Diocese of Bridgeport

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Thank You!

"United in Service," the 2006 Annual Bishop's Appeal, has concluded
with a record result of $12,326,332.24!

Prayer Requests connect 2006 Appeal donors to their Bishop: click here

Parish Final Results: click here

$12.3 million raised for Church programs

2006 Annual Bishop's Appeal sets all-time record!

By JOSEPH McALEER
Fairfield County Catholic, July 15, 2006

Displaying that they truly are "United in Service," Catholics across Fairfield County responded with record generosity to the single most important fundraiser of the Diocese of Bridgeport, donating $12.3 million to the 2006 Annual Bishop's Appeal, the largest amount in diocesan history.

Essential Fundraiser

The Appeal, which exceeded its goal of $10 million by 23 percent, funds the many programs and ministries of the Catholic Church in Fairfield County, including Catholic schools; religious education programs; vocations to the priesthood; ministries to Hispanics, Haitians, and other ethnic groups; chaplains in hospitals and nursing homes; the Safe Environments program; and Catholic Charities.

The Appeal was launched in March in all 87 Catholic parishes throughout Fairfield County, and concluded on June 30. The $12,326,332 result exceeded last year's record Appeal performance of $10.6 million.

Church's Mission

"What a magnificent expression of generosity by our Catholic faithful, of their concern for others in need, and for the fulfillment of the mission of the Church," says Bishop William E. Lori. "We simply could not do the Lord's work without this support. So much will be accomplished, and so many people will be helped. Thanks to the participation of Catholics in the Appeal, future priests will be trained; children will be educated and grow in their love for and knowledge of the faith; the poor and disadvantaged will be given new hope - literally thousands of lives will be transformed in some positive way, every day of the year. I am so very thankful to everyone for this beautiful demonstration of our Catholic faith."

John Myers, who, with his wife, Jody, served as co-chairs of the 2006 Appeal, also expressed their delight at the result. The Myers are members of Saint Pius X Parish in Fairfield.

Wonderful Testimony

"This result is just incredible," John Myers says. "It is a wonderful testimony to the generosity of the people of our diocese and their commitment to the programs which are supported by the Appeal. People understood the need and decided to make an investment in the future of our community."

Myers credits information and teamwork as keys to this year's success. "We made a lot of progress, starting last year, with giving Catholics the education and information necessary for them to understand exactly what the Appeal is all about," he notes. "Once they had that understanding, it was clear their support was going to be there.

"This was a team effort," Jody Myers adds. "Bishop Lori's leadership was essential, and our pastors and lay leaders displayed a remarkable commitment. Donna Marino and her Development Office staff inspired everyone with their hard work and rapid response."

Credit Card Giving Rises

The Development Office, in turn, expanded a number of operational procedures this year. Credit card giving continues to rise.

"This year we had over 2,000 gifts made by credit card, most online at the diocesan website," Marino says. "More people than ever have applied to their companies for matching gifts. We are now being proactive and reaching out to area corporations, so we know what their policies are, and we can assist employees and retirees in doubling their Appeal gifts."

Gifting stock is also on the rise, with over 70 donors taking advantage of easy electronic stock transfer methods.

"We had some very large gifts this year, and our Circle of Charity membership ($1,000+) has grown exponentially," Marino notes. "We are so fortunate that we have so many people who are in a position to be generous. When you look at the individual parish results, these extraordinary gifts are reflected in their final totals."

This year, for the first time in the history of the Appeal, nearly all parishes met or exceeded their Appeal goal (final results listed below). In Vicariate 1, Saint Michael the Archangel Parish in Greenwich had the largest result in the diocese: $1.35 million, 730 percent over goal, thanks in part to several major gifts.

The leading parishes in the other vicariates were: Vicariate 2, Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Wilton ($436,000; 242 percent); Vicariate 3, Saint Pius X Parish, Fairfield ($309,000; 158 percent); Vicariate 4, Saint Lawrence Parish, Shelton ($214,000; 122 percent); and Vicariate 5, Saint Rose of Lima Parish, Newtown ($191,000, 105 percent).

Early Closing a Plus

Msgr. Thomas Driscoll, vicar general of the diocese and pastor of Notre Dame Parish in Easton, chaired the 20-member Pastors' Advisory Committee (PAC).

"We had an extraordinarily successful year thanks to the cooperation and support of the PAC, but also thanks to every priest in this diocese," Msgr. Driscoll says. He notes that closing the Appeal on June 30, for the first time, had a positive impact.

"The tighter schedule worked well," he says. "Pastors were happy to have a target date to work towards. It was advantageous."

At the local level, parish faith communities celebrated their participation in the wider mission of the Catholic Church through the Appeal.

In Fairfield, members of Saint Anthony of Padua Parish exceeded their Appeal goal by 124 percent, pledging more than $62,000.

