The 2019-20 Catholic Ministries Appeal raised nearly 91 percent of its $6.725 million goal despite taking place in a highly challenging period.
According to the diocesan Office of Stewardship and Communications, a total of approximately $6.1 million had been received as of June 5, thanks to contributions from more than 22,000 donors with 99.5 percent of all pledges having been fulfilled. The campaign, which officially concluded May 31, saw 37 parishes across the Diocese of Rochester reach their assigned goals, with another 12 parishes raising at least 90 percent of their goals.
The 39th-annual appeal, with a theme of “I Am the Vine, You Are the Branches,” got underway last fall — only weeks after the Rochester Diocese filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, in response to nearly 50 lawsuits filed against it since New York’s Child Victims Act took effect Aug. 14, 2019. In addition, the CMA’s final two-plus months were conducted during the coronavirus pandemic beginning in mid-March.
“We are genuinely humbled and amazed by the generosity of CMA donors who continued to give during one of the most challenging times our generation has experienced,” said a statement from Doug Mandelaro, director of the diocesan Office of Stewardship and Communications, and Colleen Brade, CMA campaign coordinator.
CMA proceeds fund more than half of the diocesan budget, fully or partially supporting a variety of programs, ministries and services that parishes would struggle to afford on their own.
