Catholic Services Appeal reaches goal

CSABy Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer

For the second consecutive year, the Catholic Services Appeal reached its goal before year’s end.

To date, the annual appeal — the archdicoese’s largest free-will offering — has raised $3,730,000, which is 107 percent of the 2016-2017 goal.
This year’s goal was $3.5 million.

Funds from the campaign support more than 100 ministries and programs in the archdiocese — from marriage preparation classes to seminarian education.

While reaching the financial goal is cause for celebration, staff of the Office of Mission Advancement said they are still focused on reaching the appeal’s participation goal.

So far, 13,960 donors have contributed to the annual appeal, which is about 650 short of the 14,610 goal set by campaign organizers.

“Participation has been great. We’ve seen uptick in participation in a number of parishes. About 20 parishes have already met or exceeded their goal,” said Sarah Wunderlin, coordinator of annual giving.

The campaign concludes at the end of June.

The level of participation in the appeal so far is significant, according to Tink Guthrie, director of the Office of Mission Advancement. Nationally, the philanthropy trend is tending toward fewer people giving larger gifts, he said.

But in the archdiocese, participation in the services appeal is up about 4.5 percent from the same time period last year.

“We are seeing a lot of first-time donors or donors returning after an absence. Somehow, the message is hitting them,” he said.

Guthrie attributes the success of the campaign to “many moving parts working together,” but noted in particular the role of the pastor and the generosity of parishioners as key factors in the success of the campaign.

“The pastors are able to advocate for the ministries supported by the CSA. Their passion and personal support of the appeal is amazing,” said Guthrie.

New to the campaign this year was the addition of prayer cards. Each household received a prayer card with the letter from the archbishop detailing the campaign’s needs. Individuals and families were encouraged to mail in the prayer requests whether or not they were able to make a financial contribution to the campaign. Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz prays for the intentions during his morning prayer each day,
Guthrie said. The Office of Mission Advancement has received
about 2,000 prayer cards.

“The cards bring an element of prayer to the campaign,” Wunderlin said. “It’s another

way for people to engage in the campaign.”

Wunderlin also noted the success of the Seminarian Education Fund. CSA envelopes included an option this year to donate specifically to this ministry. The average cost to educate a seminarian per year is $45,000. To date, $307,000 has been donated for seminarian education, which is $50,000 more than last year’s total.

“The support (of the Seminarian Education Fund) is phenomenal. It’s really a show of support for the future priests and of the Catholic community in central Kentucky,” Wunderlin said.

To learn more about the CSA and the ministries it supports, visit www.archlou.org/CSA.

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