TIME TO EAT - Lining up to partake in a traditional pig roast are members of Saint Ladislaus Parish in South Norwalk. Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the parish has a new lease on life and a strong commitment to supporting the works of the Church. "It's a diverse neighborhood, with many needs," says Father Michael Bachman, pastor (at left). "That's a big help when it comes to describing the many people of different backgrounds and experiences helped by the Appeal." (Photo by John Glover)

"There really seems to be a generosity of time and prayer and finances among our parish family," says Father John Baran, pastor. "People see the Appeal as a continuation of the good works of the parish. There's an understanding of ourselves as part of a bigger Church. They have a sense of participation, and Appeal support is an outgrowth of that."

Double Celebration

Further down the coast in South Norwalk, members of Saint Ladislaus Parish have two big reasons to celebrate. During this, the parish's 100th anniversary year, parishioners pledged more than $13,000, exceeding their parish goal by 113 percent. Excitement was evident at the parish's centennial kick-off picnic on June 25, complete with a pig roast.

"Our people are very good. I haven't cajoled them at all," Father Michael Bachman, pastor, says. "At the in-pew, I asked for more participation. It's a diverse neighborhood, with many needs. That's a big help when it comes to describing the people of all different backgrounds who are helped by the Appeal."

Parishioners have another reason to be supportive of the diocese. "People are very grateful to Bishop Lori that he has kept our parish open," the pastor continues. "We're going to preserve our Hungarian heritage, and reach out to our neighbors from other countries. It's working - we see new people every week."

A touching benefit from the 2006 Annual Bishop's Appeal

Prayer requests connect donors to their Bishop

By PAT HENNESSY
Fairfield County Catholic, July 15, 2006

"Please pray for my family. We need the strength to pull through these hard times."

A "prayer request" space added to the 2006 Annual Bishop's Appeal brochure has proved to be a powerful way for parishioners to ask for prayers for their deepest needs.

"During the Appeal we asked people to be as generous as they can," says Bishop William E. Lori. "I thought it was important that I should do something for them in return."

The brochures were mailed to every registered family in the diocese as part of the 2006 Appeal request, and inserted in Fairfield County Catholic. There was no need to make a pledge to send a prayer request.

PRAYER REQUESTS are carefully set aside for Bishop Lori, who remembers the requests at all his Masses and in his prayers on the weekend. (PHOTO BY JOHN GLOVER)

Surprising Response

The result has been amazing. "In the past, notes were written right on the returned pledge card," says Karen Gallagher, director of operations for the Development Office. "But this year, when we put it on a more formal basis, we didn't know what each day's mail might bring. We were surprised by how many people wrote to the bishop with their needs."

Some of the requests are broad-based, like prayers for peace in Iraq and Afghanistan, or asking for prayers for vocations. Others are of a personal nature, covering everything from prayers to help get a job, for sick or dying relatives and friends, or requests to pray for young adults to practice their faith more fully.

The Development staff is a small one, accustomed to the need for accuracy in recording gifts, double checking the donor names and addresses, and helping parishioners on the telephone. Although they work in the Catholic Center, with regular contact with clergy and opportunity for daily Mass, the requests have added a new dimension to their own spirituality.

Touching and Sad

"They're very touching, and some of them are very sad," says Donna Hasiotis. "It makes me thankful for my personal blessings."

"Others are so nice," adds co-worker Arlinda Santiago-Eggleston. "One person offered a prayer for women who are having problems with their husbands. It touches me to think that she cares for people who are going through a hard time that maybe she has recovered from."

The prayer requests are carefully set aside for Bishop Lori. They come from wealthy neighborhoods and poor neighborhoods and everything in between. Prayer knows no geographic boundaries, and the requests come in from all over the diocese. Bishop Lori takes them home on the weekend, and places them before the altar of the Lord in his private chapel. He remembers the requests at all his Masses and in his prayers.

The largest number of requests came from parents asking for prayers for their children and grandchildren. "For my daughter's job to be less stressful"; "For family reconciliation"; "That my children will have a good marriage." Many ask that children will return to the faith. Requests can be general and anonymous, or detailed with the name of a nephew, husband, wife, or friend who needs prayer.

Simple Request

One woman, apologizing for her small monthly Appeal gift, explained that she was working as a housemaid, sending her earnings back to support her children in her home country. Nonetheless, her pledge was ten percent of her earnings, just as she had read in the Bible. In return, she had a simple request for her children:

"Please help me in praying to the Lord that my children be safe from all harm and danger, and that they will be able to distinguish wrong from right, now that there is no more mother to guide them."

While the requests are passed on to Bishop Lori, the needs expressed remain in the hearts of the Development Office staff, and become part of their own prayers, too.

"It added a whole new dimension to our team's work," says Donna Marino, executive director of Development. "We work here because we know that the Appeal helps people, and now we help people through prayer, too."