By Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, Vicar for Development
With August upon us, and our Holy Father’s visit fast approaching, I am pleased to share with you that we have made great strides toward our Generations of Faith goal since the summer began.
With our Block 1 parishes working toward their goals, and the pilot phase completed, Generations of Faith met the $50 million mark on July 31, surpassing even our most lofty projections for these summer months.
It is a testament to you, and the thousands of parishioners across the Brooklyn Diocese, who have generously answered your pastors’ call.
Benefiting all the parishes of the diocese, Generations of Faith seeks to prepare the Church for the future generations of Catholics, while also providing resources to care for our senior priests.
Since the end of June, the Block 1 parish campaigns have secured close to $10 million in gifts and pledges from generous parishioners across the diocese. In total, over 8,000 parishioners have contributed to the campaign.
Parishes receive a minimum 50 percent of funds raised, with a greater percentage of the funds raised once they exceed their goal.
While Block 1 parishes will continue through the early Fall, 11 Block 1 parishes have exceeded their goals to date, approximately six to eight weeks ahead of schedule.
Youth Evangelization
The children and young adults of today are blessed with many advantages their predecessors never thought possible. They have access to technology and social media, making the world smaller and more accessible. With all of the benefits of these new technological and cultural advancements, come the side effects of distraction and alienation. These and other factors produce barriers to their faith journey. We have witnessed lately more and more young Catholics cutting or minimizing ties to the church community.
In response to these challenges, and the request of many parish communities in Brooklyn and Queens, the Catholic Foundation funded the launch of the Catholic Youth Ministry Initiative.
The initiative is focused on uniting our youth with the local Catholic community, so that they too can appreciate the joy of our faith, and empowering them to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today by participating in the life, mission and work of the Church.
Through a comprehensive youth ministry approach that has proven successful in other dioceses, the initiative provides on-site support to parishes through funding the salary of a youth minister and grants ongoing resources and professional development. With an additional investment of $10 million, the program can expand to parishes across the diocese.