Bishop Larry Silva this week mailed his first round of appeal letters for the Bishop’s Circle, a special fundraising campaign for diocesan ministries.
The mailing begins year two of the fundraiser re-launched last year after a five-year break. The Bishop’s Circle was initially created 30 years ago by Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario and was put on hold during the diocesan capital campaign With Grateful Hearts.
The first letters for the 2014-2015 campaign went to the more than 300 who contributed to last year’s Bishop’s Circle, according to Mark Clark, the director of the Office of Stewardship and Development.
More letters will go out later to a broader audience, he said. The appeal will extend to mid-2015.
In his letter, the bishop said that last year’s contributions met the appeal’s goal of $200,000.
“This vital financial boost strengthened our overall mission — including vocations — and lifted my spirits,” he wrote.
This year’s goal is $300,000.
Bishop Silva said the money will “help meet the increased costs of our many diocesan ministries — caring for our retired priests, educating our seminarians, teaching our youth and aiding those in need — to name a few.”
He asked potential donors to “prayerfully consider an increase to your gift — be it modest or generous — in gratitude and relation to your blessings.”
Acknowledging the abundance of appeals that people receive at the end of the year, Bishop Silva assured donors that their contribution “will make a difference in our mission to bring Jesus into the lives of the people we serve in our church and in our communities.”
The Bishop’s Circle is primarily an appeal for large donations, although any amount will be accepted. The campaign offers five gift categories: Our Lady of Peace Society for $10,000 or more; St. Damien/St. Marianne Society for gifts of $5,000-$9,999; Joseph Dutton Society for gifts of $2,500-$4,999; Witness to Jesus Society for gifts of $1,000-$2,499; and the Catholic Ohana Society for gifts of $500-$999.
Bishop Ferrario started the Bishop’s Circle in the 1980s. Bishop Silva put it on hold in 2009 when the diocese launched the With Grateful Hearts campaign.
The bishop brought it back last November with an invitation letter to about 3,000 Catholics. The appeal was described as a way of “honoring the Lord with the fruits of your stewardship of treasure.”
Donations may be made online at catholichawaii.org.
For more information, visit catholichawaii.org/stewardship or call the Office of Stewardship at 203-6723.
