By Catholic Stewardship Consultants
www.CatholicSteward.com
Father Lio Faletoi embraces, encourages stewardship at his parish and across the diocese
A little over 10 years ago, after the Diocese of Honolulu’s With Grateful Hearts capital campaign, every parish was given the opportunity to focus more intently on stewardship.
At the time, Father Konelio “Lio” Faletoi, the pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Kailua-Kona, knew he wanted to grow in his understanding of the spirituality of stewardship, so he began taking every opportunity he could to learn more.
“We were just coasting as a parish,” Father Faletoi recalled. “We were just surviving, and I knew there was more we could do to be a vibrant parish.”
Father Faletoi took the initiative and educated himself. When one of his brother priests, Father Stephen Macedo, told him about a stewardship conference in Wichita, Kansas, hosted by Catholic Stewardship Consultants — an organization committed to developing disciples of Christ through the practice of stewardship — he decided to go.
When Father Faletoi returned to St. Michael after the conference, he was on fire.
“I was amazed by what I saw happening in Wichita,” Father Faletoi said. “So much good is happening at parishes around the country. Hearing the results and then seeing the results in Wichita for myself, I knew I wanted to implement stewardship here.”
So, immediately after his return to St. Michael, Father Faletoi got to work. He called on the help of CSC, leaning on the organization’s years of experience, and developed a partnership, using CSC’s professional expertise while he led his people.
“(CSC) provided me with materials about how to develop a stewardship committee and to begin formation of its members,” Father Faletoi said. “Then, we began the formation of the parishioners through newsletters and homilies and an annual retreat. I liked that they focus on the spirituality of stewardship, and over the years, their support has been vital.”
Even as Father Faletoi began the implementation of stewardship as a way of life at St. Michael, he had no idea just how much goodness God had in store. What he knew was that he was charged to make disciples, and he was focused on helping his parishioners grow in their commitment to Christ.
“The Gospel is very clear,” Father Faletoi said. “We are told to ‘Go, therefore, and make disciples.’ I was concerned with how we could create more disciples; how we could deepen people’s spirituality.”
The intensity of Father Faletoi’s focus on stewardship scared some of his parishioners at first.
“When I brought it up to the finance council, many of them were concerned,” Father Faletoi said. “We were in the midst of construction on a new church. But I knew we needed to trust in the Lord. We needed to focus on spirituality. I knew if we did that, the money we needed would come.”
While Father Faletoi was right, all that was to come blew even his expectations out of the water.
“The people took ownership of this parish,” Father Faletoi said. “They have taken ownership of the ministries as well as of the finances. We were able to pay off $12.5 million for our new church in five years, and we have completed phase two of our building project — the Grace Parish Center. We have already raised $5.1 million for that project and people are continuing to give.”
Still, the money is not Father Faletoi’s focus. He continues to focus on the spirituality of Christian discipleship and to challenge his parishioners to grow deeper in their relationships with Christ. And as he does, St. Michael as a parish continues to grow in faith and become a more vibrant witness of Christ’s work in the world.
As a pastor, Father Faletoi said he has also changed.
“I have come to a deep realization that everything I have is a gift from God,” he said. “Even my priesthood is a gift from God. I am living every day with gratitude for my God-given gifts. I am walking alongside my people and practicing stewardship. I’m floored by how I can’t outdo God’s generosity. He keeps pouring his blessings upon me.”
Father Faletoi was recently assigned the role of director of stewardship for the Diocese of Honolulu, and he is excited to help all the parishes implement stewardship as a way of life.
“My first priority is St. Michael,” Father Faletoi said. “But as director of stewardship, my focus is creating stewardship committees on the different islands, in the different vicariates, and then within parishes, forming them and helping them understand who they are and what they need to do.”
Father Faletoi will visit parishes throughout the diocese to help parishioners begin to implement the stewardship way of life properly — through discipleship in action.
Part of that plan will include stewardship formation articles and feature stories on stewardship in action at parishes around the diocese in the Hawaii Catholic Herald each month.
“I want my brother priests to be on fire,” Father Faletoi said. “I want them to see that their priesthood is a gift from God. We are all called to be stewards of God’s many gifts, and one day the Master is going to hold us accountable for what we have done with what we have been given.
“This life is a blessing. Through our priesthood, we are called to proclaim that in the way we live.”
