A New $300,000 Challenge Grant for 2013

We have Good News to share! Feeling blessed by God and being keenly aware of the difficult hurdle of the economic challenges we must all face together at this time, one of our families has just offered our parish a $300,000 gift to continue the process of encouraging and "challenging" all of us to pull together to both increase our giving and expand the number of families participating in Parish Sacrificial Giving through the pledging process.

In order for the Parish to receive the gift, we must meet all three of the following new "challenges" or conditions:

1. Succeed in encouraging 1,500 families to complete and submit a Sacrificial Giving commitment card for the 2013 calendar year; 
2. Take a total of 1,000 “steps” as a parish community toward our giving percentage goal of 10 percent;
3. Actually collect $2,500,000 in Regular Sunday & Holy Day Envelope Offerings during the 2013 calendar year.

The one year period begins on January 1, 2013. In our current situation, we could certainly use this $300,000! Please do what you can... The commitment card has a place for you to recommend (1 card per family) where you would like to see this grant money channeled. Thanks in advance for helping us to meet this "challenge". Sacrificial Giving: Planned, Proportionate, & Sacrificial.

P.S.  Although this very generous and magnificent Challenge Grant is fantastic news and a wonderful opportunity for our parish in this special time of need, it will be a challenge to meet the conditions.  I realize the tough financial conditions many of our parishioners face.  I’m not asking you to do more than you can do…  We do not know everyone’s personal circumstances, so we must ask everyone for their prayerful consideration in order to continue to fund the mission God has given us to do…  Please do what you can after prayer and reflection…   It is vitally important to turn-in a new card with your pledge even if you cannot take a step this year…  However, if your financial circumstances permit, please take a step or two to help make-up for someone who may have lost his or her job…  Despite the magnitude of this challenge, I feel confident we can do it if we stick together like we always have and each fill-out a new Sacrificial Giving Commitment Card for 2013 and try our very best to take another step or 2 in the amount of our pledge.  I want you to know that since beginning our Sacrificial Giving process seven years ago, we have always pulled together as a parish community, placed God First and met the conditions for each and every challenge grant we have been offered.