Annual Pastoral Appeal, “One Body In Christ”

Once again we at St. Mark are being called upon to support the many services provided by our Diocese of St. Petersburg. The Annual Pastoral Appeal is a call to the people of God to promote the ministry of Christ and His Church through their gifts of support. These sacrificial offerings by St. Mark parishioners and other devoted Catholics prepare seminarians for priesthood, save unborn children, improve the lives of families in crisis, provide faith formation for all and support the worship and faith activities of parishes.

The Annual Pastoral Appeal provides the opportunity to educate Catholics about the broad spectrum of ministries the Catholic Church provides; gives Catholic pride in the services the Catholic Church offers to the community at large; and call Catholics to involvement in these ministries through gifts of time, talent and treasure. I want all of you to understand that the Annual Pastoral Appeal is not an assessment, but a call to all the parishes throughout the Diocese that raises 70% of the costs of all the liturgical, faith formation, parish support, educational and service ministries that benefit hundreds of thousands of people, including many St. Mark parishioners, in our five county area.

You may be asking yourselves how the Appeal support helps us here at St. Mark. Just to name a few, Catholic Schools such as Most Holy Redeemer, St. Anthony’s, Morning Star and Corpus Christi, get funds from the Appeal. Our very active St. Vincent DePaul Society is allocated funds from the Appeal. Also, the popular Spirit FM relies on support from the appeal.

We have had a very successful 2007 Pastoral Appeal campaign. As of December 31, 2007, 490 families pledged $124,229.
We have collected $121,392, which has been sent to the Diocese. While our goal for the 2008 Annual Pastoral Appeal has increased slightly, I am focusing on an increase in family contribution participation. Please make your check payable to the Annual Pastoral Appeal for 2008 and send them directly to the Diocese.

My dream would be to have all of you participate on some level of giving and I am asking you to help me fulfill that dream. I’ve talked or written to you about the new programs initiated in 2008 along with the excitement of embarking upon the building of a new church. I am asking for your time, talent and treasure to help me fulfill this dream.

If you have any questions about the Appeal please feel free to contact myself, Chuck Rizzo or Joe Philips.

Peace, Fr. David