‘Together in Hope’

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2024 Hope Appeal campaign kicks off with vicariate celebrations

By Dc. Tom Cuskey
Editor

A non believer might write it off as coincidence, but to people of faith, it is an obvious sign that the Holy Spirit is hard at work in the Diocese of Syracuse.

“The theme of the Jubilee is ‘Hope Does Not Disappoint,’” Bishop Douglas J. Lucia told the gathering at St. Vincent de Paul-Blessed Sacrament Church in Vestal last week, speaking of the celebratory year Pope Francis has declared for 2025. “And the hope and the Holy Father’s whole purpose … is that he’s inviting us to be pilgrims of hope,” he added.

“Now to me, what’s a better definition of our Hope Appeal, but to foster support and foster hope.”

With those words, Bishop welcomed a roomful of guests to the initial kickoff gathering for the 2024 Hope Appeal campaign. This was the first of seven such gatherings, one in each vicariate, to express gratitude for the support given to the annual campaign and to generate enthusiasm and awareness for this year’s efforts.

“Firm in faith, active in charity, together in Hope” is the official theme, attributed in part to the Jubilee Year that has been declared in the worldwide church beginning this Advent. The Church is celebrating 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea, the first Ecumenical Council, and the adoption of the Nicene Creed, the prayer that articulates our foundational beliefs at Sunday Mass.

Bishop Lucia explained that, in Biblical times, a jubilee year was declared as a season of renewal, even allowing agricultural fields to lie fallow and renew themselves.

“And so, for me, that’s what next year is about for our diocesan family,” Bishop said, looking back on the stiff challenges that have marked his first five years as the diocesan shepherd. “We’ve been through a lot, and because of that, I think it is good that we have a time of renewal, a time of jubilee.”

Pilgrims of Hope

The success of the Hope Appeal campaign is based on numbers, of course, the total dollars raised, but more so the cumulative generosity of so many who give.

“Last year, over 16,000 people gave over $4.6 million,” Beth Lynn Hoey told those who attended the kickoff. As executive director of the Hope Appeal and the Foundation of the Diocese of Syracuse, Hoey stressed the breadth of impact those dollars make in the community. “Twenty-seven ministries are supported by the Hope Appeal,” she added. Those ministries serve people throughout the full seven-county area of the Syracuse Diocese.

Bishop shared that these kickoff gatherings “let me do what I like to do best …  being with the people of God and people of the diocese.”

He also took time to make sure all in attendance understood the necessity and core importance of Hope Appeal goals.

“When we set our goals, those are actually our operating budgets. We have no extra added into the Hope Appeal,” he stressed. “But the money we collect with the Hope Appeal is specifically meant for the ministries of this diocese, and that’s why it’s so important.”

More so, Bishop pointed out that Hope Appeal donations received are restricted funds meant solely for the ministries and programs and nothing else.

A highlight of these meetings is the introduction of the promotional video for the campaign. Each year, volunteers, staff and clients of the various ministries involved give testimony of the powerful impact Hope Appeal donations have on the lives of those in need.

Hoey often reminds donors and patrons that an individual’s gift to the campaign will make a difference in the lives of many people that the donor will likely never meet. “We can do so much more together than we could ever do alone,” she said.

To watch the Hope Appeal 2024 video, visit syracusediocese.org/hopeappeal.

What the people are saying about the Hope Appeal

The Catholic Sun spoke with some of the guests at the Vicariate VII kickoff Celebration of Gratitude held in Vestal last week. Here’s what a few had to say:

“There’s so many things going on today, especially, but to know that there’s funds there to help people … [it] is wonderful. It has meant to me to be a way of giving ‘church’, you might say. Giving what we feel to the poor and others who need help.”

Msgr. Michael Meagher; pastor, Parish of Saints John and Andrew, Binghamton

“I viewed the video yesterday, about the Spanish Apostolate ministry, and it really brought a tear to my eye. I can’t imagine being in a foreign country, even if you’re from any number of different countries, and the Church is providing you with a community.”

Barbara Hill; pastoral associate, the parishes of Ss. Cyril & Methodius Church and the Church of the Holy Trinity, Binghamton

“We’re big fans of Totus Tuus and during the summer months it really does provide a nice opportunity for the kids, for the community. We went to the middle school pilgrimage and it’s amazing what the kids have picked up and to see how their faith has grown through the years. It’s nice.”

-Lisa Payne, Church of Holy Trinity, Binghamton

“[The video] shows the human side of what the Hope Appeal is. It’s more than money. It affects the lives of the people and the ministries and the diocese. I always tell the people that the Hope Appeal empowers us to do as a diocese what we cannot do alone as a parish. It’s all of us working together, being who we are as Church … ministering together, reaching out in the name of Christ.”

-Father James Serowik; vicar forane, Vicariate VII; pastor, St. Vincent de Paul-Blessed Sacrament, Vestal, Ss. John & Andrew, Binghamton; canonical pastor, St. Agnes Mission, Afton, St. John the Evangelist, Bainbridge, St. Joseph, Deposit, St. Joseph, Port Crane, Immaculate Conception, Greene and St. Mary, Kirkwood