Bishop's Appeal debuts

Last fall, on Ellen Donovan's first day as director of the diocesan Bishop's Appeal, she came face to face with hundreds of Catholics -- and the hundreds of causes they champion -- at the annual Parish Convening.

"It was such an exciting thing to see all the energy in that room," she said. "It gave me a sense of what the universal Church is, what it means for parishes to come together as one body, how strong we are as a group and what is made possible by the Appeal. That energy gives me a real sense of how dynamic we can be as a Diocese."

The Appeal, which begins at the end of the month, invites Catholics to support more than 76 offices, ministries and organizations that provide essential pastoral and social services throughout the 14-county Diocese.

All together

"The Bishop's Appeal provides diocesan-wide services that one parish may not be able to sustain," Ms. Donovan explained.

"Stewardship is a vocation, and people here really get that. They respond so generously. There's a real sense of belonging and understanding that these programs help people."

Ms. Donovan, a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Albany, has been impressed by the attitude, works and dedication of diocesan officials, parish staff and volunteers she's met -- as well as the way they join forces to further Catholic life in the Albany area.

Trio of examples

In this year's Bishop's Appeal brochure, Ms. Donovan introduces Catholics to three people who have been directly assisted by the Appeal:

* Scott Tygett, a candidate for the priesthood;

* the Clay-West family, who receive assistance through a Catholic Charities Neighborhood Community Center; and

* Shannon Perkins, an 18-year-old Catholic involved in her parish service projects and religious education classes.

"There are people like this in every parish," she said. "There are families who look to Catholic Charities for support, people like Shannon who want to develop leadership skills within the framework of the Catholic Church and people like Scott who want to make this world a better place. We're able to provide the programmatic support to make this happen."

Where it goes

The total amount of pledges to the 2005 Bishop's Appeal surpassed $7.2 million, the most pledged by Catholics in the history of the Diocese. Of that amount, $6.7 million has been received so far and distributed to programs around the Diocese:

* 24 percent went to support Catholic schools and religious education;

* 19 percent went to parish and diocesan support, including Chancery operations and parish programs across the Diocese;

* 17 percent was distributed to such programs as ethnic apostolates, campus ministry, ecumenism, prayer and worship activities, the Marriage Tribunal, and the Women's Commission;

* 15 percent was given to services that support priests, deacons and women religious;

* 13 percent went to Catholic Charities for a wide variety of health and human service programs and activities; and

* the remainder supported clergy recruitment and training, fulfilled obligations to the Vatican and the New York Catholic Conference, and purchased equipment for diocesan offices.

How to give

Two new options for giving to the Appeal debut this year:

* The 1847 Society invites Catholics to commemorate the year of the Diocese's founding by giving a total $1,847, and

* the Sacrificial Giving option asks Catholics to contribute $2 a day -- less than a price of a latte, Ms. Donovan said -- to the Appeal.

Sacrificial giving, she added, calls Catholics' attention to how much they spend in daily life and helps them communicate their belief in the work of the Church through a daily gift.

"Isn't your Church worth that sort of daily commitment?" she asked. "A gift to something that is part of your daily life: that's a good habit. We just want to ask people to make us a priority, to think about how they're a part of this Diocese and how we are a part of their lives."

(Ms. Donovan said that one reason to give to the Appeal is that it provides an "opportunity to build a strong faith foundation" in young people through Catholic schools and religious education classes. Catholics will be informed about the Bishop's Appeal at Masses on April 29-30 and will be asked to make a commitment then or the following weekend.)

(For more information, click here to access the Bishop's Appeal website).

(4/27/06) [[In-content Ad]]