Staff report

Donations to the annual Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) that continued over the summer months bring the total pledged to more than $5.3 million, according to an archdiocesan Stewardship Office official.

The goal for the appeal was $5 million. Of the amount pledged, $4.98 million has been received, with a total of 28,200 households participating, David Kissell said. The remaining pledge payments
are scheduled to be received in the coming months.

The CMA is the annual archdiocesan effort to provide operational funding for six regional ministries that work to teach, feed, and heal:

• Seminary and Vocations

• Catholic Charities and Social Services

• Campus, Hospital, and
Prison Ministries

• Retired Archdiocesan Priests

• St. Rita School for the Deaf

• New Evangelization Programming

Kissell said additional highlights from the 2017 campaign included: The number of families that participated in the appeal increased from 26,500 in 2016 to 28,200 in 2017; the average pledge amount to the appeal was $188, up from $184 in 2016; more than 6,000 families increased their pledge from their previous year’s donation; and 86 parishes exceeded their CMA goal, with a collective total of $400,000 estimated to be paid back to parishes in over-goal rebates.

Kissell said each parish in the archdiocese is assigned a goal for the CMA. Once a parish reaches its goal, 50 percent of the over-goal funds are returned to be used for the parish’s own ministry needs.

Preparations are underway for the 2018 Catholic Ministries Appeal, which kicks off in January.  For more information about the CMA, visit Catholicappeal.info.