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CSA
Goal unchanged at $17.84 million for 2010
by Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published April 30, 2010
DETROIT – The goal for the 2010 Catholic Services Appeal is $17,839,175 to fund most of the ministries of the Archdiocese of Detroit.
The figure represents no change from the previous year, following several years of 1.5 percent annual increases.
"Our community continues to experience difficult economic times and challenges. Many of our family, friends and neighbors have experienced, and are still faced with, loss and hardship. But our faith assures us we do not bear these burdens alone," Archbishop Allen Vigneron said in his message of support for the 2010 CSA.
"God promises always to be with us, especially during times like these. As He works to bring good out of our difficulties, we can be His co-workers by all standing together and supporting one another," he continued.
The archbishop said it was "very fitting" that the theme for this year's CSA should be "Sharing Christ in and through the Church."
"After all, your generous gifts to the annual CSA allow the Archdiocese of Detroit to share Christ in and through a multitude of ministries, programs and services – resources needed by so many people on a daily basis throughout the six counties that comprise our archdiocese," he said.
CSA-funded ministries are present "through all stages of our lives," Archbishop Vigneron continued, pointing to CSA support for programs benefiting Catholic schools, parish religious education programs, youth and young adult ministry, marriage preparation classes, and services for the sick, suffering and disabled.
CSA dollars also encourage priestly vocations, provide support for seminarians, and fund Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
Most parishes and missions of the archdiocese will kick off their general appeal for pledges to meet their parish target at Masses this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, May 1-2.
Some parishes have already launched their general appeal to parishioners; most have been soliciting pledges from their largest donors for some weeks now.
All parishes and missions are required to meet their individual targets, but many strive to exceed their target, because every dollar collected in excess of it comes back to the parish.
For the 2009 CSA, a total of $22.4 million was pledged, and $21.07 of that has been collected as of last week. So far, $4.5 million has been refunded to parishes that exceeded their targets, said Thomas Scholler, director of the archdiocesan Office of planned Giving within the Department of Development.
"I find it very impressive, that despite the difficult times, people have really stepped forward to witness to the faith," he said.
Exceeding their CSA target is actually the preferred fund-raising method for many parishes, because it is the only way a parish can receive contributions that are not subject to the 6-percent archdiocesan assessment – the cathedraticum – that applies to all other contributions to a parish.
The proceeds from the cathedraticum go primarily to covering the basic administrative expenses of the archdiocese, whereas the CSA funds most ministries.
It is through CSA dollars that the archdiocese supports college and hospital chaplaincies, criminal justice ministry, youth ministry, parish nursing, formation and financial aid for seminarians, and continuing education for various lay ministers.
But it is a mistake to think of the CSA as only funding ministries that are archdiocese-wide and above the parish level, Scholler continued, because many of these ministries support what goes on in parishes.
"Really, most of the services the CSA funds, such as training programs, go back to the parishes," he said.
With CSA dollars supporting programs for the certification and continuing education of catechists, for example, parishes benefit from better-trained, more knowledgeable instructors in their religious education and adult faith formation programs.
And he pointed to the Office for Priestly Vocations, which makes presentations on vocations awareness in parishes, besides everything else it does to help encourage vocations to the priesthood.
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