Feature Story

FEATURE STORY

BY BETH SIMKANIN Beth Simkanin is a freelance writer with 20 years of journalism and public relations FOR IT’S experience. She is a parishioner at The Church of the Holy Spirit in Memphis. IN GIVING, We Receive

For it’s in giving, that we receive. This brief part of the Prayer of St. Francis means that we are called to give our time, talents and treasure as people of faith who believe in God, and in return we receive many blessings from Him.

One Couple’s Faithful Mark and Laurie Sutton say they have received many blessBlessings Benefit the Catholic ings from the Lord – a strong, 36-year marriage, six beautiful Diocese of Memphis children, three grandchildren and a permanent place they now call home that’s close to extended family. Mark says it’s through living their Catholic faith that they receive these blessings, which motivated them to reflect and give a significant financial gift to the Catholic Diocese of Memphis – $2 million. This gift will help secure the future of the Catholic Church in West Tennessee for many years to come through its United in Faith campaign. “We do feel blessed, and we believe those blessings are to be shared,” said Laurie. “First John 3:16 through 18 says, ‘By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth.’ Giving is one way we help build up God’s kingdom here on earth and honor Him with what he has given us.”

Family life

The Suttons, both originally from Louisiana, grew up in families where Christ was the center of family life. Mark, a cradle Catholic, spent most of his young life in Southern Louisiana and Laurie, a Protestant at the time, moved all over the country because her father served in the Air Force. When Mark and Laurie started dating in college while attending Louisiana State University, they faithfully attended Catholic church together. Christ was an essential focus of their relationship from the beginning.

This pattern continued when the couple married. They attended both Mass and a Baptist church service together on Sundays. It wasn’t until Laurie was pregnant with their first child that she decided to attend Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults classes. The couple wanted to bring their children up in the Catholic Church. Mark says it was important for the family to have a common faith and a routine of worshipping together.

The family moved all over the U.S. and abroad because of Mark’s job with International Paper – even living in France for five years. The couple says the rock that kept their family a tight, faithful unit was Mass.

“No matter where we lived, we could always attend Mass together,” said Mark. “It gave my family a sense of normalcy that no matter where we moved in the world, the Mass was still the same.”

While attending Mass was key to their family’s relationship with Christ, Laurie made sure to teach all of their six children scripture. Mark says that he learned more about God’s Word through the Old and New Testament because of Laurie’s influence.

“Our Catholic faith comes alive in the scripture,” said Laurie. “My Baptist upbringing helped me learn scripture, but my Catholic faith catapulted it to a new level. I can’t read John, chapter six, without seeing the Mass.”

The family moved to the Memphis area in 2005. They consider Collierville, a local suburb, their home and are blessed to have extended family close by in Louisiana. They are active in their parish, The Church of Incarnation in Collierville, faithfully giving of their time, talent and treasure.

A long-term investment

When the Suttons heard about the Most Reverend David P. Talley’s long-term vision for the future of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis through the United in Faith campaign, they were intrigued. The United in Faith campaign is a landmark financial endeavor, with a goal to raise $22 million in four years, to address the short- and long-term needs of 47 local parish and mission communities and diocesan ministries and vocations.

It’s a significant undertaking and sacrifice. What intrigued the Suttons the most is the campaign’s longterm approach.

“It’s the most strategic plan we’ve seen to fund critical vocations and ministries in our Church,” said Mark. “Our diocese hasn’t set up anything like this before. The campaign is designed to set up endowments with long-term programs funded by the investment income. If we use our resources wisely, the United in Faith campaign will fund these crucial endowments and benefit the Catholic Church in West Tennessee for a long time. It made a lot of sense to us.”

The United in Faith capital campaign provides much-needed funds to local parishes for capital and maintenance projects and ministry support. Additionally, the campaign target for each parish includes the 2022 Annual Catholic Appeal. Once the Appeal goal is achieved, 50 percent of the funds collected by the parish will return to the parish. Fifty percent of the additional funds from each parish will go to fund long-term endowments for seminarian and diaconate education, youth/college/young adult ministries and priest retirement. Mark believes if managed well, these endowments will fund these diocesan ministries and vocations forever.

One particular ministry endowment that hits close to home for the Suttons is youth/college/young adult ministries. After raising six children over the past 33 years, they know how critical young people are to the future of the Catholic Church, especially in West Tennessee where only four percent of the population is Catholic.

“We believe that the future of our Church is with young people,” said Mark. “With the right leadership and resources, young people can find their purpose and become dynamic about their faith. We want them to thrive in the Church and be excited about being there, and we think the United in Faith campaign will give the Church the resources to do that.”

WAYS TO GIVE TO UNITED IN FAITH CAPITAL CAMPAIGN:

PLEDGE ONLINE: www.unitedinfaithcampaign.org

PLEDGE THROUGH MAIL OR PARISH OFFERTORY: Send in pledge card from home parish. Checks must be made payable to “United in Faith.”

PLEDGE VIA TEXT: Text “United” to 901-450-5606 to receive a link to a secure giving webpage. For donations of stocks and securities and gifts such as property, life insurance, wills, estate bequests or charitable remainder trusts, please contact Jim Marconi, director of development, at 901373-1273 or Jim.Marconi@ cc.cdom.org.

The time is now

Laurie emphasizes that life presents challenges to us all, but it’s through faith that we remain steadfast through those challenges. Additionally, Mark says that the diocese has faced many challenges in recent years, including a leadership crisis and the pandemic, but the faithful have persevered, and now the diocese is blessed with a dynamic shepherd who wants to ensure that the parishes and the diocese prosper for many years to come. “Our Church in West Tennessee is already fragile, and now we are blessed with a bishop focused on growing our parishes and reenergizing congregations. It’s a critical time in our diocese and now is the time to respond to its long-term needs,” he said.

The Suttons believe that their gift to the United in Faith campaign is a worthwhile investment in the diocese’s future. Their advice to those who are thinking of giving to the United in Faith campaign is to pray.

“If you are contemplating giving, then that is a sign that you feel the conviction to do so,” said Mark. “Spend time in deep, thoughtful prayer. It’s through our efforts today that we can make a difference for the future of our Church.”

“No matter where we lived, we could always attend Mass together,” said Mark. “It gave my family a sense of normalcy that no matter where we moved in the world, the Mass was still the same.”