Bishop's Appeal smashes records

Catholics in the Albany Diocese gave so generously to the 2005 Bishop's Appeal that its grand total has smashed all previous collections in its 51-year history.

The total for the campaign is nearing $7 million and is expected to exceed that figure once all pledges and gifts are totaled. Parish-by-parish breakdowns of this year's giving -- including comparisons to 2004 donations -- appear on page 5.

The annual Bishop's Appeal invites Catholics to support Catholic schools and religious education, to back Catholic Charities' poverty relief programs, to sustain the training of priests and other Church ministers, and to fund diocesan-wide efforts in faith formation and spiritual development.

The 2005 total of nearly $7 million bests the 2004 figure at a comparable time by about $325,000, an increase of nearly five percent. The average gift per donor has leapt from $169 in 2004 to $175 this year.

Bishop's reaction

Reacting to news, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard said, "All those who have contributed to this effort deserve a great deal of credit for their extraordinary generosity. It is because of their hard work and voluntary contributions that we are able to continue the Church's long-standing commitment to the elderly, infirm, disabled, people with AIDS, school children and unwed mothers, among others, throughout the Albany Diocese."

He also expressed his gratitude to leadership in the 175 parishes in the Diocese.

"All of our priests, religious and parish life directors deserve special recognition for their extraordinary stewardship commitment to the ongoing works of the Church throughout the Albany Diocese." he said.

Success

James Kopp, executive director of the diocesan Development and Stewardship Office, said the final total represents one more sign of the "ongoing generosity" of Catholics in the Diocese.

"This is nothing new," he told The Evangelist. "Our parishioners are consistently generous to appeals. They give deeply of themselves and always have."

Like the Bishop, he also credited "the hard work of pastors and parish life directors whom we rely on to coordinate the Appeal. They are charged with managing the Appeal on the grassroots level and worked very hard to make it a success."

Special year

Mr. Kopp believes the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI played a role in reaching the record total.

"The events in Rome reminded people what it means to be Catholic and why our faith is important," he explained. "The Appeal gave Catholics an opportunity to shape the faith that shaped them."

The total, he concluded, shows that "the Diocese remains a vital community of faith."

(7/28/05) [[In-content Ad]]