It’s the season of giving!
And within these pages, you’ll find plenty of organizations worthy of a gift.
First, I’d like to draw your attention to the Retirement Fund for Religious (RFR). You may wonder why this fund is necessary. Certainly, there is inflation and the rising costs associated with healthcare and senior care—that alone would be enough to threaten any organization tasked with the care of its senior members. But our women and men religious are in an even greater predicament because: A) Many of their communities historically approached elder care by relying on their younger members, but declining vocations has resulted in a lack of younger members in most cases and B) Whatever little compensation religious sisters and brothers received throughout their lives was likely used for their ministry. There is an infographic on page 14, which provides more details. The RFR collection will be taken up on or around the weekend of November 18 & 19. You can also give online.
Next, we have Catholic Charities. Like many organizations (including parishes—see below), Giving Tuesday, which is on Tuesday, November 28 this year, is kind of like their Super Bowl. Giving Tuesday is part of Catholic Charities’ Season of Giving fundraising campaign, which runs through Christmas. It will feature two major events with Bishop Bonnar: Breakfast with the Bishop will be held in Youngstown in the morning on Giving Tuesday, and Social Hour with the Bishop will be held in Canton in the evening. Get more details on the event calendar, page 8. Of course, the primary objective of Giving Tuesday is the online fundraising campaign—donations made at ccdoy.org on Giving Tuesday will be given a corporate match.
And finally, check out #iGiveCatholic. This year, the diocesan Office of Stewardship and Missionary Discipleship offered guidance, support and training for parishes and ministries to facilitate their participation in the program, which also takes place on Giving Tuesday. Your parish may be participating! Visit igivecatholic.org for more information.
During this month of All Souls, you’ll find our Death and Grieving guide, with a feature story on the Church’s guidance on cremation, page 15. On page 22, you’ll find our cover story about World Youth Day and the various ways diocesan parishioners participated this year. And on page 28, you can read Deacon Michael Kocjancic’s column on the permanent diaconate.
Thanks for reading, and may you have a very happy Thanksgiving.
Until next month,
Katie Wagner
