CSA over goal, but still falls short
Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published September 1, 2006
Detroit – The 2006 Catholic Services Appeal is technically over its goal, but pledges still fall short of meeting the archdiocesan budget.
That sounds like a contradiction, because each year the overall goal is set equal to the projected budget for the archdiocesan ministries funded through the CSA.
But this year, too few parishes have met their assigned targets for CSA pledges, and much of what has been pledged will be returned to parishes that have exceeded their CSA targets.
But meeting the archdiocesan budget is "especially important in light of the Together in Faith process, so we can direct our local Church's resources towards the needs that the parishes identified, because it is the CSA that provides those resources," said Michael Murphy, archdiocesan director of development.
Catholics throughout the six counties of the Archdiocese of Detroit said youth ministry, evangelization and catechetical formation were among their top priorities, as they participated in the TIF process to develop a strategic plan for the archdiocese.
They also identified support for Catholic schools, as well as ongoing theological and pastoral formation for priests, promotion of vocations, and the training of parish business managers as high priorities.
"We need the resources raised through the CSA to be able to attend to these priorities," Murphy said.
As of Aug. 23, 61 percent of parishes and missions had met or exceeded their targets and $19.2 million had been pledged. Even though that is $2.1 million over this year's overall goal of $17.1 million, the portion of those pledges that can be applied to meeting the archdiocesan budget falls about $750,000 short of what is needed.
Cardinal Adam Maida's Aug. 23 statement both thanked those who have pledged and urged others to continue to work to meet their CSA goals.
"As always, most of our parishes have successfully met or surpassed their CSA targets – a great blessing for our whole Church and the Central Services programs which depend on these donations. I'm particularly grateful for the generous commitment of so many of our clergy and lay faithful during these economically challenging and uncertain times," Cardinal Maida said.
But he added, "I would also like to encourage all those parishes and parishioners who have not yet fulfilled their CSA targets. I remind you of the significant impact your contribution makes to the needs of supporting people and programs all around the archdiocese."
The fact that some parishes have exceeded their pledge targets and will be due refunds as the pledges are paid is not itself a problem. One of the features of the CSA is that parishes can use it to help with their own fundraising.
It works this way: A parish may set a goal for itself greater than the amount the archdiocese asks it to raise. Each dollar collected above the archdiocesan target is returned to the parish and is not subject to the cathedraticum, a 6-percent assessment on all other parish revenue.
But because of this feature, as parishes report completion of their CSA campaigns, the archdiocesan Department of Development tracks both the total pledged and how much of that total can be applied to the archdiocesan budget.
Normally, the difference between the two totals has been narrow enough that the budget has been met within a few weeks of overall pledges hitting the goal. But this year, the amount applicable to the budget was running more than $1 million behind the total pledged when the overall goal was met.
The gap has narrowed somewhat in recent weeks, but remains about three-quarters of a million dollars. "Even though, overall, the CSA is over goal, the $17.1 million overall goal is also the budget for our local Church to carry out its ministries and programs throughout this coming year," Murphy said.
"We still need to reach our budget for the local Church's ministries, so we continue to encourage those parish communities that haven't met their targets to help their parishioners understand the importance of supporting the ministries funded by the CSA," he continued.
On the other hand, at least one of the statistics is encouraging. The average gift of $211.29 pledged by the 110,000 households that had participated in those 186 parishes and missions that had met their targets is up $8.77 over last year at this time.
Except for the bishops, the chancellor's office, the Department of Finance and Administration, and certain other administrative functions, which are funded out of the 6-percent assessment, archdiocesan ministries depend on CSA money.
CSA dollars support Sacred Heart Major Seminary, provide assistance for seminarians, fund archdiocesan departments such as Education, Parish Life and Services, and the CTND Catholic cable TV channel, and assist The Michigan Catholic, among others.
Murphy cited the difficult economic situation many residents of southeastern Michigan are experiencing as the likely cause for the lag in CSA pledges, but added that he hopes enough people still able to support archdiocesan ministries will do so.
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