Above: Bishop Lucia speaks at the Hope Appeal gathering at Holy Family Church in Fairmount.
First of seven hope and gratitude celebrations kicks off 2025 HOPE Appeal
By Elizabeth Landry
Staff writer
Behind each individual, couple, or household’s gift to the HOPE Appeal is a reason that drives such generosity.
For Carl and Christine Dattellas, parishioners at Holy Family Church in Fairmount, one reason is to support Catholic education. “Our two granddaughters, one has gone through [Catholic] preschool and the next one is coming in for preschool. So, that makes a difference, especially right now, for kids being brought up Catholic,” Christine said.
Hope Appeal poster at the gathering feature an image of the tree of life.
For Jill Hurst-Wahl, a parishioner at St. Lucy’s Church on the Near Westside of Syracuse, a main reason is the support of the deaf ministry within the Diocese. “Ensuring that deaf members of our parishes have interpreters is really important,” she explained.
For Doug Craner and Anne Milewski-Craner, of Holy Family Church in Fairmount, the reason is simply “to give back, because we’ve been given so much,” as Anne said.
No matter the reason behind their gifts, many donors to the Hope Appeal from Vicariate II gathered at Holy Family Church in Fairmount on the evening of August 18 for this year’s first Hope and Gratitude Celebration. The seven gatherings (one for each of the seven diocesan vicariates) are celebrations held to express gratitude for the support given to the annual campaign and to generate enthusiasm and awareness for this coming year’s efforts.
Beth Hoey, executive director of the foundation for the Diocese of Syracuse, thanked everyone in attendance — donors, clergy, administrators — and described the impact gifts to the HOPE Appeal have across the Diocese.
“You have helped many people that you will never, ever meet through your gifts to the Hope Appeal,” Hoey said. “You have helped people be able to feed their children in Oswego. You have helped college students in Binghamton to get their faith set on fire by some of our staff down there and at the Newman House. You have helped people in marriages, those who are preparing for sacraments, strengthened individuals in their faith, strengthened families and helped people who have nowhere else to turn in this huge, big diocesan family.”
She also introduced the theme for the 2025 Hope Appeal: “Rooted in faith, growing in hope,” which is accompanied by the image of the tree of life, with its roots deep in the ground and its branches reaching up into the sky.
In his speech just before the 2025 Hope Appeal video was shown publicly for the first time, Bishop Douglas J. Lucia reflected on why this theme and image resonate with our Catholic faith.
“Our faith is rooted in a tree. Our faith is rooted in the tree of the cross, [and] one of the most beautiful renditions of the cross is the tree of life. And you sometimes will see the cross as the tree of life,” he explained. Reflecting on the Jubilee Year, the year of hope, and all that’s happened so far, including the passing of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV, he continued, “The whole idea of all that’s happened in this particular period of time, and yet, the one thing we want to continue to do is to spread hope. And that’s what our Hope Appeal is all about — growing in hope.”
When asked what they would tell someone hesitant about giving to the Hope Appeal, this past year’s donors gave answers full of hope, emphasizing the impact of each contribution, whether big or small.
Hope Appeal decorations feature nature settings.
“We give to one fund and it helps a lot of different things,” said Hurst-Wahl. “When you give to the Hope Appeal, you know that it’s going to help different parishes, different diocesan ministries. I think that’s one particular thing that I like about it, and I think that’s a reason why people should give. Even if you give a little, that little bit is going to help across the board.”
“The way I feel is that, number one, I think it’s the right thing to do,” Carl Dattellas said. “Number two, we’re called to help people that are less fortunate than [us]. And it makes me feel good to give.”
Helping those who are less fortunate was also a central focus of Bishop’s speech. He discussed how the Hope Appeal supports ministries like Catholic Charities, and why the organization’s work is so critical.
“I am very concerned,” Bishop said. “I look at what’s going on in our world and in our own country, and I do have a great concern about how people are making it. … A particular aspect of the Hope Appeal is how we help Catholic Charities and help continue to feed and clothe and assist all those who are neediest among us. … When we share of ourselves, isn’t that what Christ did on the tree of the cross? And yet, we see the fruit. We see the fruit of the cross in the sense of the new life it brings and the hope it brings, and that’s what we want for people today, right here in Central New York.”
To learn more about the Hope Appeal and watch the Hope Appeal 2025 video, visit syracusediocese.org/hopeappeal.
