Partners reaches 87%

By Raymond L. Delisle
Director of Communications

While many annual fundraising efforts were cancelled during the pandemic, Partners in Charity pushed forward. “It’s the lifeline of the diocese” as Bishop McManus has often said  In the final weeks of the appeal, that trust paid off with more than $500,000 coming in after Aug. 1, usually a period when the appeal would wind down.
More than 1,500 donors responded to the letter from Bishop McManus which was sent out in August. That helped 22 parishes to meet or exceed their goals, according to Mr. Gillespie.
2020 Parish Final Results - View Here
In total 35 parishes throughout the diocese met or exceeded their goal. (A complete listing and final numbers will be published next week.)
 “Right up to the last day I was getting emails and calls from pastors wanting to know how they were doing and trying to see how they could help. It was inspiring that p eople were not giving up hope,” Mr. Gillespie said.
 “Our sense of hope as Catholics means we put our trust in God to respond to our needs,” said Bishop McManus. “God certainly works through our supporters of Partners in Charity so that we may carry on our day-to-day mission this coming year. I thank God each day that our people open their minds and hearts to God to help others in need.”
 What impact will the shortfall have in the coming year?
According to Paul G. Schasel, diocesan director of fiscal affairs, some programs do not have any latitude and need to have stable funding, such as priests’ retirement care and seminarian education. Programs which have other sources of income are being asked to tighten their belts and consider alternatives to supplement the approximately 10% drop in fundraising. These include Communications Ministry, Catholic Charities, and vocations recruitment. Still others are reorganizing their staffing after recent retirements, or cancelling many in-person events and any travel, given the expectation that the coronavirus will continue well into next year.
“The available funds from Partners in Charity will enable us to focus on our mission, and perhaps be more creative in how we carry on our specific ministries,” Mr. Schasel said.
The agencies and ministries that get funding from Partners in Charity are:
• Catholic Charities
• McAuley Nazareth Home for Boys
• Pernet Family Health Service
• Priests’ Retirement
• Retired Priests Health Ministry
• St. John Diocesan
Cemetery System
• Advanced Studies for Clergy and Laity
• Catholic Schools Office
• Communications Ministry
• Grant-in-Aid for Schools
• Office of Religious
Education
• Ongoing Priestly
Formation
• Seminarian Education
• African Ministry
• Catholic Campus Ministry
• Hispanic Apostolate
• Minister to Priests
• Office for Divine Worship
• Office of Hispanic/Latino Ministry
• Office of Marriage and Family
• Office of the Diaconate
• Respect Life Office
• St. Paul Cathedral
• Vocations Office and House of Studies
• Youth and Young Adult Ministries

The parishes that have reached or exceeded goal include:
Worcester:
Christ the King
Immaculate Conception
Holy Family
Our Lady of Vilna
Sacred Heart-St. Catherine
St. Andrew the Apostle
St. John
Cathedral of St. Paul
St. Peter

Charlton:
St. Joseph

Dudley:
St. Andrew Bobola

East Brookfield:
St. John the Baptist

Douglas:
St. Denis
Fitchburg:
St. Francis of Assisi

Grafton:
St. Philip

Harvard:
Holy Trinity

Hopedale:
Sacred Heart of Jesus

Leicester:
St. Aloysius-St. Jude

Leominster:
Holy Family of Nazareth
St. Cecilia
Holy Trinity Chapel

Lunenburg:
St. Boniface

Millbury:
Our Lady of the Assumption

Northborough:
St. Rose of Lima


Northbridge:
St. Peter

Otter River:
St. Martin

Oxford:
St. Roch

Paxton:
St. Columba

Princeton:
Prince of Peace

Shrewsbury:
St. Mary

Southborough:
St. Anne
St. Matthew

Upton:
St. Gabriel

Webster:
St. Joseph

Westminster:
St. Edward the Confessor