Parishes benefit from fund drive

By KATE BLAIN- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

At his recent press conference launching the diocesan stewardship campaign, "Into the Future Together in Faith," Bishop Howard J. Hubbard called it "one of the most significant and important events in the life of our 153-year-old Diocese."

When Rev. Robert Purcell first heard about the campaign, however, he remarked, "Retirement is looking better and better."

Father Purcell, pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Margaretville, initially thought the stewardship campaign was an overwhelming project. "I saw what the goal was and thought, `This is crazy,'" he remembered.

On board

But as the kickoff for the campaign drew closer and the Diocese explained in detail what was expected of parishes, the pastor began to feel more positive.

Since Sacred Heart loses many of its parishioners each fall when summer residents move back home, stewardship efforts with individual donors started early.

"I made a list of people I would contact personally and said to them, `I'm going to give $10,000. Will you match it?'" said Father Purcell. "A few people did, and I became more encouraged."

BY the time he began to speak to the parish at large during weekend Masses, the pastor was able to say of the campaign, "I believe in this. This is what we need to do."

Goals

Reaching the financial goals of the campaign is critical for the parish, which has mission churches in Roxbury and Andes under its wing that need major work. Forty percent of funds raised through the campaign stay with parishes.

"In one of the mission churches, one whole wall is wobbly," Father Purcell noted. "The foundation is going on it. We're talking repairs to the tune of $78,000. If we have a bad winter, the roof will never hold up."

The other mission "can't go through the winter without a new furnace," he added.

Other needs

The pastor is also urging parishioners to donate to the capital campaign to fund renovations to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany. "It's our cathedral, so we need to help the Bishop with the repairs," he stated.

Living in Delaware County, which has many depressed areas, Father Purcell said his parishioners well understand the need for funds to help the poor and needy.

In addition, he entered a plea of his own for the portion of the capital campaign targeted to support retired priests: He is nearing retirement.

With all the issues, "the response was positive," he said.

Just in time

At St. Francis de Sales parish in Troy, the stewardship campaign fell at a time when the parish needs more funds in any event: The entire outside of the 118-year-old church has just been renovated.

"We have built up reserves over almost a 20-year period, and it took all our reserves to complete this project -- so it is important that the stewardship goes well," explained pastor Rev. Donald Ophals.

Renovations to the church, he said, include a new roof with copper on the two spires and painting "everywhere there's wood on the outside of the church." A state-of-the art lightning protection system was also installed to prevent an incident like the lightning strike that caused fire and water damage to St. Patrick's Church in Catskill last year.

"The stewardship campaign will help us replace those funds, because then we have a number of new projects!" Father Ophals added. The parish also needs to replace sidewalks at the church and rectory, among other repairs, and hopes to make the church and parish hall handicapped-accessible.

Ambitious

"All that is very ambitious," the pastor warned. "If we get the whole amount [earmarked for the parish], we'd have $113,000, and that's far short" of the amount needed to complete all the renovations.

But he said that his parishioners are supportive of the campaign, particularly how it will help their own parish.

"There's always much more support for what you're doing in your own parish than in `distant' Albany," he remarked. "But I generally do very well financially. The important thing is informing the people of what the needs are, and letting them know their participation is important."

For a parish of just 300 families, Father Ophals said, the stewardship campaign "is daunting, but we're going at it. We have such high support from so many people who really sacrifice."

(Editor's note: See advertisement in The Evangelist's print edition for information about another goal of the capital campaign.)

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