20 IMPACT 23 REPORT
LETTER of GRATITUDE and IMPACT My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As with each new year, we prepare for the launch of our Annual Catholic Appeal that will support our faith through the many good works and ministries of the Archdiocese of Boston. This year’s Catholic Appeal theme, Forward in Faith, unites us in our belief that God is good, loves us, and has a plan. The Catholic Appeal allows us to serve as an integral part of that plan, embracing our neighbors in need and accompanying them forward through their challenges and crosses. As we move forward, I am also drawn to look back upon the wonderful work that has been accomplished over the past year – thanks, in large part, to your generous support. Your commitment has enabled the Catholic Appeal to provide care, service, and hope to thousands across the Archdiocese. The following pages provide some examples of the impact of your commitment.
Your commitment has enabled the Catholic Appeal to provide care, service, and hope to thousands across the Archdiocese. Your generous hearts have brought Christ’s love to the infirm, the voiceless, the invisible, and the forgotten. Your spirit of stewardship has undergirded our schools, seminaries, and youth ministries. Your outstretched arms have embraced our parishes, our faithful center points that support individuals and families across the full spectrum of human circumstances. Thank you for advancing the saving ministry of Jesus by building communities of love. Your virtue of generosity has strengthened the Works of Mercy that are at the center of our relationship with God and with one another. Devotedly yours in Christ,
Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM, Cap. | Archbishop of Boston
YOUR GIFT at WORK Thank you for your continued support The Catholic Appeal provides half of the total central ministries budget. Below is a list of allocated priorities you made possible in 2023.
$7,937,000 Vibrant Parishes Services needed to ensure parishes have the resources and expertise to assist with issues of HR, IT, benefits, as well as pastoral planning; parish emergency services including risk management and property management.
$2,467,000 Faith and Formation Support for youth, young adult and adult faith formation programs; respect life, college campus, CYO ministries, permanent diaconate program.
$2,269,000 Help for Those in Need Chaplaincy programs in hospitals and prisons; bereavement support; palliative care; healing ministries; spiritual care for those touched by addiction.
$2,017,000 Schools and Education Central office support for the 93 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Boston. Formation for our Archdiocesan priests. Encouraging and fostering vocations to the priesthood, and religious life; clergy personnel; support for seminaries.
49% VIBRANT PARISHES
15% FAITH and FORMATION
14% HELP for THOSE in NEED
$1,500,000 Rebates Did you know $1.5M is returned to parishes each year as rebates to be used for their local programs?
13% SCHOOLS and EDUCATION
The annual independent audit of the Archdiocese of Boston is available at: bostoncatholic.org/annualreport.aspx 9% REBATES
THOSE in NEED The Catholic Appeal extended God’s reach of love so that the most vulnerable in our communities can know their own dignity and worth. The plight of the homeless has never been more dire as individuals dealing with substance abuse and/or mental illness camp out on the streets while migrant families and those surviving on the margins of society struggle to afford a safe roof over their heads. With support from the Catholic Appeal, young adult volunteers canvass the streets of Boston every week to carry conversation, fellowship, and kindness to the homeless population. Our Social Justice Ministry works with parishes, local government, and other non-profit organizations to find solutions to our housing crisis. Over the past year, this collaboration has resulted in the opening of 40 units of income-restricted housing in Mattapan and work to develop 130 units of housing for formerly homeless and low-income residents in Roxbury. Each month, more than 100 women receive compassionate, practical, life-affirming solutions at our three Pregnancy Help Centers. And for women and men hurting from past abortions, our Project Rachel ministry provides confidential support and retreats for hope and healing. Our Palliative Care, Chaplaincy, and Faith Community Nursing Ministries provide spiritual and emotional support to those suffering from illness and isolation. Training is provided to volunteers in parishes across the Archdiocese to minister to the homebound and those facing chronic or terminal illness as well as to provide spiritual companionship to those in recovery. And in the past year alone, our chaplains at 20 area hospitals conducted more than 65,000 ER/ICU/palliative care/emergency call visits.
