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 support for Golden Gate Senior Citizens and Immokalee Migrant Workers, to the Seminarian programs, the CFA is an essential program that we must focus our gifts to in any way we can. However, it has come to my attention that many of our Parish Family members may not understand the CFA and what it is for. The CFA is a Diocesan contribution in which all the members of the churches in Southwest Florida work together to support the central services we all rely on at Catholics and active community members. There are several essential efforts that rely on the CFA:
- Catholic Charities: As a leading provider of social services, Catholic Charities supports over 40,000 people with programs like direct assistance to pay their utility bills, emergency intake programs for those that have become homeless, ending human trafficking in our backyard, citizenship assistance, and veteran housing.
- Catholic Schools: It costs a tremendous amount to provide a high-quality education, and the CFA supports the Catholic Schools in the area to ensure all members of our community can have access to this faith-based education system through high school
- Vocations: From the Seminarian programs that instruct our future priests and deacons to providing support for the 35 different women’s religious orders and 26 different communities of brothers and priests within the Diocese, the CFA ensures we provide for the education and well-being for those who have dedicated their lives in service to us and our faith.
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.
Every year, the Diocese of Venice places a goal for each parish to provide a certain amount towards an overall need of the Diocese. It is true that St. John has been one of the primary supporters of the CFA and in fact we have normally been the largest contributor parish. For 2016, we have been asked to contribute $518,000. We have understandably been focused on our Capital Campaign, which has been successful in reaching and exceeding our goals in very short order. However, that has clearly made it impossible for us to reach our CFA goal this year, and we currently stand at $320,886. That is a large gap, and it will require the parish to direct our resources from operational efforts and savings to cover the shortfall.
Next weekend, we will have a second collection for our CFA Goal. This CFA Last Hurrah will include comments from some of the leaders of our Parish Family, from the Finance Council, the Pastoral Stewardship Council, and other members of our community that receive such wonderful programs and support from the CFA. I hope you will give them your attention and assist us with this necessary goal. If you have any additional gifts you wish to support Catholic organizations with, please prayerfully consider a donation to the Catholic Faith Appeal. Your support, which is fully tax deductible, will aid thousands in our area. You can donate via Saint John by calling the office, giving to the Diocese directly at https://secure.pledgeconnect.com/donation.aspx?catholicgiving, or on our website: https://legacysite.sjecc.org/ways-to-give