Recognizing opportunities to reduce costs and strongly align vision and mission, the ministry-supporting Catholic Services Appeal Foundation said Aug. 9 it will return the annual appeal to the auspices of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis starting Jan. 1, 2024.
With the support of the interim CSAF president, Yen Fasano, the six-member board voted to dissolve the independent foundation, which had been created in 2013 to give confidence to donors at a time when it was foreseen that the uncertainties of a potential archdiocesan bankruptcy could have a negative impact on the financial support raised annually for essential ministries. Prior to 2013, the appeal was run by the archdiocese.
“I am excited to see the annual appeal move back to its original location at the archdiocese,” said Karen Rauenhorst, board chair and a longtime supporter of the appeal. “I am confident, not only as a board chair, but as a donor, that we will be able to assist the ministries that we support in a more effective manner.”
The appeal supports 19 key ministries in the archdiocese, ranging from hospital ministry to campus ministry to prison ministry. The appeal has enabled the archdiocese to educate its seminarians, to engage in programming in support of marriage and families, and to serve Latino and Native American Catholics. It has also made Catholic education more affordable for needy families, and supported care for the poor and marginalized as well as for those facing unexpected pregnancies. This year, the foundation promised to support the priorities that emerged from the Archdiocesan Synod.
The appeal will conclude its 2023 campaign as part of the CSAF organization. Starting Jan. 1, the foundation’s efforts will be returned to the archdiocese, and the appeal will be led by Jean Houghton, director of the archdiocese’s Office of Mission Advancement.
The board and Archbishop Bernard Hebda informed stakeholders in separate letters Aug. 9.
“The archdiocese will always be indebted to the CSAF directors and staff who for the past 10 years have independently enabled the Church’s work to continue in spite of the uncertainties that accompanied bankruptcy and a transition in leadership,” the archbishop wrote.
“I encourage you to read the CSAF’s announcement about their belief that this is the right decision at the right time to allow ‘for greater alignment with the larger mission and vision of the local Church,’ and for the consolidation of ‘resources, talents, and efforts to serve more efficiently and effectively the spiritual and material needs’ of the people of the archdiocese,” the archbishop said.
The timing of the move was precipitated by the unanticipated departure last May of the former CSAF president, Tizoc Rosales, who left to take the position of director of institutional advancement at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul. In announcing Rosales’ departure, board members said they would prayerfully discern the next steps for the foundation.
In their letter to CSAF supporters, Rauenhorst and other board members said discernment led to the decision to have the appeal rejoin the archdiocese.
“We firmly believe that with reintegrating the annual campaign into the archdiocese, there will be greater alignment with the larger mission and vision of the Church,” the board said, in part. “This will allow us to consolidate our resources, talents, and efforts to serve more efficiently and effectively the spiritual and material needs of our Church, under the guidance and leadership of our shepherd, Archbishop Bernard Hebda.”
“Lastly, we would like to express our profound gratitude for your unwavering support and trust throughout this 10-year journey of our Foundation,” the board wrote. “We hope you will continue to support the Catholic Services Appeal and may the center of our Love, our Lord Jesus, bless you immensely for your generosity and faithfulness!”
