2020 |
Goal – |
# Donors –$ |
0% |
Our diocese, like any other non-profit organization, depends on the generosity of parishioners. Without your contributions, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for our diocesan Church to fulfill its mission to proclaim the Good News, care for those in need and return to parishes services that are outside the normal operating structure. The annual appeal begins each September.All parishes are given a contribution goal. If we do not meet our goal, making up the shortfall comes from weekly contributions. Let’s not let that happen! If you have not yet received an appeal in the mail, get a contribution envelope near this year’s poster in all of our worship sites.
Be sure to write our parish number, 359, on your pledge and check. You can drop your pledge/contribution in the collection on Sundays.
Diocese of Rochester donation page – https://www.dor.org/giving/contribute-to-the-cma/
WeShare Online donation – https://ourladyofthelakescc.weshareonline.org/
When you give to the Catholic Ministries Appeal your gift is joined with thousands of others to enable our diocesan community of faith to:
- Fund ministries that nurture children and teenagers in the Catholic faith and teaches values they’ll carry into adulthood.
- Help pay for the proper education of our seminarians on the road to priestly ordination
- Ensure we can help struggling families find their way through economic crisis and back to stability
- Prepare engaged couples for God-centered marriages rooted in the Catholic Church
- Educate and prepare those who wish to become Catholic for the fullness of life in the Church through RCIA
- Enable us to promote Catholic values about the sanctity of all life and make our voice heard in society
- Fund programs that give young adults on college campuses a connection to the Church.
- Provide important services to your parish that it would find difficult to afford on its own
- Support ministries that reach out with the hands and heart of Christ to the aged, the sick, and the imprisoned
- Help fund the crucial work of Catholic Charities, which serves more than 250,000 people annually
All funds raised in the CMA are used for programs, services and ministries. No CMA contributions are used for the settlement of legal cases.
The Diocese of Rochester does not collect a cathedracticum.
Diocesan Budget Allocations
The Catholic Ministries Appeal goal this year is $6.725 million, funding more than one-half of the diocesan budget. There are seven categories of CMA allocation:
- Providing diocesan-wide services to our parishes & institutions
- Serving people in need through Catholic Charities
- Educating our young in the Catholic Faith
- Supporting Seminarians, Deacons, Pastoral Leaders & Vocations
- Funding the Ministries of our Pope & Bishop
- Funding Operations & Support Services
- Supporting the CMA Campaign
Catholic Ministries Appeal
FAQ Relating to CMA and Bankruptcy/Reorganization
1. What is the Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA)?
Begun nearly forty years ago in 1981-1982 as the “Thanks Giving Appeal”, the purpose of the CMA is to raise money to support crucial diocesan-wide ministries and outreach. The fund was renamed in 2006 to better reflect the appeal’s intent: helping to support crucial outreach and ministries of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester and the mission of each of our parishes.
2. Are funds raised through the annual Catholic Ministries Appeal used to pay for legal settlements associated with abuse?
NO. All monies raised in the CMA are only used for the programs, services and ministries for which they are designated. No gifts to the CMA are used to satisfy legal fees or settlement costs associated with abuse. A listing of CMA allocations may be found at http://www.dor.org/cma
3. If Catholic Ministries Appeal funds are not used, how will the Diocese pay for legal settlements associated with abuse?
As part of the diocesan reorganization plan, the Diocese intends to create a fund with a pool of money from both diocesan assets and funds from insurances carriers.
4. How will funds raised in the Catholic Ministries Appeal be affected by reorganization?
Funds raised in the CMA are only used for the programs, services and ministries for which they are designated. A listing of CMA allocations may be found at http://www.dor.org/cma
5. I am hesitant to give to a “bankrupt” organization. Why should I?
Your contributions provide funding to operate crucial ministries for people of all walks of life. While the Diocese reorganizes, these needs continue and can only be met with the financial support of the faithful.
From the very beginnings of the faith and the early ministry of our Lord, our church has depended on the faithful to provide their time and energy, skills and gifts in building the Kingdom of God. Without financial support, we could not continue the mission of the Church. The Body of Christ’s only real means of support is through the generosity of its members.
