Bishop’s Appeal looks back at success, forward to needs

The Bishop’s Appeal for the Albany Diocese has existed for 64 years and counting. This year, it has already collected nearly all of the $7.5 million pledged by Catholics across the Diocese to support dozens of ministries.

That doesn’t mean the diocesan director of stewardship and development is resting on his laurels.

“This year, we got off to a slow start,” noted Thomas Prindle. But “when times are tough, people [still] prioritize the Bishop’s Appeal. They know what it’s about.”

Even after a decade of experience seeing the generosity of the people of the Diocese, he said, “you have to worry” about whether the Bishop’s Appeal will once again hit its benchmark to continue successfully serving as the Diocese’s main funding stream.

The annual campaign supports everything from education in Catholic schools and parish faith formation programs to the formation of future clergy. The Bishop’s Appeal also supports the operation of many diocesan offices, Catholic Charities, communications and technology, pastoral services at the diocesan and parish levels and the larger Church.

Because of those many needs, the Diocese tries every year to communicate what Mr. Prindle called the “baseline message” that the work of the Church can’t exist without the financial support of its members.

The 2018 Bishop’s Appeal takes as its theme, “Spreading the joy of the Gospel: It starts with you!” It was sparked by Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger’s passion for evangelization “by word and by deed.”

In a promotional video for the campaign, the Bishop asked that Catholics help the Diocese “continue to put together all the good work that we do with the resources that we have.”

Mr. Prindle told The Evangelist that the Bishop’s Appeal “is all about spreading the joy of the Gospel. It’s the personification of the Gospel in terms of touching people’s lives: people at the margins of society, people who are hurt in their heart.”

The director was referring to the work of Catholic Charities, a beneficiary of more than $1 million from the appeal. Catholic Charities is the social services arm of the Church, with ministries like food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, domestic violence programs, counseling, substance abuse prevention and recovery support, aid for persons with disabilities and for seniors and caregivers, emergency assistance and more.

Mr. Prindle quoted Rev. John Bradley, soon-to-retire pastor of Blessed Sacrament parish in Albany, who declared in the campaign’s promotional video that “the Bishop’s Appeal keeps everything going.”

Father Bradley listed Blessed Sacrament School’s office, the parish soup kitchen and food pantry and wider efforts like campus ministry and hospital chaplains as just a few of the good works supported by the Bishop’s Appeal.

Thankfully, more than 30,000 Catholics in the 14 counties of the Diocese contributed to the 2017 appeal. But Mr. Prindle said that some of the most generous donors are senior citizens, so “the challenge is to tap into that other cohort” of people who are not yet giving.

To that end, his office makes sure its website is updated, posts messages about the appeal on social media and pursues online giving. Mr. Prindle said online giving is on the rise, with 1,461 Bishop’s Appeal donors choosing that option this year — many of them younger than the average age for a donor.

The 2017 campaign also drew about 1,400 new donors. “I’m thankful, most thankful. I’m overwhelmed,” Mr. Prindle said. “I pray 2018 will be as good, if not better.”

May 5-6 will be the kickoff weekend for the 2018 appeal.

“The Bishop’s Appeal and I are the same age,” Mr. Prindle said. Remembering how he learned about the appeal in his formative years, he noted: “There’s a great history there — and the people continue to add to it, chapter by chapter.”

(Learn more at http://thebishopsappeal.org.)