When the patriarch Jacob awoke from a dream of a stairway that connected the heavens and the earth, he vowed to give a tenth of everything he had to God (Gn 28:12-22).
Today, whether we dream of ladders or simply live ordinary lives as faithful Catholics, the call for us to give from our bounty is as crucial as it was that night in the dusty Levant.
“The importance of the Annual Appeal to the life and ministry of our Catholic Church cannot be overstated,” said Alex Previtera, director of development and operations for the Catholic Community Foundation. “The Annual Appeal helps fund cornerstone ministries of the Diocese of Richmond.”
In 2025, the target fundraising goal is $4,676,409, more than 90% of which will go directly to programs that benefit the faithful in our diocese, including youth, clergy, and those in need.
For example, $550,000 will go to seminarian education; $335,000 will support campus, youth and young adult ministries; $650,000 will be spent on the Fuel and Hunger Fund; $300,000 will support our retired priests; $1,073,744 will be shared among our parishes for various needs.
Unlike parish giving, which might be earmarked for a capital project at a specific site, the Annual Appeal funds crucial diocesan-wide programs and more.
The Annual Appeal will come to pews in parishes across our diocese on the first two weekends of Lent: March 8-9 and March 15-16.
In 2 Corinthians 8:12, St. Paul makes clear that giving should be done according to ones’ means. “It is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have,” he says.
For those who are in a position to give financially, St. Paul continues in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, “Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully,” and that “God loves a cheerful giver.”
In modern language, Previtera described the Annual Appeal as an investment in our community.
“The faithful support of the Annual Appeal by so many enables our diocese to more effectively meet the urgent annual needs of the Church, which serve as building blocks to grow the Church’s impact for years to come,” he said.