6. I don’t want to give to the Diocese or the CMA, I only want to give to my parish.
By giving to the CMA, you are supporting your parish. The CMA provides funding for services and programs provided to your parish that would be difficult to fund on its own. Examples of these services include:
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- ls and resources for Creating a Safe Environment
- Human Resource Services: Recruiting, hiring and providing orientation to parish staff; pension & retirement services; healthcare benefits, medical and other insurance processing
- Technology Support: The diocesan Information Technology Services (ITS) Helpdesk supports all parishes in their technology needs
- The diocesan Website included online tools and resources, including the Learning Management System, to support parish ministries, programs and training of staff and volunteers
- Support to Finance Councils and Pastoral Councils with educational materials, policy and procedures, and other online resources that assist in planning and execution of parish management
- Support to Parishes for religious education, Faith Formation and sacramental preparation for children, youth and young adults
- Tribunal/Archives
- Communications and News Media Relations
- Stewardship resources, abuse and beyond the CMA through programs that promote stewardship efforts in the parishes, printing of brochures to assist with stewardship, increased offertory and planned gibing; “Planning for your Legacy” workshops; a clearinghouse for securities/stock transfers to help parishioners make stock gifts to their parishes
7. Why did the Diocese decide to hold the CMA goal flat and not recalculate individual parishes?
In anticipation of a challenging fiscal and fundraising environment in the coming year, the Diocese is holding the CMA 2019-2020 goals for each parish flat, with no increase. This was a challenging consideration and one that required fiscal planning and consideration for all parishes and institutions served by CMA funding across the Diocese.
By holding the overall CMA goal flat this year – the Diocese is committed to maintaining the level of services to the parishes, Catholic Charities, Ministries to Youth and Young Adults (Faith Formation, Catholic Schools, Campus Ministry, CYO etc.), Seminarian and Deacon education, and other CMA funded programs. It is important to remember that the CMA covers about 57% of the diocesan budget, no the entire diocesan budget. In order to maintain a flat level of services from CMA funding to parishes and other institutions, the Diocese has had to reduce the amount of funds available for other areas not directly supported by CMA funding.
8. If the CMA falls short, will parishes have to make up the difference?
For many years, the CMA has operated under a system in which goals are set for individual parishes using a formula based on parish demographics (number of households, Mass attendance, parish collections, and median income of parishioners) developed by the Center for Governmental Research. This system has proven to be a fair, equitable and objective way of engaging parishes to contribute to the operation of the diocesan church, and to collectively share the cost of service provided by the Diocese to the parishes. Under this system, parishes are required to pay the difference between the amount contributed to the CMA or raised through fundraising efforts and the parish goal. That system will remain in place.
9. How is my contribution to the CMA used? The CMA funds seven specific categories of allocation. The bullets under each category provide examples of specific ministries, services and programs funded through allocation:
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- Providing diocesan-wide services to our parishes and institutions
- Welcoming new Catholics through special education programs (RCIA)
- Giving support to families, the elderly and the sick through chaplains to nursing homes, hospitals, jails and prisons
- Tools and resources for Creating a Safe Environment in the parishes and through the Diocese
- Honoring marriage and preparing engaged couples
- Multicultural/Urban/Rural ministries
- Support for Respect Life and Life Issues and programs to honor life from conception to natural death
- Spreading the Gospel through communications media
- Providing parishes with needed services and support such as human resources and pension services, Information Technology services and support, support of Finance Directors and Finance Councils
- Building & Property Management
- Tribunal Services
- Diocesan Archives
- Pastoral Planning
- Stewardship resources
- Educating our young in the Catholic Faith
- Providing support and resources for parish faith formation programs for youth
- Assistance and resources for sacramental preparation
- Assisting Catholic Schools
- CYO
- Recognition of youth leaders and ministers through the Hands of Christ Award
- Young adult ministries, such as “Theology on Tap”
- Support of campus ministry programs at colleges and universities across the 12 counties of the Diocese
- Organization for attendance at the National Catholic Youth Conference
- Serving people in need through Catholic Charities
- Reaching out to the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the most vulnerable in our community
- Supporting Seminarians, Deacons, Pastoral Leaders & Vocations
- Seminarian education
- Education of the diaconate through St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry
- Education and professional development of pastoral leaders
- Encouraging and promoting religious vocations
- Funding the Ministries of our Pope and Bishops
- Supporting Vatican ministries
- Teaming with other dioceses in New York State and the USA
- The Office of the Bishop
- Support of advisory and lay councils to the Bishop
- Funding Operations & Support Services
- Operation of diocesan offices/ministries in the Pastoral Center, including maintenance and capital improvements
- Supporting the CMA Campaign
- Funding to develop and execute fundraising efforts and campaign materials
- Staff
- Gift and data processing
- Providing diocesan-wide services to our parishes and institutions
In terms of impact, when you give to the Catholic Ministries Appeal, you are really giving to the eager children hungry to learn about the faith of their parents and generations of Catholics. You are giving to the dedicated young seminarian learning to serve God and the Church. You are giving to help the Vatican inits work in the world and to the bishops for ministries that span our nation. Your money goes to help the vital work of Catholic Charities, to families just like yours whose faith sees them through the ever-growing stress of life. And you give “locally” – more than half of every dollar raised returns to your parish in the form of services and programming that your parish would have a difficult time providing on its own.
