Donors put 2007 CSA over goal
Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published August 3, 2007
Detroit – Pledges to the 2007 Catholic Services Appeal exceeded this year's overall goal of $17.3 million by just over $700,000 as of last Friday.
With 18 more congregations exceeding their individual targets for the annual campaign that funds most of the ministries of the Archdiocese of Detroit, total pledges stood at $18,007,224.
That brought the total of congregations having exceeded their individual targets to 149 out of a total of 286 parishes and missions in the archdiocese. Other parishes will continue to work toward meeting their targets in coming weeks.
"The great success of surpassing our 2007 goal to the tune of $18 million represents a new threshold of generous stewardship on the part of our lay faithful, clergy and religious," said Cardinal Adam Maida on learning the news.
"I want to thank all who have supported the CSA over the past quarter-century. Each year we continue to build on the foundation laid by Cardinal Szoka back in 1982. In the midst of uncertain economic times in Michigan, raising $18 million says a lot about the faith, conviction and generosity of our Church and its members," the cardinal added.
Michael Murphy, director of the archdiocesan Department of Development, said, "Given the economy, especially as experienced by all the faithful here in southeast Michigan, the success of the appeal is real testimony to their faith and their appreciation of all the ministries and services provided by their local Church."
The CSA funds most of the ministries of the archdiocese, including Sacred Heart Major Seminary, the departments of Education and Parish Life and Services, the Metropolitan Tribunal, The Michigan Catholic newspaper, and the CTND Catholic cable TV channel. Youth and young adult ministry, criminal justice ministry, many college and hospital chaplaincies, and services to immigrants are among the CSA-funded ministries.
"More than 10,000 people from every parish in the archdiocese were engaged in the past three years in the Together in Faith strategic planning process, so the faithful of the archdiocese are the ones who identified the pastoral priorities and the strategic initiatives they want undertaken for the faith life of our Church," Murphy continued.
And the success of the CSA reflects the fact that those people realize the priorities they identified need sufficient financial resources if they are to be adequately met, he added. The following additional 17 parishes and one mission have exceeded their assigned target in pledges:
- Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Beverly Hills
- St. Columban, Birmingham
- Sacred Heart Mission, Brown City
- St. Paul of Tarsus, Clinton Township
- St. Martha, Dearborn
- Good Shepherd, Detroit
- Holy Family, Detroit
- Our Lady of Sorrows, Farmington
- Sacred Heart, Grosse Ile
- Our Lady Queen of Apostles, Hamtramck
- St. Joseph, Lake Orion
- St. Colette, Livonia
- St. James, Novi
- St. Mary, Rockwood
- St. Dennis, Royal Oak
- SS. Cyril & Methodius, Sterling Heights
- St. William, Walled Lake
- Divine Savior, Westland
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