Campaign Kickoff Text of Fr. Don’s Homily/Announcement September 13/14, 2003 Today as we kick-off our capital campaign, "Uniting In Faith – Building Our Future", we are reminded for WHO and WHY we strive to build our new church. Today’s celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is a sign of contradiction we as Catholic Christians are called to live. The cruel harsh and bitter death of Jesus on the cross was a sign of defeat – or at least is seemed so. Yet God transformed the death of His Son on the cross into the event of our salvation. The cross once seen as a sign of defeat is now the symbol of our reverence and victory! Many wear the symbol of that irony around their necks. We glance upon the crucifix in our homes daily to remind us that we proclaim Christ crucified. On March 18, 2002, we as a parish family bore the cross of destruction and desecration. Yet living under the cross, we know that a charred church building and now empty lot is not the end! In the year and a half since the fire that destroyed our church, we have witnessed the beginnings of new life. As so many throughout the community reached out to us with support and prayer, I have witnessed a new spirit emerging within our own parish community. The overwhelming offer of so many parishioners to help with their time and talent to the visioning and funding of a new church - all of you who shared in that vision by participating in the consultation process - and all of you who by your generosity will see that our new church happens - exemplifies that new spirit at work at St. Michael’s. For this, I thank all of you! That new spirit is lifting us from sadness and the inconveniences of our loss to new hope and anticipation for the future. We are uniting in faith to build our future! So today, after months of preparation, I announce to you the start of our capital campaign and that our capital campaign goal is $3.9 million dollars. This is a lot of money to raise in challenging economic times, but I am confident that we will be successful in this effort. It is said that goodness is contagious. I am pleased and excited to inform you that progress has already been made toward our goal. In a pre-campaign phase prior to today’s kick-off, a total of 86 families have already offered a gift toward the construction of our new church. These families, mostly members of the building committee, fundraising committee, campaign leadership, myself, and other parishioners, have committed… just over $1.6 million dollars! That’s 41% of our goal from 3% of our parishioners! What a great "jump-start" to build momentum as we kick-off our campaign! While this is a most generous start we cannot be complacent. We need EVERYONE who is a member of St. Michael to participate with a financial gift if we are going to reach our financial goal and realize our dream. In preparing for this campaign, national statistics show that less than half of parishioners at any given parish participate in a capital campaign. It is my hope and dream for our parish to raise the bar and put that statistic to shame! I would truly love to see all 2,700 members of the St. Michael parish participate in the joy of being a part of watching our new house of worship rise from the ashes that have brought us closer as a family and to where we are today. We are a parish family and need the support of every family member to build a new house for God and for ALL of us to worship Him in. This capital campaign is about the support we expect from one another as members of our Catholic community here at St. Michael – a proud Catholic community indeed! Those who founded St. Michael Catholic Parish in 1882 and those who rebuilt the church after the first fire in 1892 showed us that this parish could pull together and accomplish something extraordinary. Today all of us, with our building committee and campaign committee, draw strength and confidence from the example of those parishioners a century ago. It is now our turn to lead, to rebuild St. Michael’s church in the long, proud tradition of this generous Catholic community. Between now and the end of the year, if you haven’t already, you will be invited to a campaign event, usually held at a campaign committee members home, to see our presentation about the project. At the event you will personally be given your copy of our campaign materials and a pledged card. I ask you to prayerfully consider your investment to make our new church a reality and return your pledge card at your earliest convenience. Money is a serious matter. It is not lightly that I ask for your financial support. I realize that the sacrifice we are asking will affect both, your family and the future of St. Michael parish. Remember, we are seeking equal sacrifice – not equal gifts. Everyone has different capacities from which to give. In late August, I received an envelope containing $7 and this note: "Dear Fr. Don, I made some money from the lemonade stand. Use this money to rebuild God’s House." From Steven Alcantara Just imagine where we will be if everyone has the same generous spirit as Steven and those who have already committed a gift to our campaign! As we move forward toward fulfilling our financial campaign goal of $3.9 million, I want to note two other important issues:
My thanks to campaign committee members Mark and Mary Plunkett and the members of St. Michael’s Holy Name Society for coordinating and hosting our campaign kick-off reception after each mass today. I invite each of you to join us in fellowship, community and celebration – please take a few moments to visit with us in the Parish Center following Mass and catch the momentum for building our new church! May we soon "Lift High the Cross" in our new church!
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