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February
6, 2006
VOL.
44, NO. 3Oakland,
CA
Bishop’s
Appeal seeks funds
to sustain essential ministries
The annual
Bishop’s Appeal is an opportunity for Catholics to personally reach
out beyond their own neighborhoods to become collaborators with Christ
in alleviating the needs of the diocese’s poorer parishes and schools,
Bishop Allen Vigneron said this week in a letter to Catholics in the Oakland
Diocese.
“Through the Church, Christ still calls on His disciples to help
proclaim His message of love and salvation,” the Bishop wrote on
the eve of the 2006 Appeal.
The $2.1 million pledge drive begins in parishes next weekend (Feb. 11-12)
and runs through the end of March.
John Neudecker, diocesan director of development, said 32 percent of the
money will go to Catholic schools in low-income areas, to resource specialists
for parishes throughout the diocese, and to the Special Religious Education
Department for developmentally disabled children and adults.
Twenty-two percent of the funds are allocated for clergy support and lay
leadership training. This includes care of retired and disabled priests,
formation of lay leaders and the education of seminarians.
Other programs to be funded include youth ministry and CYO (Catholic Youth
Organization), the Safe Environment Program to prevent child sex abuse,
hospital chaplains, pastoral planning, subsidies to low-income parishes
and retrofitting of parish buildings.
Success of this year’s drive is particularly crucial, Neudecker
said, to maintain essential ministries. Last month the diocese laid off
17 employees to achieve a balanced budget. Funds from the Appeal insure
that no further cuts are needed.
Each parish has an Appeal goal based on its annual income.
“While some parishes are able to provide for many of their own needs,
others depend on the diocese for help,” Neudecker explained. The
diocese uses a combination of investment income, parish assessments and
the Appeal to meet its expenses.
The diocese’s poorest parishes are subsidized and others pay reduced
or no assessment. All parishes that exceed their Appeal goal, will receive
a rebate, he said.
Although Neudecker sometimes is challenged by individuals who insist that
they already are giving as much as they possibly can, he pointed out that
“Catholics are no longer economically disadvantaged compared to
Protestants.” Neudecker urged them to reach deeply into their wallets
this year.
“There are very few of us who couldn’t increase charitable
giving dramatically with only a slight impact on the quality of our temporal
lives.”
In his letter, Bishop Vigneron referred to the material blessings many
East Bay Catholics enjoy.
“If you are living comfortably in our Diocese, I encourage you to
visit some of our poorer parishes and schools when you can. Experiencing
the depth of faith and the love of Christ that animates these humble Catholic
communities will inspire you to return a larger share of the material
blessings that God placed in your care.”
Neudecker emphasized that no Appeal funds are used to pay for lawsuits
and other settlements stemming from clergy sex abuse. Nor are any of the
funds allocated for the future Cathedral of Christ the Light, which has
its own fundraising campaign.
