Bishop’ s Appeal reaches $3 million

Key funder of Diocese of Knoxville ministries hits historic benchmark

By Jim Wogan

The Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries, a vital source of annual funding for diocesan works of mercy, formation, and outreach, set a record in 2022—surpassing the $3 million mark for the first time in diocesan history.

“Support of the appeal in 2022 has been astonishing,” said Deacon Hicks Armor, director of stewardship and strategic planning for the Diocese of Knoxville. “The fact that parishioners have always understood our mission has been, quite frankly, humbling and fulfilling.

“We owe a great debt of gratitude and thanks to the parishes, the priests and deacons who communicated our message, and of course the parishioners who heard our call and supported the appeal.”

With the 2023 Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries now underway, the official total for the 2022 appeal won’t be settled until sometime in late March, after all receipts are reviewed. The stewardship office, which oversees the annual campaign, says “gifts received” have now surpassed $3 million, with some commitments still outstanding.

“Absolutely amazing for a diocese our size,” Bishop Richard F. Stika said. “The appeal has grown almost every year since I have been here, and it’s not me. It has been the hard work of our stewardship office over all these years that has allowed this to happen. Each year, they have formed a message, one that clearly defines who we are as a Catholic Church, and it’s been uplifting to see parishioners across the diocese respond the way they have, each year, to support our work.”

Growth is nothing new for the Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries. In 2010, one year into Bishop Stika’s episcopacy in Knoxville, the appeal raised $920,000. It surpassed $1.2 million in 2013. By 2019, the appeal reached $2.7 million. Last year, the annual Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries raised $2.9 million.

“We’ve come a long way since 2009,” Bishop Stika said. “We might be a small diocese, but we are doing great things. The growth of the appeal has allowed us to expand the work our ministries do, ministries like Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. It helps keep our St. Mary’s mobile medical clinic on the road. It helps fund seminarian education and continuing formation for our priests. And it allows us to shape the lives of children and young adults in our faith. We get a lot done with the $3 million that our parishioners give us,” Bishop Stika said.

Catholic Charities of East Tennessee

Last August, Catholic Charites of East Tennessee announced the resumption of an Adoption Services program, allowing women facing an unplanned pregnancy a life-saving option for their child.

“While adoption was suspended in 2014, the idea was to really bring it back and create a complete circle of service around the women that we serve,” said Lisa Healy, CCETN executive director. “We started to talk about adoption with the board about three years ago. It has taken us about 18 months to put the whole program together.”

Having adoption services through Catholic Charities is welcome news to Darlene and Terry Leitz, who adopted two sons through Catholic Charities decades ago.

“We got called on a Friday night saying Christopher was born and we were supposed