Combined Campaign Pledges Pass $9.1 Million In First Wave

Through early December, pledges to the “Stewards of God’s Grace” combined parish-diocesan campaign have exceeded $9.1 million. Pledges from eight parishes involved in the pilot phase exceed $8.3 million, and other pledges – including those from priests, outside donations and advance donations for waves two, three and four – exceed $850,000.

Parishes in the pilot phase include Good Shepherd and St. Benedict Cathedral parishes in Evansville, Holy Family, Precious Blood and St. Joseph parishes in Jasper, St. Mary Parish in Ireland, St. Francis Xavier Parish in Poseyville and St. Wendel Parish in St. Wendel. The graphic accompanying this story provides a report through Dec. 8.

“I extend my personal congratulations and gratitude to the pastors and parishioners in the pilot phase of our ‘Stewards of God's Grace’ campaign on their tremendous success,” said Bishop Charles C. Thompson.  “What a great start!  I continue to hope and pray that this campaign process will be an opportunity for spiritual and stewardship renewal in parishes across the diocese, as we make strides in addressing some very specific needs and look to the future.”

Jasper’s Holy Family Parish is an example of the success Bishop Thompson mentioned. That community more-than doubled its campaign goal.

“When I received word of how well Holy Family had responded to the ‘Stewards of God’s Grace’ campaign, I was truly humbled and could not say enough in gratitude to the faith community,” said Pastor Father John Boeglin. “They literally outdid themselves.”

Father Boeglin said that at the outset, he asked the Holy Family community to do its best – even if that meant no financial gift. He also explained that the priority would continue to be meeting the parish’s weekly needs.

“I informed the parish that this campaign is about biblical stewardship,” he said. “Biblical stewardship means giving the first 10 percent of our wealth to God. It must be sacrificial in nature, and not from our surplus wealth.

“Our gifts should reflect the depth of our love for our God, who has given us so much through his son for our salvation,” he added. “God will provide for what we need when we give our first on the journey of life. “

Wave 2 of the campaign is scheduled for the spring of 2017, Wave 3 is schedule to begin in the fall of 2017, and Wave 4 is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2018. Funds raised during “Stewards of God’s Grace” will be shared between the parishes and diocese on a 50-50 basis.

In addition to addressing local parish needs, “Stewards of God’s Grace” seeks to provide funding for seminarians and priests, Catholic education and faith formation, and social outreach. For example, the campaign seeks to raise $3 million just for endowments focusing on priestly vocations ($2 million to fund an endowment for seminarian education) and priests ($1 million to fund endowments for retired priests, continuing education for priests, sabbaticals for priests, and for a priest-aid fund).

The Message will provide regular coverage of Stewards of God’s Grace through early summer of 2018, when the final wave of the campaign wraps up. You also will find the campaign prayer (in English and Spanish) in several issues of the paper each year.