February 2, 2003
Giving at a Difficult Time
Appealing
Leaders
Joe
and Elaine Trentacoste and their family have been active in St. Brigid’s
and in the Catholic Church for many years. When I asked them to chair
this year’s Bishop’s Appeal I wasn’t surprised that
they gave me reasons that we ought to continue to support this charitable
work of the church. Given the difficult days we’re living through
in the church, I am really grateful that Joe and Elaine said ‘yes’
to my invitation and I’m grateful to Marie Firenze, who recently
received an award for working on the Appeal for 25 years, and Adlaide
Bowler for coordinating the record-keeping aspects of the appeal.
What
Would Jesus Write?
I recently read some letters that people from other parishes wrote to
the appeal office. They were filled with so much hate, name-calling,
& violent images. I’m praying for the healing of angry souls.
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Past Columns:
Jan 26: Penny Power
& Catholic Schools
Jan19: Yet Another
Year
Jan 12: Stealing Jesus
Jan5: The Wise Still Come
From Afar
Other Columns from 2002
The superbowl is over, so can the
Bishop’s Annual Appeal be far behind? Each year at this time we
begin a campaign to raise the money needed to “do church”
throughout Long Island. “Doing church” involves educating
people, providing health care, offering counselling, training parish leaders,
ministering to the elderly, to children in the womb and everyone in between,
feeding the hungry, helping with housing... the list of what we do as
church could fill this whole bulletin!
Some people have written letters
in the newspapers that because they are angry about the way sexual abuse
cases were handled or because Bishop Murphy turned the third floor of
St Agnes Parish Center into his living quarters, they will no longer give
to the Bishop’s Appeal. They encourage others not to give because
that will “send a message” to the bishop.
As I said in this column a few
weeks ago, I’m also angry about what’s wrong with our church.
Yet if I don’t give my donation to this charitable fund, the bishop
or other church hierarchy won’t be affected. But the people who
are running the programs that help others will be affected. They’ll
be told to cut their budgets (which usually means staff layoffs which
means less service to the people). Diocesan financial officials have assured
me that none of the money given to the appeal goes to pay for abuse cases
(there is an insurance fund for this) or the bishop’s residence
(sale of a donated house paid for that).
If the people across Long Island
stop their donations to the appeal, less money will come to our parish
too. Right now our school could keep tuition increases to a minimum because
we’re one of a handful of schools which receives significant money
from the diocese. Our parish also receives grant money for some of our
other programs. Parish Outreach is the ongoing recipient of countless
services of Catholic Charities.
So how can people make their voices
heard and not jeopardize “doing church”? Write a note. Put
it in with your pledge card. Say something like “Bishop, this is
what I think is going well with the church....this is what I’m concerned
about..... Here is my pledge. Please fix what’s broken.” Sign
your note. Your voice will be heard.
If you have any concerns about
giving this year, please talk with me about this. Thank you for taking
time to wrestle with the issue of how to share with those who do the work
of the church and those who are the recipients of this ministry.
You are Person