recognize themselves as gifted,” Cammarata said. “They don’t see how God is active in their lives in every day circumstances. We need to be agents to help people see God’s grace. Whenever we use the talents that God has given us for good, it is an opportunity for holiness.”
Whitfield explained that gifts often unfold and change as a person’s life progresses. “Things in our lives change, but we need to trust that God will lead us to where we are supposed to be,” she said. “One way to identify giftedness is to identify what has meaning in our lives. What is our passion? Viewing our talents as gifts from God can change attitudes and behaviors.”
Attendees at the workshop participated in a series of exercises designed to help them identify their own gifts and those of others. Among the talents identified were abilities to communicate, create, motivate, organize, be patient and lead.
“From among 21 people, we were able to identify 32 different gifts in a small amount of time,” Cammarata said after the exercise during the Oct. 29 event. “Now, think of an entire parish. God really has given us the necessary gifts to proclaim the Kingdom. Imagine if people really named and claimed what they can do for others.”
Participants said the workshops gave them ideas that could be incorporated into their parishes.
“I’ve dealt with people for almost 40 years. I like to talk to people; I like to get them involved. I like to make them aware that they have special talents that can benefit the community,” said Ron Fojtlin, a member of the stewardship committee in St. John the Evangelist Parish, Dunellen. “Sometimes people say, ‘What can I do?’ But even little things can make a big difference.”
“You have it in your heart. It’s a willingness to help,” said Emma Flordeliza, a member of St. Cecilia Parish, Monmouth Junction. “We are all on the same path, with the same goal. And now we can effectively go back to our parish and share this information with the members.”
Father Patrick J. Kuffner, administrator, Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish, Middlesex, is interested in creating a more involved faith community.
“I’m interested in being able to present to the parish community an overview of how each of us have to come together to share the responsibility for living each day as active parishioners,” he said.
“We also are looking forward to the future, and trying to ensure that we are able to continuously upgrade the opportunities that we offer those who come to us to share the Catholic faith.”
“I think that it’s going to be more and more essential to the life of the Church for us to really embrace the concept of giftedness,” said Cammarata.
“Personally, I love to teach people how to do this in parishes, because you can see the light, the vibrancy. You see how the room is transformed. You see it in people. That’s not us. That’s God working,” he said.
For more information on gift discovery and a list of available resources, please contact the diocesan Office of Stewardship, (732) 562-2432 or e-mail Sue Mantarro, coordinator of stewardship by e-mail, smantarro@diometuchen.org.
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law