Diocesan Annual Appeal has raised $1.25 million, effort still underway

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
Dec. 21, 2006

The Diocesan Annual Appeal for the Diocese of Sioux City has currently raised $1.25 million in pledges and the effort continues.

This year's goal is $1.4 million, noted Steve Elbert, director of development for the diocese. He added that this year is running about even with last year.

Money raised through DAA helps to fund programs and ministries of Catholic Charities, education, adult and family ministry, youth ministry, tribunal, permanent deaconate, religious education, the media center, vocations, Hispanic ministries, archives and worship.

"It affects many in ways they may not realize," said Elbert. "For instance, perhaps there is a family in your particular parish who receives counseling from Catholic Charities. Perhaps there is a family whose child attends Camp CAYOCA."

In addition to supporting diocesan-level ministries, parishes and diocesan Catholic schools also receive financial benefits as a result of DAA. Each parish, that achieves 100 percent of their goal, receives the following return: a parish with two parish schools will receive 74 percent and the diocese receives 26 percent; a parish with one school receives 34 percent and the diocese receives 66 percent; a parish with no school receives 5 percent while the diocese receives 95 percent.

Parishes will receive 100 percent of the funds raised above their goal.

"It is part of our stewardship as Catholics to support the broader church," said Elbert. "The unwritten rule is that we as Catholics try to support our parish with five percent of our yearly income. The other five percent goes to charity - one percent is recommended to go to the diocesan ministries and the remainder can go to other charities as you see fit."

Bishop R. Walker Nickless mentioned that the work of the diocese is "very important. It cannot continue without the support of lay people who see the value of what we try to do in service to them in all the services we provide through the various programs and offices of the chancery."

"I am very grateful to those who recognize their stewardship responsibility to help with the work of the church, especially those who go beyond their parish boundaries and into the larger church of the diocese," said the bishop. "Their willingness to do that enables us to reach a lot more people with things they need and we can provide."

He added a reminder that people in the diocese receive services from the chancery that they may not be aware of. If someone supports the DAA, it is "an acknowledgement of that. We do a lot for parishes. In gratitude for that I would ask people to maybe reconsider or think about giving if they have never given before."

"It is always difficult for a bishop to ask for financial support, but I am not ashamed to do that because it is a very important Gospel value to support the laborers of the Lord. In a way, all of the people who work at the chancery, all the people who provide services are an extension of me in my ministry," said Bishop Nickless. "As the Gospels tell us, the laborer is worth his wage. I would just encourage people to be grateful for the blessings God has given them, especially in a financial way."

Elbert concluded by extending gratitude to the people of the diocese for their generosity.

"We are blessed to live in our diocese and in this part of the world," he said.