Photo Courtesy of St. Ann Church  

MARIETTA—With a parish culture that emphasizes forming the whole person, St. Ann Church was named the 2025 recipient of the Archbishop Thomas Murphy Parish Stewardship Award, presented by the International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC).  

The Cobb County parish was honored with the award at the ICSC’s annual stewardship conference in Chicago in September. The recognition is presented to a parish that has outstanding commitment to Christian stewardship and discipleship.  

Pastor James Henault, MS, and Parish Administrator David Smith presented “Resurrecting Stewardship: A Year-long Discipleship Community Practice,” at the gathering to outline the community’s commitment to prayer, service and sharing generosity.  

“Our whole purpose was helping people to become disciples,” said Father Henault about the shift in the church’s culture since 2023.  

Rooted in the spirituality of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, St. Ann’s mission is reconciliation, service and spiritual growth, carried out through more than 80 inclusive ministries.  

“We’ve added a whole family dimension to it,” said Father Henault.  

He used the parish’s trunk-or-treat event as an example. Once just a preschool activity, the fall trunk-or-treat now attracts some 800 people by involving various ministries and added activities.  

“That is the kind of atmosphere we want to create,” he said.  

An online Discipleship Catalogue is a guide to St. Ann’s yearly mission and lists opportunities for involvement in ministries.  

“A lot of people didn’t know of all the activities we have,” said Father Henault about the catalogue.  

The year-long discipleship mission is divided into three phases: Faith in Action, Prayer and Prescence and Generosity.  

Faith in Action is a commitment to serve in ministries and parish life. The Prayer and Presence phase dives into strengthening spiritual lives through prayer, participating in faith formation and attending events that foster community and spiritual growth such as the numerous Bible studies offered. Generosity is not just supporting the church, but also those in need.   

“We talk about generosity in terms of all the things we Catholics support,” said Father Henault.  

From the Unbound program, which assists those struggling with poverty in El Salvador, to veterans’ ministries, local food drives and adopt-a-family initiatives, parishioners can share God’s gifts in a variety of ways.  

“It’s the kind of generosity we want to instill,” said Father Henault.  

In each phase of discipleship, St. Ann’s members prepare for Covenant Weekend, when they make a covenant with the Lord to live as his disciples throughout the year. This personal pledge is followed by a community celebration. Covenant cards are available for all ages, from preschoolers to adults.  

Nearly 4,000 families worship at St. Ann, which was founded in 1978.  

Father Henault said his staff is “so willing to help other parishes” interested in these initiatives. For more information, visit www.st-ann.org/discipleship.