Making a gift to Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal doesn’t just benefit the greater archdiocese and its many ministries and services – it can also benefit parishes with a little extra cash in hand at the end of the year.
Through the parish rebate program, parishes who exceed their ACA goals are rewarded with up to 50% back of any additional funds received.
ACA goals for parishes are based on several factors, including its size, number of registered families and donation amounts from previous years. A rebate is always helpful, no matter the size of parish, but for smaller parishes such as St. Andrew’s in Wray, a rebate can be a particular kind of blessing.
When St. Andrew’s pastor Father Felicien Mbala received a letter last year congratulating his parish on exceeding their ACA goal, he was very happy.
“We were recognized, according to our size, for having dome something good,” Father Mbala told the Denver Catholic. The rebate they received benefitted the youth program at the church, among other needs of the praise. With only 300 families registered and being located in rural Colorado, St. Andrew may be a financially poor parish, but as Father Mbala proudly says, they are rich in generosity.
“The people are generous, they know it is important,” he said. “They know they are not the only ones involved and that their money will serve other causes in the diocese. They are generous in their poverty.”
For Father Scott Bailey, pastor of Risen Christ Parish, the rebate his parish has received over the past few years has proven helpful in the hiring of several new staff members and the realities of a growing ministry, he said.
Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal funds nearly 40 ministries within the Archdiocese of Denver, and last year, operating costs for the archdiocese only accounted for 3.7% of funds raised. Father Bailey expressed his gratitude for the employees of the pastoral center and the assistance they provide to his parish and others.
“It’s been really great [that] the employees over there who are passionate about their faith are available to us,” he said. “They’re the experts with the technologies and they’re right here to back us up and help us if we have problems.
“Knowing that the ACA at the moment has been helping the operations of the pastoral center has been really nice.”
Make your gift to Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal today! Visit archden.org/givenow.
Featured image by Anya Semenoff