Hope Appeal is the real deal
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Above: Bishop Lucia addresses parishioners of Vicariate 4 about the importance of giving to the Hope Appeal.
By Tami S. Scott, associate editor
The last of seven Hope Appeal kickoff meetings was held Sept. 23, shifting the campaign into full swing.
Parishioners of Vicariate 4 gathered at St. Paul’s in Rome to hear Bishop Douglas J. Lucia express his gratitude for past contributions and his hope to reach this year’s goal, which, remarkably, is lower than last year’s. This news might beg the question, “But, how?”
“What we ask for is only what we need to do ministry for the year ahead,” he said about the lower budget. “That’s all we’re asking, is to be able to support the ministries that have asked us for help.”
The Hope Appeal benefits multiple facets of our Catholic tenets, from serving the hungry and homeless through Catholic Charities to providing tuition scholarships for families desiring faith-based education for their children. Funds raised are central to maintaining healthy diocesan ministries, faith formation and evangelization efforts across seven counties, which include 116 parishes.
“And so when we talk about why we do this each year, it’s for one thing only, and that’s ministry,” added Bishop.
When in Rome …
The Sun reached out to a few of the evening’s attendees to find out just what makes the Hope Appeal special to them. Some explained the significance of giving. Some experienced firsthand the programs the Hope Appeal supports. Others, both.
Vicariate kikckoff meetings for the campaign have been well attended.
When asked what area he believes funding from the Hope Appeal is critical, Father Seán O’Brien emphasized education, “because I think that’s needed so much in today’s world — being educated in our faith.”
The pastor of St. Mary-St. Peter Church in Rome also stressed the importance of reaching out to shut-ins. While visiting the homebound is volunteer-based at the parish level, one way the Diocese helps achieve this mission is through live streaming Mass on Catholic TV, which is supported through the Hope Appeal. The Catholic Sun, too, is another means for keeping the faithful informed of goings-on in their community.
Laurie Ostrander, a parishioner of St. Bernard’s in Waterville, experienced the fruits of Hope Appeal personally as a graduate of the two-year Formation for Ministry program, which prepares participants to assist pastors in serving the needs of the church. It also serves as the first two years of preparation for the permanent diaconate.
“The workshops are amazing,” said Ostrander, who just completed her three years of ministry work. “Best thing I ever did.”
She added it would serve our diocese well if we all stepped up our baptismal call to help our parishes, especially with a priest shortage.
Father James Buttner said the Hope Appeal-funded Totus Tuus program for young kids and teenagers played a “huge part” in cultivating his faith, becoming more active in his parish, and discerning the priesthood. “It’s a great program both for the kids that it serves in the parishes … but also for those missionaries themselves. It really opens their eyes up to the possibility of a vocation of serving the church in different ways.”
On a personal level, Father added that “my own formation in the seminary, which I’m incredibly grateful for, was made possible through Hope Appeal.” Fr. Buttner went to Theological College Seminary in Washington, D.C., which is affiliated with Catholic University of America.
As the executive director of Foundation/Development, Beth Hoey explained why she feels blessed to be an integral part of this annual initiative.
“We’re in the business of stewardship [and] so stewardship really has three parts,” she said. “It’s first recognizing that we are all receiving unique, special gifts from God. Individually, we are unique in that way. The second piece is to be grateful for those gifts and the third is to use those gifts to serve others. That’s stewardship … and I get to witness that every day.
“I see people who are so giving, who give of themselves and their time and their resources and very often giving to help people they do not know or will never meet,” Hoey added. “And then I also get to see the impact of those gifts in the programs around our diocese.”
Spirit of Hope parishioner Linda Toukatly smiled and summed it up perfectly: “Hope Appeal’s been around a long time, and it does good!”
