The diocesan capital campaign for Catholic education continues. Next week I hope to begin reporting pledge totals as things are going very well in these early weeks of the effort. My team of volunteers are actively engaging with key donors in the parish to ensure the success of the S3 campaign. Please accept their calls and emails as they seek to connect with you about making a gift or pledge to S3.
Our Queens goal is $2,600,000. This is 1.25x our annual offertory, and part of a diocesan goal of $70,000,000. While the vast majority of these funds will go to increase financial aid and scholarships for families using our Catholic schools, and giving raises and retention bonuses to Catholic school teachers, 20% of S3 raised at Queens stays at Queens. This would be over half a million dollars that we will bank toward the support of the administration and programs of the Jackson Catholic Schools. Any amount we raise over goal will stay in the parish.
Though a specific gift amount is suggested in the Bishop’s letter, every gift is optional, and every ‘ask’ for your gift is ‘aspirational’. A bold vision such as S3 requires bold requests and even bolder pledge commitments in order to be a success, and that is why we are aiming higher.
Please consider the specific gift amount requested as an amount to pledge and pay over time on a schedule of your choosing, not as something you have to give now. All of us are able to give more when we extend the gift for a period of years.
The Catholic Foundation would love to hear from you if you wish to discuss gifts of stock or real estate, planned gifts or IRA distributions. I would be happy to put you in touch with them.
I am asking that you place pledge card envelopes in the offertory collection at Mass or drop them off at the parish office. Please do not stamp them and mail them to the Catholic Foundation. Checks should be made payable to ‘Stewardship for Saints and Scholars.’
This is a ’boutique’ campaign allowing you to make your commitment however you like: how much to pledge, when to start giving, how often you will be billed, how to pay, etc. The power is in your hands.
Thank you to all those who have made their commitment to the S3 campaign. We had 717 donors during the Witness to Hope Campaign of 2016. We have a long way to go before we surpass that participation rate. Here again is the link to the S3 campaign video:
