The diocesan Catholic Ministries Appeal is introducing an initiative to help parishes meet their respective goals for the 2018-19 CMA campaign.
“Sharing Our Blessings Weekend” — named for this year’s appeal theme — will take place April 6-7. According to Colleen Brade, CMA campaign manager, participating parishes will offer parishioners the option of contributing via special envelopes or text messaging.
Proceeds from the effort are intended to close the gap between current pledges and the overall diocesan goal of $6.725 million. As of Feb. 26, the 38th-annual appeal had achieved 83.3 percent of the diocesan goal with contributions and pledges of $5.602 million.
Parish participation in Sharing Our Blessings Weekend is optional, Brade said, noting that it was designed for communities that are significantly short of their parish goals, rather than those that have met or nearly achieved their goals. As of Feb. 26, 21 parishes had surpassed their goals, and 15 more parishes had reached at least the 90 percent mark.
The CMA campaign began in the fall and will conclude May 31. Brade reminded those who have already made CMA commitments to fulfill their pledges by that date.
Proceeds from the CMA fund more than half the diocesan budget, fully or partially supporting programs, services and ministries around the 12-county Diocese of Rochester. Brade said that no contributions to the CMA go toward the settlement of legal cases and that only 4 four percent of donations are used for campaign expenses. An informational video about the 2018-19 campaign can be viewed at www.dor.org.
