Advancing the Mission...Free to Serve |
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| Questions and Answers: Q. WHY ARE THE CATHOLIC FOUNDATION AND PARISHES CONDUCTING THE ADVANCING THE MISSION STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN? A. The Catholic Foundation and our parishes are conducting a campaign together in order to strengthen the parishes and diocese now and in the future. When parishes are fiscally stable, the ministry of the entire diocese is enhanced. Thus, we are working together to support our needs today and to prepare for future challenges. Q. WHO IS PARTICIPATING IN THE ADVANCING THE MISSION STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN? A. All 169 parishes in the Diocese of Green Bay will be involved in the campaign. Each parishioner will be asked to prayerfully consider three years of generous sharing, that is “over and above” their present financial support for the parish and diocese. In addition to parish involvement, businesses and other corporate donors will be solicited on behalf of the diocese. Q. WILL I STILL BE ASKED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE ANNUAL BISHOP'S APPEAL? A. The Bishop’s Appeal is utilized to meet the needs of the diocese and is separate from the Advancing the Mission campaign. |
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Q. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE CAMPAIGN? A. There is not an established financial goal for the campaign. It is expected that each parish will establish its own financial goal based upon the particular needs of the local parish. These typically will fall in between 1 ˝ to 2 ˝ times the parish ordinary income to be pledged over a three-year period. The overall goal is for each of us to embrace Stewardship as a Way of Life. The desired outcome is that by embracing the principles of stewardship, each of us will be willing to pray, serve and prayerfully consider a generous sacrificial sharing for the growth of our parish. Q. HOW WILL FUNDS BE USED? A. Each individual parish and the diocese will share the proceeds. Approximately, seventy five percent of the funds will benefit Vibrant Parish Ministry (which benefits the local needs of our parish) and the other twenty five percent will be placed into separate endowments within the Catholic Foundation for Leadership Development, Evangelization, Life-Long Catechesis and Priestly Retirement Care. Q. HOW ARE THE NEEDS OF THE PARISH DETERMINED? A. The pastor or parish director together with other parish leadership (parish council, finance council, pastoral team, key leaders, and so on) will determine how the parish portion of the funds will be used. To help identify those items important for St. Bernadette, we formed a Calling Tree that has surveyed our parishioners for their input. Q. HOW CAN I MAKE A GIFT? A. You can make a gift by prayerfully filling out a commitment card and returning it to the parish or you can use the “Advancing the Mission” envelope included with your monthly sacrificial giving envelops for regular or one time contributions. Q. WILL MY GIFT BE USED TO PAY FOR LEGAL FEES? A. No. All gifts received will go for their stated intent – the local parish needs and one of the four endowments. Q. IF ANYONE HAS ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, WHOM SHOULD THEY CONTACT? A. All questions regarding the Advancing the Mission campaign should be directed to either your local parish or you may contact the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Green Bay at 920-272-8181 or AdvancingtheMission@gbdioc.org. Q. HOW WILL GIFTS AND PLEDGES TO THE ADVANCING THE MISSION CAMPAIGN BE COLLECTED? A. Pledge commitments will be handled in the same manner that the Bishop’s Appeal is handled. The Foundation office will receive and acknowledge pledges, send pledge reminders, and provide contribution substantiation at the end of the year for tax purposes. Q. IS MY CONTRIBUTION TAX-DEDUCTIBLE? A. Yes. All contributions are tax deductible in accordance with federal law. You will receive appropriate substantiation for your contribution. Please consult with your personal tax advisor. |
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