By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Bishop Larry Silva is re-introducing his annual appeal, the Bishop’s Circle, under a new name and with a new approach, but with the same goal — to raise financial support for crucial church ministries.
The new campaign, ‘Ohana in Christ, will be presented by letter to previous Bishop’s Circle donors in September and in all Hawaii churches over the Oct. 2-3 weekend.
While the Bishop’s Circle had targeted a select diocese-wide group of donors, ‘Ohana in Christ will be “broadening its participation” to all Hawaii parishioners, the bishop said. ‘Ohana is the Hawaiian word for family.
The bishop is asking each parish to “play an active part by raising awareness of our wider church mission and services” and to help “raise the funds to sustain them.”
The appeal will support priests’ needs, seminarians, deacon formation, youth and young adult ministry, and service to the poor through social ministries.
Bishop Silva will mail a letter in late September to donors of the Bishop’s Circle introducing them to the new campaign. In October, a reminder mailing will be sent to a wider audience.
In his letter, the bishop writes, “As fellow citizens and members of God’s household, we are all called to discern, develop, and disburse our gifts, always with gratitude, to further build his kingdom at both the parish level and beyond.”
Rebranded appeal
“The former Bishop’s Circle appeal has been rebranded to help raise awareness of the many ministries and services offered by our local church, the Diocese of Honolulu, as well as to broaden financial support for them at each faith community,” he said.
“When you give to the ‘Ohana in Christ appeal, your gift not only assists the diocesan mission, you also help support your parishes, pastors, schools, service agencies and communities,” Bishop Silva said. “Your generous contribution is indeed needed to strengthen vital programs as ‘fellow citizens’ striving to make a difference in our Islands by our witness to Jesus.”
Parishioners coming to Mass on the first weekend in October will receive envelopes containing a “commitment card” and a prayer card. They will be encouraged to take the envelope home and mail the completed card directly to the campaign address. The card also has a space to write a prayer intention.
Mass-goers will also view a short video or hear an audio message from Bishop Silva and vicar general Msgr. Gary Secor.
“As a former pastor I understand why people value their parish most of all,” Bishop Silva says in the video. “However, true stewardship also calls us to know and serve others outside our parish walls and community borders.”
Msgr. Secor says in the video, “I know the importance of a wider church and all that it does to serve our faith community throughout Hawaii, thanks in large part to your good stewardship. Please know that this new appeal will support our work together and that your generous gift will help make a real difference strengthening our ohana in Christ.”
The diocesan Stewardship and Development Office, which is running the campaign, is providing promotional materials and general assistance.
Each parish is being assigned a target goal of 25% of its current annual assessment — the amount it gives yearly to the diocese to help cover diocesan operations. That would bring the total goal at a little more than $1.2 million if every parish met its target, said Mark Clark, director of the Office for Stewardship and Development.
He cautioned, however, about setting hard and fast goals considering that this is “year one, a transition year.”
The Bishop’s Circle for the 2020-2021 year brought in $385,000 from 731 donors, a 22% increase from the previous year. Clark said that expectations were that Bishop’s Circle donations would go down during the pandemic, but they went up.
‘Ohana in Christ is the diocese’s second parish-based capital campaign under Bishop Silva. The first, “With Grateful Hearts,” in 2009 set a goal of $30 million to be raised over five years. It collected $35.5 million.
The Bishop’s Circle was put on hold in 2009 when the diocese launched With Grateful Hearts. It was brought back in 2013.
The ‘Ohana in Christ will use the same six “donor societies” the Bishop’s Circle has used to identify the amount of the gift. They range from the Catholic ‘Ohana Society for donations of $625 to $1,249, to the Stewards of the Gospel Society for contributions $20,000 or more.
Those joining as “donor society” members will be invited to a special gathering and recognized in the Hawaii Catholic Herald.
Non-society donors are asked to consider a gift of $365 — a dollar a day.
Contributors will be able to donate by check or by credit or debit card online at catholichawaii.org or by contacting the gifts office at (808) 372-3472
Final gifts must be received by June 30, 2022, to count toward a parish’s goal.