180
DAYS OF MINISTRY TO THE HOMELESS
1,200
PREGNANT WOMEN SERVED
65,000
CHAPLAIN PATIENT VISITS
“When we encounter a poor person, we cannot look away, for that would prevent us from encountering the face of the Lord Jesus.” POPE FRANCIS
FAITH FORMATION Nurturing people’s relationship with Christ is at the core of Catholic faith formation. Your gift supported ministries and religious education programs that help more than 90,000 people of all ages discover and deepen their love for the Lord. The nature of today’s culture and society can be particularly challenging for young Catholics. Many of them feel alone in the practice of their faith and struggle to find others who share their values. Faith formation events, programs, and experiences like World Youth Day provide young people a moral compass while also offering opportunities for connection and solidarity. Your generosity supported leaders from the Evangelization Office to accompany almost 900 young pilgrims from Archdiocesan parishes to Lisbon, Portugal for World Youth Day in August. This life-changing experience brought thousands of young adults closer to their Catholic faith. As Fr. Pablo Gomis of St. Joseph’s in Lynn recounted, “Fifty young adults accompanied us on the trip. At the end, we asked would anyone consider a vocation to the Church – 10 of them stood up and said they would do so.”
700
COUPLES PREPARED FOR MARRIAGE
50
MEN ACTIVELY DISCERNING VOCATION
In the past year, more than 700 couples participated in the Transformed in Love program that prepares engaged couples, and those seeking convalidation, to build a solid foundation for marriage. Our Campus Ministry programs at 22 local colleges and universities play a crucial role in keeping young adult Catholics close to their faith and increasing the likelihood of their continued commitment to the Church after they graduate. And our Vocations Ministry actively promotes priestly vocations in the Archdiocese and hosted 28 retreats and events resulting in 50 men seriously discerning Vocation for near term entrance.
OUR PARISHES 50+
CENTRAL MINISTRIES
250
PARISHES SUPPORTED
88
ETHNIC COMMUNITIES
22
LANGUAGES IN MASS WEEKLY
We are one body with many parts. Your Catholic Appeal contribution fortified parishes so that they could reach out and tend to the greater community, in particular the lonely, the poor, and the vulnerable. Parishes are an extension of our Christian family. They are the home of our faith communities where the Gospel is proclaimed and celebrated and where people gather in fellowship to encounter Jesus in Word and Sacrament. Your leadership gift to the Catholic Appeal supported our 250 parishes, enabling their mission and ministries to thrive in their communities across the Archdiocese. Gifts to the Catholic Appeal provide behind-the-scenes support to all our parishes – from recruitment and training, evangelization programs, technology solutions, safety and security protocols – to financial, marketing, fundraising, and legal guidance and expertise that enables them to better serve their communities. Some of the valuable services provided in the past year to individual parishes included supporting increased offertory programs and capital campaigns at five parishes, providing management consulting and strategic planning to four financially struggling parishes, piloting a social media platform with 40 parishes to provide more robust and easier to access content aimed at increasing audience reach and engagement, and assisting parishes with unutilized property to investigate opportunities for sale and/or lease of these properties.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION Catholic Schools cultivate the whole child, nurture a sense of spirituality, and develop a child’s moral conscience so that they grow to be responsible, compassionate leaders of tomorrow.
93
SCHOOLS
Catholic education seeks to develop each student physically, mentally, and spiritually, incorporating strategies for social and emotional health as educational building blocks. Children can thus build important skills that help them navigate a world influenced by constant digital access and instant expectations.
32,000
With 3,000 faculty in 93 schools, our Catholic schools are united in teaching 32,000 students our faith and providing them with the best possible academic programs. Your support of the Catholic Appeal helps the Catholic Schools Office provide strategy and planning for early childhood programs; communication, enrollment, and marketing support; recruitment, training, and evaluation of principals; group purchasing; data gathering and sharing; and a wide range of training, mentoring, and consulting. The Catholic Schools Office also provides capital improvement grants for early childhood education to schools like St. Michael School in Lowell that transformed their outdoor play space from an area of asphalt and concrete into a safe, colorful environment where students can play, practice their social skills, and build friendships.
ENROLL IN COLLEGE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS
96%
13%
OF FUNDS RAISED THROUGH THE APPEAL SUPPORT EDUCATION
ARCHDIOCESE of BOSTON
Thank you for your continued support