Reasons, opportunities to contribute abound

By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit

Pat Regan and his wife, Mary, have been parishioners of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings since 1980. As Pat recalls, their annual contributions to the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation may go back almost that far, 30 to 40 years. He and his wife served as “chair couple” for a couple of those years.

Early on, the Regans were motivated to contribute financially because “we knew it was supporting Catholic schools, where we and our kids had such a great, impactful experience,” Pat said, giving a shout-out to his and his wife’s “bicentennial class” (1976) at Hill-Murray. “It’s just a way to give back. And it’s very impactful for people with real needs.”

Pat said he is “very committed to helping our priests and their missions,” naming Father Greg Schaffer as one example, who has served in Venezuela for many years. But Pat said he is happy to support other ministries as well.

This year, the Regans and other parishioners across the archdiocese began seeing CSAF communications Feb. 18-19 as the annual appeal was announced, and commitments will be particularly encouraged Feb. 25-26.

But parishioners might bear in mind that money raised or pledged is distributed to ministries over the course of a year, and donations are accepted any time, said Tizoc Rosales, CSAF president.

“The campaign actually is a year long,” an important aspect of the effort, he said.

People can make a one-time gift, a recurring gift or a pledge that is fulfilled over the course of the year, Rosales said. Donations can be set up in several different ways, he said, “because these ministries need it so much and the work that’s being done by them is so important.”

Jim and Teresa Lodoen, parishioners of St. Peter in Mendota, have contributed to the annual CSAF campaign for the past 25 to 30 years. Jim, 62, believes they initially gave $100 to $200 a year, but increased the amount over the years as much as they were able.

Jim appreciates that the recipients of donations “are so thoroughly vetted” and represent ministries so important to them, including education, prolife ministry and seminarians.

As Catholics, it’s not only important to be active and engaged “in our parish,” Jim said, but to be committed to the broader Catholic community as well. The CSAF campaign provides “a very easy way to contribute to a number of very worthy causes,” he said.

This year’s goal is raising “at least $8.6 million,” Rosales said, which is about the same as last year. “We get gifts big and small, and every one of them helps,” he said.

“The better we do, the better we’re able to assist these vital ministries with their important work.”

CSAF provides informational materials to parishes in English and Spanish, including a video, poster, brochure, flyer, bulletin insert and bulletin announcements with a QR code for making donations.

How To Donate

can donate online at csafspm org/givecsaf, by telephone at 612-294-6622 or by mail to The Catholic Services Appeal Foundation, P.O. Box 6488, St. Paul, MN 55106.

By Rebecca Omastiak The Catholic Spirit

As the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation launches its annual financial appeal for Catholic ministries in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, it is placing Christ’s example at the center of it all.

The St. Paul-based foundation’s board members spent time praying and collaborating as well as gathering feedback from leaders both within and outside the archdiocese, with donors, and with Catholics in the pew to define its core values, revitalize its mission statement and develop four pillars that describe the foundation’s renewed focus areas of support.

Core values as roots

CSAF President Tizoc Rosales, a member of St. Peter in Mendota, said a prayerful strategic planning process at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul in spring 2022 helped the board define CSAF’s three core values: to be Christcentered, to be collaborative through other Catholic community partnerships, and to practice gratitude.

Taken individually, Yen Fasano — chair of CSAF’s board of directors and a member of All Saints in Lakeville and St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien in Minneapolis — said to be Christ-centered is to ask, “Does everything we support, everything we say, our actions, our ministries, is this making Jesus known and loved? Because we’re all called to be disciples.”

Collaboration, Fasano said, requires listening first. “It’s really the root of collaboration, listening and discerning.” She added, “Recognizing that we need each other is really important; we’re not doing this work alone.”

And gratitude “is the root of stewardship,” Fasano said. “Living a life of gratitude, recognizing that everything we have is a gift from God, and that whatever we give back is just a fraction of what he gives us. It’s a response to all the blessings he’s bestowed on us.”

Fasano said those three core values help drive the foundation’s purpose, expressed through its revitalized mission statement.

A mission statement to stand tall

During the spring 2022 strategic planning process, Rosales said the board approved an updated CSAF mission statement: “To make Jesus known and loved within our archdiocese through financial gifts in service of the Church.”

Fasano said it’s a process of prioritizing “what our local Church has said it would wish the archdiocese to move forward in” and being open to where that “fruit” can come from.

That includes being good stewards of financial gifts received, Fasano said. She noted that CSAF directly gives the funds it receives to its designated ministries while keeping administrative and fundraising costs lean — specifically, less than 12%. “We really take care of what’s been entrusted to us, and make sure that it goes back into the ministry,” she said.

Rosales said CSAF also wants to “create measurable outcomes and to be able to tell the story of the impact of our gifts.”

Branching out into the community

As CSAF board members gathered and evaluated feedback from archdiocesan leaders, CSAF donors and parishioners on how best to bring the foundation’s core values and mission into the community, they developed four pillars that describe the foundation’s renewed focus areas of support: u“Pro-life: To nurture, sustain and protect life at all