It’s you, reader, who keeps this diocese running.
That was the underlying current of the third Regional Parish Leadership meeting in two years at St. Veronica Church in Chantilly last week.
Accompanied by diocesan staff, Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde assembled with priests and lay parish leaders to give updates on diocesan finances, to foster dialogue between the Chancery and community members and, specifically this year, to focus on vocations and each person’s individual responsibility to say “yes” to the call of Christ.
The reports were as follows: The diocese is operating on a surplus. Vocations to the priesthood and religious life are solid. Permanent deacons are answering the call to serve. Parish weekly offertory programs are forecast to be $10 million more than they totaled two years ago. Income from the Diocesan Investment and Loan (DIAL) Fund is also surpassing projections. Rooted in Faith — Forward in Hope funded projects such as the Cherry Hill High School; Diocesan Spirituality Center in White Post, Va.; the renovation of Christ House in Alexandria; the Priests’ Retirement Home; and a Catholic Charities Family Shelter are all in the works. Conclusion: Local Catholics sitting in the pews are doing their part to further the mission of the Church in Arlington.
“With your efforts we’ve been so successful in helping to achieve the targets we’ve set,” said Bob Mueller, diocesan director of development.
The Bishop’s Lenten Appeal, the largest source of funds for the diocese, exceeded $10.5 million in pledges this year from more than 43,000 parish households. The surplus of funds — “all a function of the generosity and stewardship of the faithful” — will go toward reserves for the diocese that will eventually be used for capital campaigns, such as buying land for diocesan projects, said Tim Cotnoir, diocesan finance officer.
Though this extra money exists, the diocese will continue to fund-raise for projects instead of having to “erode the reserves,” Cotnoir said.
And still there is more to be done: goals to be met and goals to be set. Efforts targeting “planned giving” will be increased, said Mueller, so parishioners can remember their parish or diocese in their will or trust.
But the faithful are not only funding the diocese, they are feeding it spiritually by encouraging vocations, something of which Father Brian Bashista, diocesan director of vocations, said he hopes to see more.
Families — the “soil” of vocations — play a large role in that encouragement, Bishop Loverde said.
“I want to encourage you who form families in our diocese to make those families as best you can, filled with values that are rooted in Christ,” he added. “There’s no perfect family, but every family has the privilege and challenge of being more and more like the holy family. And within those families God is calling.”
The main thing, the bishop said, is to be open to saying “yes” to God’s call in the same way that Jesus Himself said “yes.”
“Our ‘yes’ must echo His,” he said.
In this way, the bishop added, the people in the pews serve the Church not only financially and by encouraging vocations, but by being witnesses to Jesus Christ to everyone they encounter in order to attract new followers.
“We do that differently according to each one of our vocations,” he said. But in order to do this, those gathered also must continue to be evangelized.
And no matter what, all initiatives, whether diocesan projects, encouraging vocations or witnessing to Christ, must be rooted in holiness, the bishop said.
“Every one of us is called to be holy, to be Christ-like,” he said. “Therefore holiness isn’t reserved for priests, for religious, for deacons. Holiness is the call to each one of us.”
Gretchen R. Crowe can be reached at gcrowe@catholicherald.com.

(c) Copyright 2007 by Arlington Catholic Herald