Bishop's Lenten Appeal Starts This Weekend

By Michael F. Flach
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 3/13/03)

The 2003 Bishop’s Lenten Appeal (BLA) will begin March 14, when information about the annual campaign is mailed to most of the parishes that took part in the Bloc I or pilot phase of the diocesan Capital Campaign. Parishes will be making pulpit and bulletin announcements the weekend of March 23 with special talks given about the BLA on March 30.

Parishes currently participating in Bloc II of the $75 million Capital Campaign won’t be asked to contribute to the annual appeal until the fall of this year.

"A Sacrifice in Thanksgiving" is the theme of this year’s campaign, which annually funds over $5 million in operational needs of the diocese. Last year’s effort generated approximately $5.5 million. The diocese hopes to maximize the number of families supporting the appeal.

"I make this annual appeal to your generosity and goodness, not for myself, but because my role as shepherd requires me to use my voice to speak in the name of those who otherwise could not appeal to you," wrote Bishop Paul S. Loverde in the appeal brochure.

Support of the campaign "provides significant resources so that the mission of our parishes and schools is strengthened and the Gospel message of hope impacts the lives of as many people as possible," the bishop said.

The diocesan Capital Campaign is providing funds for long-term capital needs, while the BLA provides revenue for the operational needs of the diocese, said Robert Mueller, diocesan director of stewardship and development.

Diocesan offices such as Catholic Charities, Catholic Schools, Catechetics, Family Life, Vocations, Youth Ministry and Construction Management still depend upon the generosity of diocesan Catholics to continue their ministry, he said.

For the current fiscal year, over $500,000 allowed Catholic Charities to continue to assist those in need and over $700,000 funded seminarian tuition expenses and vocations programs.

Some of the numerous programs which receive direct financial support from the BLA include Youth Rally, Workcamp, Project Rachel, Dominican Republic Mission, Seminarian Tuition and Fairfax Hospital Chaplaincy.

The purchase of land for future parish sites is another tangible result of BLA funds with an average new parish site costing $2 million. Holy Trinity Parish in Gainesville was the most recent beneficiary of such a gift. Father Francis Peffley, Holy Trinity’s administrator, said his parish would not be in position to begin building a new church without the generous gift of land from the diocese.

"As you know Holy Trinity was formed in June 2001," Father Francis Peffley said. "The growth of the parish has been tremendous — from 300 families to over 900 in 18 months.

"To begin our new parish complex we were blessed with a gift of 21.3 acres of land received from the diocese which is funded by the Bishop's Lenten Appeal. The land received will enable us to build a new church, parish center, school and rectory to meet the spiritual needs of the growing population of Catholics in Gainesville, Bristow, Haymarket and Nokesville," he said.

Father Peffley hopes to break ground in the fall of 2004. "We are most grateful for the land and the support we are receiving from the diocese to develop our new parish and for the ongoing support we are receiving from the diocese," he said.

Holy Trinity parishioners reciprocated this generosity by experiencing tremendous success in its Capital Campaign effort, receiving more than $5 million in pledges.

The diocese has always restricted the fund received for the areas outlined in the brochure, but this year a "Statement of Accountability" will appear in print on the campaign literature for the first time, Mueller said.

The statement reads: "All dollars collected for the BLA have been and will continue to be used exclusively for the purposes stated in the annual campaign brochure. No funds raised through the BLA are used for any other purpose." A complete list of the programs and offices that will receive funding can be found in the 2003 Bishop’s Lenten Appeal brochure.

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