A few months ago, I provided information about the Catholic Faith Appeal, the Diocese of Venice annual assessment of all parishes that assists with many programs here in Southwest Florida. From the Catholic Charities supporting Golden Gate and Immokalee, to the Seminarian programs, the CFA is an essential program that we must provide our gifts to in any way we can. One component of the CFA that is not discussed frequently, however is the set of programs that the CFA supports for our Parish Family. Below are a few of the initiatives that we could not accomplish here at St. John without the CFA:
- Marriage Preparation: All the Diocese marriage programs needed to be married at Saint John the Evangelist are funded completely through the CFA. If a Parish Family member is going to be married here or one of their children/grandchildren, they have the ability to be prepared here and can take all the preparations through these programs,
- Religious Education: The Diocese supports our youth and our adult Faith Formation programs with materials, schedules and additional catechesis opportunities. The CFA supports the certification of our catechists and the development of the schedules for Confirmation.
- Good Works: From the 40 Days for Life to Immigration Support for our Parishioners, the CFA provides resources for the good works of the parish. We give so others can have a better life, from picking themselves up with our direct support to supporting social justice initiatives.