By Msgr. Jamie J. Gigantiello
SPONSORED CONTENT — “It seems like the Church is always asking for money,” this has been said by many parishioners and even by some priests, for as long as the Church has solicited funds. The mission of the Church is to continue God’s work of bringing about a community of faith, hope and charity.
From the very beginning, as the Church began to form as a community, the first followers of Jesus began this tradition of sharing their wealth to help one another. Their focus was both to care for their poor and to help the early Church leaders to spread the Word of Jesus by preaching the Gospel.
The Church in Brooklyn and Queens has been a generous model of Christian responsibility. Together we care for the poor, educate our youth, teach the faith, and build suitable places of worship to provide the sacraments. A key example of how we work together as a community of faith is the Annual Catholic Appeal.
Each year, thanks to your donations to the Annual Catholic Appeal, the Church throughout Brooklyn and Queens is able to carry out many of our faith-based ministries that no one parish can do alone, such as training and ordaining priests to serve in parishes, administering the programs of Catholic Charities and training catechists and other ministers.
The Annual Catholic Appeal brings us together as a community of faith to provide the financial support necessary to do the good works of the Church throughout Brooklyn and Queens. Each parish has a responsibility based on previous giving to support the work of our Diocese. Each parish is assigned an Annual Catholic Appeal goal, that is included as a part of the overall goal for the Diocese.
This year the Diocesan goal of the Annual Catholic Appeal is $8 million. Unique within each parish goal, is a parish’s plan to raise additional funds for its own projects, as 100% of funds raised above the parish as 100% of funds raised above the parish goal go directly back to that parish.
In the next two articles you will hear about the ACA plan and local parish fundraisers through the ACA. Nina Rivera, who is on her parish ACA team at St. Nicholas of Tolentine in Jamaica, Queens, expresses her role as steward, “God has gifted all of us with countless blessings . . . our time, talent or treasure (or all three!) are meant to be shared. We all have to help in any way we can; that’s what God wants!”
In the Gospel, Jesus instructed his followers to help those in need, to be generous and share, and to love their neighbor as themselves. Your support of the Annual Catholic Appeal, as a faithful steward, furthers the mission of the Church.
We’d like to hear from you. How have you played the role of steward in your parish?
Please email us at info@cfbq.org.
Msgr. Jamie J. Gigantiello is the Vicar for Development, Diocese of Brooklyn