Search
Annual Catholic Appeal
-
-
Dear my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego provides pastors of parishes a generic letter for us to give to you. That is why so many letters look the same in bulletins at other parishes across the Diocese. While the information in that letter was good and the same information will be found in the rest of my letter to you, their letter didn’t make me laugh once and I won’t do that to my faithful readers who deserve better – although I can’t promise anything I say in this letter is funny enough to make you laugh. I’ll try, but you’re a tough audience. Therefore, I am writing you a letter of my own to invite you to participate in our Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA), which provides funds for essential ministries and services that benefit both the Universal Church and our Local Church. The theme of this year’s campaign is “United in Christ”.
Well, let’s talk about the offices and programs that the Annual Catholic Appeal fund:
Priest Formation. There are thirteen men in the program for priestly formation for the Diocese of San Diego, and each of those men costs about $45,000 to house at the St. Francis Center on the USD campus, feed with an allowance, educate in philosophy and theology, and form spiritually, intellectually, pastorally, and communally. Your Annual Catholic Appeal donations from 2015 to 2019 supported me. Those donations made it possible for me to be your pastor today. Now, if you like me as your priest, then give. If you think I’m kind of a dope and a clown, and you believe that you deserve a better priest, then give double.
Retired Priest Care. A diocesan priest is ordained for life. It is not out of the ordinary that a man serves the People of God for 40 to 50 years. I’m shooting for somewhere around 15 to 20, but that’s neither here nor there. Priests retire at 75 years old. The Diocese – in their love of their priests – provides 52 retired priests with health and auto insurance, nursing care at Nazareth House San Diego (if needed), and pays their cost for retreats with their brother priests at the annual convocation of priests.
Catholic Schools. We want all children to be able to access Catholic education. This collection is an important way we shape the culture. Teachers and administrators work hard, and we want to be able to help their development and compensation. It is hard to compete with public school funds, but teachers want to teach at Catholic school because it is here that they find firm but even discipline, parent engagement, and a warm and welcoming community generating lasting relationships. Last week Bishop Ramon Bejarano visited all of St. Pius X School’s classrooms and the final question, and our students jumped at the opportunity to answer this question: “What do you love most about your Catholic education?” There were so many good answers, and I wish I could share them all. I could say so much more on this topic but an eighth-grader expresses the importance of Catholic schools better than I can. She says: “The most important thing I learned from my years in Catholic school is that your faith can help you through anything, that it’s your greatest superpower. I’ve been taught that you can use your faith to help others in ways that could change their lives. Catholic school has been extremely important in shaping me into the person I am today, and I can’t imagine where I would be without it.”
Youth and Young Adult Ministry. Our Catholic teenage and young adult populations are under a distinct pressure and temptation to move away from the faith and to lose themselves in the secular world. I know this personally… as a young adult. Well, I used to… 15 years ago. Diocesan events (which I attended) like the Young Adult Weekend Retreat at Whispering Winds, the annual leadership camp (Camp Emmaus), the Christmas Gala, and the Young Adult Mass (which I now attend as a celebrant) are essential touchstones for our young people clinging to Jesus Christ when so many empty distractions try to call them away from Him.
Prison Ministries. The Diocese provides outreach to 25 prisons, jails, and detention facilities that house over 24,000 inmates. There are 12 chaplains who say Mass, administer sacraments, and visit inmates individually. We have nearly 200 volunteers (many of whom believe they are called to this ministry uniquely) who offer prayer services, participate in Scripture study, and to lead discussion. This call is how many follow Our Lord’s exhortation to perform the Corporal Works of Mercy (cf. Mt 25).
I can go on and give more stories and thoughts as I list more programs funded by your donations to the Annual Catholic Appeal: refugee services (including those religiously persecuted in the Middle East), the foster grandparents program, services for the homeless, and senior residential services. Maybe that is for another Pastor Note.
This year St. Pius X Catholic Church in Chula Vista is being asked to contribute $50,172 to the Annual Catholic Appeal. Look, I know that we have all had a hard year economically, including me. Everything has been touched by inflation; the one exception seems to be the collection basket – and I totally understand that every dollar collected is a gift from God through your love, faith, generosity, humility, and courage. Now, I take a lot of comfort knowing how generous we are as a parish. Last year the parish was asked to contribute $52,586 to the Annual Catholic Appeal, and you all exceeded that assessment to the tune of $74,250.56. That difference, $21,088.42 (after credit card fees), came back to the parish and is helping rebuild our ailing infrastructure. You all did that!
That being said, I am asking everyone in the parish to participate. Last year 143 donors of our 1395 registered families participated. While I am grateful for this level of participation, that amounts to only 10.25%. This is up from the 8.87% participation in 2022. And again, I am amazed by the level of generosity and I pray for a similar response in the gross amount. However, I also pray to see more participation from our parish community to the wider Diocese of San Diego. For that reason, as a registered parishioner of this parish myself, I will participate by giving a one-time gift of $250. Monetarily I collect very little in pay, but I believe in and want to support the ministry and services of the Diocese of San Diego. Now, maybe you don’t believe or wish to support the Diocese, but I ask you to believe and support them because you believe and wish to support me. Whatever money we do not raise for the Annual Catholic Appeal the Diocese will tax us, but whatever money we donate beyond our assessment, every single dollar and dime, comes back to us to spend on building this community we love so very much because it is here, uniquely, where we encounter Our Lord Jesus Christ.
For this reason, I am asking everyone in the parish to participate:- Fill out the Donation Response Form and return it to the parish
- With this card you can make a one-time gift (if by check please make it out to: Diocese of San Diego), a monthly pledge, or quarterly pledge.
- A secure online pledge or donation can be made online at: giving.sdcatholic.org
- Scroll down to find the “Donate Now” and fill out all the required fields; please remember when you choose “Parish” to choose “St. Pius X - Chula Vista (87)” – please don’t give to the St. Pius X in Jamul (unless you want to, it is your money after all)
- A donation of stock, bonds, or from an IRA designated for Annual Catholic Appeal can be made at: sdcatholic.org/giving/stock-donations
And so, I invite you to prayerfully consider your response as a faithful steward of the gifts that God has graciously bestowed on you. If you cannot donate at this time, I understand, and so I ask you to pray for a successful 2024 Annual Catholic Appeal for our parish.
Your participation, no matter the amount, is profoundly significant. Your generosity brings hope and joy to all those who benefit for your gift. Know that I pray for you all, for your family and friends, and for your personal intentions. God bless you all!
With great affection, admiration, and appreciation,
Your brother in Christ Jesus,
Fr. Michael O’Connor
Pastor: St. Pius X Catholic Church
- Fill out the Donation Response Form and return it to the parish