Cardinal Joseph Tobin Reflects on Role of Catholics as “Stewards of God’s Grace”

Calls on Faithful to Return to In-Person Worship and Restore Church Community

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R, Archbishop of Newark, has released a pastoral reflection on the role of Catholics as “stewards of God’s grace.” This follows a previous pastoral letter from Cardinal Tobin in which he looked forward to an eventual return to in-person worship. Now that vaccination has become more widespread and statewide restrictions against in-person gatherings have lifted, Cardinal Tobin is encouraging Catholics to reunite in celebrating the Mass.

“All of us — clergy, religious and lay faithful — have a responsibility to invite and encourage our fellow Catholics to return to the grace of the Eucharist,” Cardinal Tobin writes in Stewards of God’s Grace. “I see this as a stewardship responsibility, an opportunity ‘to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.'”

Throughout the pandemic, the Archdiocese of Newark has taken a leadership role in developing and maintaining protocols to preserve the health and safety of its parishioners and parish communities. The Archdiocese continues to maintain policies that comply with applicable state guidelines.

“As stewards of God’s grace, we have an obligation to serve as teachers and role models for the children of our community, who have begun to gather safely at school each day for in-person instruction,” Cardinal Tobin adds. “In a similar way, we can and must return to celebrating the Eucharist together, to show future generations of Catholics the countless benefits of uniting as a Church.”

In developing Stewards of God’s Grace, Cardinal Tobin built upon ideas proposed by the American bishops in a 1992 pastoral letter titled Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response. To read the full text of Cardinal Tobin’s pastoral reflection in English and Spanish, visit https://www.rcan.org/stewards-gods-grace.