Pat Regan and his wife, Mary, have been parishioners of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings since 1980. As Pat recalls, their annual contributions to the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation may go back almost that far, 30 to 40 years. He and his wife served as “chair couple” for a couple of those years.
Early on, the Regans were motivated to contribute financially because “we knew it was supporting Catholic schools, where we and our kids had such a great, impactful experience,” Pat said, giving a shout-out to his and his wife’s “bicentennial class” (1976) at Hill-Murray. “It’s just a way to give back. And it’s very impactful for people with real needs.”
Pat said he is “very committed to helping our priests and their missions,” naming Father Greg Schaffer as one example, who has served in Venezuela for many years. But Pat said he is happy to support other ministries as well.
This year, the Regans and other parishioners across the archdiocese began seeing CSAF communications Feb. 18-19 as the annual appeal is announced, and commitments will be particularly encouraged Feb. 25-26.
But parishioners might bear in mind that money raised or pledged is distributed to ministries over the course of a year, and donations are accepted any time, said Tizoc Rosales, CSAF president.
“The campaign actually is a year long,” an important aspect of the effort, he said.
People can make a one-time gift, a recurring gift or a pledge that is fulfilled over the course of the year, Rosales said. Donations can be set up in several different ways, he said, “because these ministries need it so much and the work that’s being done by them is so important.”
Jim and Teresa Lodoen, parishioners of St. Peter in Mendota, have contributed to the annual CSAF campaign for the past 25 to 30 years. Jim, 62, believes they initially gave $100 to $200 a year, but increased the amount over the years as much as they were able.
Jim appreciates that the recipients of donations “are so thoroughly vetted” and represent ministries so important to them, including education, pro-life ministry and the seminarians.
As Catholics, it’s not only important to be active and engaged “in our parish,” Jim said, but to be committed to the broader Catholic community as well. The CSAF campaign provides “a very easy way to contribute to a number of very worthy causes,” he said.
This year’s goal is raising “at least $8.6 million,” if not more, Rosales said, which is about the same as last year. “We get gifts big and small, and every one of them helps,” he said.
“The better we do, the better we’re able to assist these vital ministries with their important work.”
CSAF provides informational materials to parishes in English and Spanish, including a video, poster, brochure, flyer, bulletin insert and bulletin announcements with a QR code for making donations.
HOW TO DONATE
Parishioners can donate online at csafspm.org/ways-to-give/giving-options, by telephone at 612-294-6622 or by mail to The Catholic Services Appeal Foundation, P.O. Box 6488, St. Paul, MN 55106.
