Helping the Parish by Helping the Archdiocese

We need your help in resolving a challenge arising from our limited attendance at Mass over the past ten months. While most parishioners have remained committed to their regular contribution to the regular Parish Offertory, it has been harder to communicate with everyone about the special fund drives. Even in a typical year, people are often confused between three annual campaigns our parishes promote: the Archdiocesan Catholic Appeal, the Parish Grand Annual, and the Offertory Pledge Program. This year it is more confusing because the timeframes are over-lapping due to the pandemic, so allow me to clarify the difference and explain why we need help closing out last year’s Catholic Appeal.

The Archdiocesan Catholic Appeal is our regular support as Catholics of the offices and ministries which support our wider Church community through-out our Archdiocese of Boston. This campaign, normally kicked-off around March, was handicapped by public Masses being suspended the weekend we were to announce it at Masses! Like other parishes, we tried to re-launch it in September, but we struggled to get the word out. You are usually very generous with this archdiocesan appeal, exceeding our minimum fair-share assessment and usually even the higher goal we strive for, so I know you see how the archdiocese provides ministries beyond our capabilities and supports our own collaborative parishes and staff. This year, however, we haven’t done as well com-municating with you about this archdiocesan appeal, so we are below our minimum fair-share at St. Martha by $2,660 and at St. Mary Parish by $12,150. Both parishes have enough in savings to cover these amounts, but any one-time gifts to the 2020 Archdi-ocesan Catholic Appeal (up to the above amounts) will result in your own parish being able to keep that same amount in savings (over than amount we get a partial rebate). If you missed the chance to give last year, please go to BostonCatholicAppeal.org today to give what you can. All donations received by January 30 will apply to our 2020 shortfall. Thank you!

The other two campaigns we run each year more directly benefit your own parish of St. Martha or St. Mary. The Parish Grand Annual (PGA) is a short term drive from October to December for a supplemental contribution to the parish to help with the income shortfall to maintain our ministries and properties. We lowered the Parish Grand Annual goals in this pandemic year, and we are grateful that both parishes have exceeded those lower goals. Of course, we can still accept these gifts if you have not had the opportunity to complete them yet.

The final campaign will launch in a couple of weeks, but it is not an extra collection but a commit-ment to your regular Parish Offertory. You will receive the Offertory Pledge Program mailing which simply invites you to consider your own situation (including any income drop or increase) and determine how much you can realistically give weekly or monthly to the Offertory.