Out of curiosity, when was the last time you looked at this?!
It's run in the bulletin every week.
So, we understand if you haven’t paid close attention recently, since it’s always there. But now that we're in December, we’re asking you to take another look. It represents our participation in the Catholic Faith Appeal (CFA). Every year, the Diocese of Venice in Florida, our diocese, asks every parish to contribute to the CFA. And because of how much it does for Catholics, both throughout the diocese and here in our parish, the CFA runs throughout the calendar year, many contributing through a pledged amount to be paid month after month throughout the year. However…
This calendar year is coming to its end!
And if you did what we asked (look at that box above), you’ll notice that we’re falling short of our parish goal. Wonderfully, about 25% of parish families have paid about 80% of that goal. If you’re one of those families, THANK YOU! Now we need to ask the other 75% of you to help us make it across the finish line. And it won’t take too much.
In December, we, as a parish, will prepare to meet our CFA goal. We will hear fellow parishioners speak about it (Dec 5/6), learn from Fr. Gordon why it’s so important (Dec 12/13), and finally, on one finale weekend (Dec 19/20) we will make it!
Help us achieve our Parish Goal.
So if you don't know a lot about the CFA and want to know why you should contribute, here's some information.
Where do CFA Funds go?
The annual Catholic Faith Appeal is an effort to ask every family in every parish in this Diocese to help their parish raise its share to help fund the pastoral, outreach, and social service efforts of our local Catholic Church that extend beyond individual parish boundaries. It also funds the administrative services that are available to our parish. These area-wide efforts breakdown into these basic categories:
- Education programs (like our own St Andrew School)
- Social Service for the poor (like Catholic Charities)
- Support our missions and poor parishes
So, this year, your gifts are needed to:
- feed the hungry
- comfort the afflicted
- reach out to the least among us
- spread Catholic faith
- shelter the homeless
- welcome the stranger
- grow respect for life
- help our poorer parishes
That's nice generic talk, but what specifically does the CFA do that helps St. Andrew folks?
Some of you might wonder why you should give to this diocesan program when you already so generously give to the parish. Allow us to provide one example: the CFA funds the Sunday Mass for TV, a ministry to the homebound that directly benefits many of our own St. Andrew parishioners in a way that St. Andrew itself cannot provide. The Office of Communication plans and produces the TV Mass for the faithful to view from their homes, nursing homes, and hospital rooms. This includes the purchase of television airtime. This past year, the TV Mass was expanded to reach every area of the Diocese. Mass can also be viewed on the Diocesan website: www.dioceseofvenice.org. The CFA makes this ministry possible so that those who cannot attend Mass in person can participate in prayer through broadcast.
Anything else? Yes!
The CFA supports the work of the Peace and Social Justice Office which organizes volunteers throughout the Diocese to lobby Congress for adequate funds for poverty programs, minimum wage, environmental, housing and immigration issues, debt relief and foreign aid to developing countries.
The Respect Life Department provides hope and inspiration in the promotion of respect for all human life, from conception to natural death, including care for those with disabilities and our elderly. Whether it is counseling, material goods, referrals or information that is required, they are there to reach out to those in need and to support respect life projects and agencies within the Diocese.
Need a little more inspiration? Here you go...
An atheist challenged his Catholic friend: “How can you believe in God when there’s so much suffering in the world?” To which the Catholic replied: “How can you not believe in God when there are so many generous Christians sacrificing to help alleviate that suffering?”
OR
A man looked around the world and saw the homeless, the hungry, the sick, and the oppressed. The man looked up at the heavens and said “God, look at all of these people who are suffering and need you! Why don’t you send help?” And God answered him saying, “I did send help. I sent YOU.”
So now that you're convinced, how can you help?
On December 19/20, everything received in the regular collection will be given to our CFA Parish Goal. However, PLEASE NOTE: for all donations by check, CHECKS MUST BE MADE OUT TO “CATHOLIC FAITH APPEAL.” If you want to participate in the Year End Drive and help us make our goal, you MUST write your check to “Catholic Faith Appeal.” All cash will be applied to the CFA as well. If your regular donation is made through EFT, please consider an additional donation in the baskets next weekend.
Don't want to remember to do this on Dec 19/20? Give online right now!
Click here for our general online giving page for information about giving to CFA online as well as general giving to St. Andrew online.
Click here to go directly to the CFA donation page.