On Jan. 14, the Catholic Services Appeal (CSA) hosted its annual kickoff at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul, with about two dozen parish business administrators and pastors among those attending.
In a testimony at the event, Elias Budke, a seminarian at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, said that appeal funds cover half of the tuition and room and board for men at the seminary.
“Thank you for all of your support and know that it really is meaningful to me and my discernment and continued formation at The St. Paul Seminary,” Budke said. “Obviously, we’re not priests yet, but we get to shadow a priest, and we get to have conversations with priests, and we get to encounter people in their struggles and joys. … All of this is focused on helping people encounter Jesus. … I just am so grateful for the formation that I received at (The) St. Paul Seminary.”
Marci Franzen, associate director of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Mission Advancement, told the gathering that the appeal is meant to bring life to Catholic education and ministries that focus on social justice, evangelization, pro-life, marriage, family and youth. These ministries, she said, are close to Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s heart.
“These ministries are succeeding and growing because of the generous support in our archdiocese,” Franzen said. “These dollars support the immediate needs of these local ministries, and the needs are great. It isn’t something that any of us alone can handle, and that is why there is the Catholic Services Appeal, because together, bringing the money and collecting the donations from across our archdiocese, we can really make a difference in these ministries.”
From 2013 to 2024, the appeal was an independent entity separate from the archdiocese, known as the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation. Last year, the Catholic Services Appeal was reincorporated into the archdiocese and raised over $8.5 million. The goal for 2025 is $9 million. Franzen noted that donors can write checks to the Catholic Services Appeal, but not to the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation, because the foundation no longer exists.
The official in-pew kickoff weekend for all Masses in the archdiocese was Feb. 1-2. The appeal has scheduled promotional materials in hopes of bringing in more donors this year to reach the increased goal of $9 million.
In 2025, the CSA hopes to show the impact donations have on ministries in the archdiocese through impact statements. During the kickoff on Jan. 14, Bridget Kramer, the principal of Community of Saints Regional Catholic School in West St. Paul, shared how CSA donations have helped Catholic schools.
“We, as a school organization, work hard to raise money for tuition assistance so that every family, regardless of financial circumstances, has access to a high-quality Catholic education,” Kramer said. “We continue to work to provide more livable wages for our staff, to address deferred, present and preventative building and ground maintenance. … The reality is, as you know, our hard work alone is simply not sustainable. Community of Saints Regional Catholic School is blessed to be a ministry supported by CSA.”
Kramer said funds from the appeal significantly impact Community of Saints’ ability to operate and continue its ministry and vision. As one of the nine Drexel Mission Schools, Community of Saints receives funding based on poverty level, demographics and enrollment. These schools aim to strengthen Catholic education in the archdiocese by making it more affordable for low-income students and students of color. In addition to Community of Saints, the following schools have this designation: St. Peter Claver and St. Pascal Baylon Regional Catholic School, both in St. Paul; Immaculate Conception in Columbia Heights; Risen Christ, Ascension and John Paul II, all in Minneapolis; Blessed Trinity in Richfield; and St. Jerome in Maplewood.
Franzen added that in addition to supporting Drexel Mission Schools, the Catholic Services Appeal provides all archdiocesan Catholic schools with funding for initiatives within the Roadmap for Catholic Education as well as scholarships administered through St. Paul-based Aim Higher Foundation. Nearly every school in the archdiocese has at least one Aim Higher Catholic Services Appeal scholar. “Through our partnership with Aim Higher, we are able to reach out to all our archdiocesan schools and offer support to those who need it most,” she said.
After leading a prayer before the Jan. 14 kickoff event, Archbishop Hebda said, “I’m very hopeful, brothers and sisters, that we are able to look at success again in the 2025 appeal. … We also know that we’re always called to be the hands of Christ as well in our community. I’m delighted that the Catholic Services Appeal is once again focusing on helping those in need. We live in a world where people are moved when they are able to see a witness to Christian love. The way in which we’re able to have an impact on helping those in our community in need is particularly significant.”
MINISTRIES SUPPORTED BY THE CATHOLIC SERVICES APPEAL
Educate in Faith
An essential component of the Church’s ministry is the education of the next generation of disciples, as well as the continuing formation of all its members.
- K-8 student scholarships and school support – The appeal does this through need-based student scholarships awarded through an archdiocesan partner, the Aim Higher Foundation in St. Paul. The appeal also offers direct support to Drexel Mission Schools. These are nine schools with a high number of students who qualify for free lunch and a large population of English as a second language students, among other factors.
- College outreach programs – The appeal supports St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
- Room and board for seminarians – The appeal supports students at The St. Paul Seminary and St. John Vianney College Seminary, both in St. Paul.
Help Those in Need
The Church is called to make the love of Jesus tangible in the world today, especially to the poor, the vulnerable and those on the peripheries.
- Meals and short-term housing support for the homeless and food and clothing for those in crisis – both at Catholic Charities Twin Cities.
- Hospital ministry – Including financial support for chaplains.
- Prison chaplains – Underwriting the cost of this difficult but rewarding work that often sees high turnover.
- Venezuelan Mission – Supporting the work of Father Greg Schaffer in Cuidad Guayana, Venezuela. He manages a parish, a food bank and a home for abandoned elderly women.
Faith Formation
At the heart of the Church’s ministry is facilitating encounters with the person of Jesus Christ. Central to what it means to be Catholic is the development of a friendship with Jesus through prayer and reflection.
- Youth and young adult parish leader training – Support West St. Paul-based NET Ministries in training young adults who go out to parishes and work with youth.
- Adult small group ministry resources – Financial assistance to parishes as they create materials.
- Multi-cultural parish support. Latino Ministry, Indian Ministry and outreach to Korean, Hmong and other communities.
- American Sign Language interpreters and pastoral outreach.
Respect for Life
Knowing that every human person has God-given dignity.
- Respect for life in all stages.
- Unexpected pregnancy support. Support centers that help women and families facing an unplanned pregnancy or are in need. This includes Guiding Star Wakota in West St. Paul and others through Elevate Life, which manages many centers.
