Mikaela Schuele, director of emergency and supportive food services for Catholic Charities, stocks food pantry shelves at the Juan Diego Center in Omaha. Catholic Charities is just one of the ministries that the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal helps fund. MIKE MAY/STAFF
News
Commitments to Archbishop’s Annual Appeal hit a record, again
July 14, 2022
The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal raised a record $4.7 million during its 2021-2022 campaign, surpassing its goal of $4.65 million, the archdiocese’s Stewardship and Development Office has announced.
The money committed – which amounts to more than 30% of the archdiocese’s annual budget – provides crucial funding for a range of ministries, including mentoring parish leaders, training permanent deacons, promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life, feeding families in need and protecting victims of domestic abuse.
The total amount raised topped the previous year’s total – and the previous record – by nearly $200,000.
“I’m grateful for all those who supported the annual appeal,” Archbishop George J. Lucas said. “While God has richly blessed us, he has also given us an opportunity to help others and proclaim the joy of the Gospel throughout the archdiocese.”
Nearly 13,000 households contributed to the appeal, which began last September and ended June 30, said Bree Kotulak, a Stewardship and Development officer. About 1,200 of those donors, members of the Archbishop’s Circle, gave $1,000 or more, for a total of about $2.8 million.
Contributors “are truly living stewards,” Kotulak said, who’ve “recognized the gifts God has blessed them with in their lives and looked beyond themselves and their own parishes to provide support to our entire archdiocese.
“They are taking their gifts and sharing them, ultimately multiplying the impact of their giving through the many provided programs and ministries of the archdiocese,” she said. “We are truly blessed to have so many faith-filled and generous people in our archdiocese.”
The call to give went out through parishes. Sixty-six of the archdiocese’s 137 parishes exceeded goals for the amount of money raised, the number of donors participating, or for both the financial and participation goals.
The support of each individual donor “affects everyone we encounter, beyond the walls of our parishes and schools,” Archbishop Lucas has said.
“The Church is alive through you and the grace of the Holy Spirit.”