Catholics donated millions in 2005

"Donor fatigue" may be all over the news (including a story in The Evangelist in October; see www.evangelist.org), but concerns about a drop in giving don't ring true to Catholic officials in the Albany Diocese who deal with charitable donations.

Actually, 2005 was a banner year for giving by Catholics in the Diocese, especially considering the extra pleas for help after a tsunami in South Asia, hurricanes in the U.S. and an earthquake in Pakistan.

"It's very impressive to see how giving this community is. I think we're on the high end" of donations per capita, said Sister Maureen Joyce, RSM, executive director of diocesan Catholic Charities. (The Albany Diocese is home to more than 400,000 Catholics.)

Special year

Sister Maureen called 2005 "extraordinary," citing several statistics: Catholics in the Diocese gave nearly $1.4 million to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, well over $1.2 million to tsunami aid, and another $25,000 toward help for earthquake survivors in Pakistan.

As far removed as Pakistan's struggles to recover after October's magnitude-7.6 quake may seem to Americans, Sister Maureen remarked, "people [who sent donations] said they couldn't spend a lot on Christmas gifts knowing people were freezing in Pakistan."

The fact that three massive natural disasters occurred in the same year "means people in the Diocese gave upwards of $3 million to things that are 'other-centered,'" she added.

Giving did not drop in other areas, either. Sister Maureen said that Catholics gave their usual "tremendous outpouring" of Christmas gifts for area families in need, plus more than $24,000 to date toward an emergency assistance fund for people struggling to pay this winter's higher-than-usual heating bills.

Bishop's Appeal

James Kopp, the Diocese's executive director of development, experienced the same outpouring of generosity.

Last year's Bishop's Appeal campaign "broke all records" for its 51-year history, he said, noting that more than $7.2 million has already been collected, and the appeal does not wrap up until March.

Separate from that appeal are pledges to the Diocese's Capital Campaign, which are collected over a five-year period, and donations to the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, New York, Inc., which supports the Church through long-term endowment funds.

Still giving

It doesn't strike Mr. Kopp as unusual that, while donating extra to unexpected collections like those after Hurricane Katrina, Catholics are still honoring their previous giving commitments.

"People in the Albany Diocese historically have given very generously every time they're asked," he boasted. "Philanthropy enables people to act outside their usual sphere of influence. It enables us to reach out past ourselves -- and we're called upon by Christ to do so."

(Contact diocesan Catholic Charities at 453-6650, and the Development and Stewardship Office at 453-6680.)

(1/19/06) [[In-content Ad]]