Parishes and schools in the Archdiocese of Louisville raised more than $780,000 for improvement projects and other initiatives on Giving Tuesday.
Thirty-eight parishes and schools participated in the archdiocese’s #iGiveCatholic campaign, held each year on Giving Tuesday, the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The Archdiocese of Louisville placed fourth among archdioceses on the leaderboard, behind the archdioceses of St. Louis, New Orleans and Atlanta.
Nationwide, 1,845 Catholic parishes, schools and organizations received more than $26 million from 64,000 donors.
Molly Keene Smith, director of the Louisville archdiocese’s Office of Mission Advancement, said of the local campaign’s success is an “overwhelming testament to the goodness and generosity of the faithful here in the Archdiocese of Louisville.”
“I was amazed at the creative and fun videos and social media posts that our organizations produced to highlight their projects,” she said. “We hope that #iGiveCatholic will continue to grow and provide funds for so many worthwhile good works!”
Smith said that #iGiveCatholic provides an opportunity for parishes and schools to fundraise for a practical project that everyone recognizes as a need. This was the third year the archdiocese has participated and it has grown each year, she said in an interview ahead of the latest campaign.
“We hope that #iGiveCatholic will continue to grow and provide funds for so many worthwhile good works!”
— Molly Keen Smith, director of the Office of Mission Advancement
“The first year, we had 31 participating organizations and we raised $220,000. Year two, we had the same number of organizations (though some were different), and we raised double” — $475,000, she said.
This year’s $780,000 in donations will support efforts large and small.
St. Edward Church in Jeffersontown called its effort the “Renovate, Illuminate and Elevate Campaign.”
The #iGiveCatholic listing for St. Edward said, “Your contribution will help us renovate our worn down flooring. Your donation will allow us to illuminate hallways with better lighting and fresh paint. So that, together we will elevate our academic environment.”
The parish exceeded its goal of raising $85,000, with 181 donations totalling $103,295.
Holy Cross High School raised more than $12,000 to help meet the costs of retreats.
Its description on the #iGiveCatholic website explains, “We are committed to ensuring every student every year participates in a retreat program. Additionally, every faculty and staff person also participates in a retreat. Will you help us cover the cost of this program?”
Donations recorded between Nov. 17 and Dec. 9 are reflected in official giving day results, but participating organizations may continue collecting online donations throughout the year.
Parishes and schools interested in joining the campaign next year should visit www.igivecatholic.org/ or reach out to Smith after the holidays at mksmith@archlou.org.
