BAA 2018: “Our Faith in Action”

By Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News

Thanks to the generosity of donors, the 2018 Bishop’s Annual Appeal goal to raise $1.295 million has been surpassed.

A total of $1,416,000 has been raised to date in the 2018 Appeal.

“Parishioners, volunteers and parish leaders are helping us to put our faith in action by their continuing support of the Bishop’s Annual Appeal,” says Cathy Gilje of the Diocese of Saskatoon Catholic Foundation.

Funds raised for the Bishop’s Annual Appeal aid those in need through the ministries of Hospital Chaplaincy, Restorative Ministry (prison outreach), Justice and Peace, and Migration (refugee sponsorship).

Donations also support the faith journeys of seminarians (Vocations), of youth receiving sacramental preparation (Evan-gelization and Catechesis) and of young adults getting to know Jesus (Youth Ministry).

Gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal also support adult faith formation through programs such as Lay Formation and the Justice and Outreach Year (JOY) of Formation. Ecumenism, Com-munications and many other services, ministries and outreach in the diocese are also supported through gifts to the Annual Appeal.

New initiatives launched in this year’s Bishop’s Appeal include support for a capital fund for both the future building of new churches and the restoration of existing church buildings, as well as support for the Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas, a geographically vast northern diocese with limited resources, shepherded by Archbishop Murray Chatlain.

This year, a total of $130,000 will be returned to parishes who exceeded their new, adjusted 2018 BAA goals through a parish sharing program.

In the 2018 Bishop’s Annual Appeal, parishes that exceeded their goal received back 100 per cent of their overage, minus a 14-per-cent administration cost. This sharing percentage is an increase over previous years, when the parish sharing amount was 75 per cent.