Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration (above): The parishioners of St. Gerard, Roanoke, held a celebration at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Salem, on Tuesday, Dec. 12, to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe on her feast day. Parishioners prayed a rosary and attended Mass, celebrated by Father Daniel Cogut, pastor; Father Julio Reyes, parochial vicar; and retired Father Louis Benoit. The celebration also included a play recreating the apparitions of Our Lady to St. Juan Diego, dances and food. (Photo/Isaura Munoz)
Generosity for Catholic community in iGiveCatholic: During the 2023 iGiveCatholic campaign, the diocese’s Catholic Community Foundation reports that $819,640.80 was donated to 81 participating diocesan organizations. There were 1,891 donors in this year’s campaign.
iGiveCatholic is a non-profit in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that allows Catholics to “Give Back and Give Catholic” on Giving Tuesday, a global effort to inspire generosity each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
Here are some standout statistics from this year’s campaign:
- The Diocese of Richmond ranked 11th nationally out of 50 dioceses and archdioceses.
- Top 5 schools in the diocese:
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- Catholic High School, Virginia Beach, placed 6th nationally out of 1,870 organizations, raising $275,573 – more than double their goal of $100,000.
- Roanoke Catholic School: $104,834 (goal: $100,000)
- Charlottesville Catholic School: $82,735
- Walsingham Academy, Williamsburg: $52,836
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Newport News: $32,550
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- St. Nicholas, Virginia Beach, was the top-earning parish in the diocese: $38,870 (goal: $34,000).
- JMU Catholic Campus Ministry was the top-earning campus ministry in the diocese: $8,675.
Honoring veterans at Christmas (below): All Saints Catholic Cemetery, Portsmouth, was one of more than 4,000 cemeteries across the country that took part in the annual Wreaths Across America event on Saturday, Dec. 16. The Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree Assembly 1166 organized this local effort. It was the fourth time the cemetery took part in the program, where volunteers place wreaths at the gravesite of each military veteran. Color and Honor Guard Members from Knights of Columbus Assembly 1505 in Virginia Beach also supported the effort on Dec. 16, where volunteers aimed to place 200 wreaths on veterans’ headstones. (Photo/Dan Foster)
The Spirit of St. Nicholas (below): Alex Islam and Joey Martocci, fifth graders at St. Matthew School, Virginia Beach, put into action a phrase frequently heard throughout the year: “Be a blessing to others.” Alex and Joey collected over $900 in donations and went shopping for toys for the school’s annual “Toys for Tots” drive. Marine Corps representatives visited the school on Tuesday, Dec. 5, to collect all the toys donated by students and staff to help brighten Christmas for children in need. (Photo/Elizabeth Allen)
Sports Sweep (below): The fall sports teams at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Newport News, swept the Peninsula Independent Athletic League (PIAL) Championships this year. The boys’ and girls’ cross country teams are now champions in the league. The co-ed soccer team had an undefeated season and won the championship. The girls volleyball team was the defending PIAL champions going into the 2023 season and beat Trinity Lutheran to earn a consecutive championship. (Photos/Sarah Weischedel)
