“This is a tremendous witness,” said Cardinal Thomas Collins in a Sept. 29 statement.
“Pastors have demonstrated tremendous leadership in raising significant funds. We are blessed by their incredible contributions and enthusiasm.”
The Family of Faith campaign was officially launched in May with the goal of raising $105 million to support the spiritual and material needs of Canada’s largest diocese. The campaign, which runs through 2015, is being rolled out in phases and will eventually include all 225 parishes in the archdiocese.
The archdiocese also announced that $3.2 million in funding has been approved for three Family of Faith projects. An investment of $200,000 will be made to improve web technology and infrastructure in the archdiocese; $1 million will go immediately to upgrade Hogan House, an archdiocese building that supports Ryerson University chaplaincy; and a $2 million loan has been awarded to Guardian Angels parish in Brampton to build a new hall, the first phase of a new church.
Reaching the $40 million mark indicates that an additional $13.5 million has been raised since the campaign raised $26.5 million in its pilot phase early in the year. That inaugural phase included 10 parishes, which collectively raised 166% of their goal, as well as several individual donors who made contributions from $100,000 to $5 million.
The current phase has added 20 more parishes, with 13 of those already meeting or surpassing their objectives.
The next phase will soon add another 73 parishes.
“It’s a tremendous achievement,” said Collins of hitting the $40 million mark so early in the campaign. Collins said the response is “an inspiration to all Catholics in the archdiocese.”
“We are a thriving faith community and I am grateful to all those who have supported this important effort.”
The cardinal also announced the establishment of an advisory committee of clergy and laity to advise him on how the Family of Faith funds should be allocated. The committee will be managed by Auxiliary Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick and the archdiocese’s Chancellor of Temporal Affairs Jim Milway.
The campaign is raising funds to address the needs of parish projects, support programs for youth and young adults, train Catholic leaders, restore St. Michael’s Cathedral, construct new churches and preserve existing church properties.