I don’t blog about my job much for obvious reasons. (At least I think they’re obvious.) But I think it’s worthwhile for me to point out the news that came out today from the office I work in: the archdiocese’s annual Catholic Appeal surpassed it’s fundraising goal of $15 million in 2008. This is very good news considering the economic environment and the scandal.
The Archdiocese of Boston, continuing its long, slow effort to rebuild an annual fund drive decimated by the sex abuse crisis, today is announcing that it raised $15.1 million in its 2008 Annual Catholic Appeal, up from $14.6 million the previous year.
The successful campaign is particularly noteworthy because it took place during a recession, although the bulk of the fundraising was last spring, before the stock market really tanked and job losses multiplied.
The campaign is the most important annual fund drive of the archdiocese, and supports the central offices now located in Braintree, which provide services to Catholic schools and parishes. Formerly called the Cardinal’s Appeal, the campaign had peaked at $17.2 million in 2000, but plunged to $8.8 million in 2002, at the height of the abuse crisis. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, not a big fan of his own celebrity, renamed the campaign to reduce its association with the personage of the cardinal, and set an unstated goal of rebuilding the campaign by $1 million per year. But that may end this year; the archdiocese won’t announce its 2009 goal for another few weeks, but it seems likely that church officials will choose a more modest goal this year — archdiocesan spokesman Terrence C. Donilon would say only that the goal will be no lower than $15 million.I spoke briefly today with Patrick Gipson, the Catholic Appeal manager, who was, obviously, relieved to conclude the campaign successfully. “Considering the economic circumstances that have come upon us in the last few months, it’s pretty impressive, and we certainly feel very blessed by the generosity of our parishioners and the support the appeal received from our pastors,” he said.
I hate to say it but any comments that I think are out of bounds, i.e. might get me in trouble at work, will not be passed through for posting. Sorry. My job isn’t worth someone else venting his spleen. It costs nothing for someone to set up his own blog. Hope you all understand.
The good Cardinal must be working 25 hours a day to right this suffering Diocese that means so much to the whole American Church.
And he is succeeding.
This is a burden that would have crushed 100’s of other leaders. But supernaturally, he prevailed and inch, by inch the Cardinal (and his staff) is getting it done.
The lesson for the larger Church is you will get vocations and funding when you are worthy of them.