PROVIDENCE – After months of fundraising and donating to the annual Catholic Charity Fund Appeal, parishes across the diocese are going to see the products of their parishioners' generosity.
The newly-established Parish Share program was something that pastors had the option of participating in during the 2007 CCFA. For the 30 parishes that chose to do so, any money that was donated beyond their parish's goal will be given back to them to fund a variety of projects.
At St. Augustin parish in Newport, the nearly $2,000 of remitted funds they have received so far mean that the parish's religious education program will receive a facelift. According to Sister Josephine St. Leger, S.J.C, pastoral assistant at St. Augustin, her parish will use the money to refurbish some of the classrooms used for religious education as well as to purchase some new supplies enhance the curriculum. The update will “make it a little bit more exciting for the youngsters,” she said.
Sister Josephine said the Parish Share program was an added incentive to parishioners to be more generous with their donations, because they would have a direct impact.
“I think the fact that if we did go over our goal we would get [money] back was a real incentive. Sometimes when people hear that we've made the goal they feel that they don't have to worry anymore,” she said. “It's helpful for the parishioners to know that they're helping others, but they're also helping themselves.”
Bishop Thomas J. Tobin visited St. Michael parish in Smithfield last Wednesday to present them with their check for more than $2,000. They plan to use the money to benefit both the youth ministry and the social justice ministry.
The social justice ministry is responsible for a food closet that is open twice a month to any resident of Smithfield. In recent weeks, the demand for assistance has increased from about 8-10 families each Saturday to closer to 20 families. The increased demand left the parish scrambling to meet everyone's needs.
“It was a pretty lean year this year,” said Diane Marques, office and financial administrator at the parish.
“Something like this, adding to the monies, it's going to help us to continue providing for the people of the town,” said Marques. The food closet is primarily stocked with donations from parishioners, their donations also allow the social justice ministry to provide food baskets at Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. “The people of the parish are very generous,” she said.
Marques said the money will also benefit development of a youth ministry program in addition to the existing CCD. The parish wants “to have something for the kids,” she said.
Like St. Augustin, Marques said that the parishioners at St. Michael responded well to the concept of Parish Share. “I think that as much as you want to do your part to help the diocese and the state... that people do like to see that they get kind of a little gift too. If it can add to the programs in the parish it's just going to make things better,” she said.
Father Richard M. Friedrichs, the pastor of St. Catherine parish in Warwick, said the more than $700 his parish will receive will help day-to-day operations at the church. “We are in sore need, very sore need, of robes and things for altar servers,” he said. The new program is a “no-lose” situation for parishes, he added.
Anthony Gwiazdowski, director of the Stewardship and Development office, said even more parishes have signed up for the 2008 Parish Share program. It requires that “they use the funds for some needs within the parish community that are within the case statement of the Catholic Charity Fund Appeal,” he said. Each participating pastor has to submit a written statement about how the funds will be used. Then, if his parish surpasses their goal, the additional funds will be remitted.
Potential ‘Parish Share’ figures in the Diocese of Providence
St. Augustin, Newport
$5,320.79
St. Augustine, Providence
$26,503.81
St. Barnabas, Portsmouth
$8,088.00
St. Catherine, Warwick
$1,650.00
St. Catherine, Little Compton
$9,713.00
St. Charles Borromeo, Providence
$7,937.00
St. Christopher, Tiverton
$5,220.75
Holy Apostles, Cranston
$53,193.00
St. Gregory the Great, Warwick
$16,711.90
St. Joan of Arc, Cumberland
$9,754.29
SS. John & James, West Warwick
$1,728.06
St. John the Baptist, Pawtucket
$5,096.00
St. John Vianney, Cumberland
$21,208.10
St. Joseph, North Scituate
$181.12
St. Joseph, Providence
$16,353.00
St. Jude, Lincoln
$9,853.21
St. Madeline, Tiverton
$1,137.00
St. Mark, Cranston
$460.00
St. Martha, East Providence
$291.00
St. Mary, Cranston
$10,801.00
St. Matthew, Cranston
$7,622.00
St. Michael, Esmond
$4119.70
Our Lady of Czenstochowa, Coventry
$6,935.00
Our Lady of Good Help, Mapleville
$6,866.25
Our Lady of Loreto, East Providence
$1,400.00
Our Lady of Mercy, East Greenwich
$35,624.00
Precious Blood, Woonsocket
$2,143.00
St. Raymond, Providence
$785.74
SS. Rose & Clement, Warwick
$7,163.00
St. Theresa, Tiverton
$13,431.00
