Feb 14, 2015 5 min read

Catholics in Washington and Greene counties showed their generosity in a recent campaign by the Diocese of Pittsburgh aimed at reinvigorating evangelization and supporting the work of the church.

Bishop David Zubik announced “Our Campaign for The Church Alive” in late December 2012, asking parishioners to consider pledging sacrificial gifts over five years. The campaign is supporting priorities across the diocese, including need-based tuition for children in Catholic elementary and secondary schools, religious education, seminarian formation, support for retired and senior priests, Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center and brothers and sisters in the mission.

The diocesewide goal for the campaign, which officially ended at the end of last month, was $125 million. Donors pledged more than $230 million, with almost $63 million of that already received as of late January. The money will be disbursed as it is received, including to the individual parishes. None of the money raised can be used for operating expenses of the parish or the diocese.

Each parish was given a target amount to raise. Of that amount, 60 percent would be earmarked to support programs operated by the diocese while the remainder would be used for ministries in the local parish. Any amount received above the target will be split between the church and diocese in reverse proportion. The target amount was based on 175 percent of the average offertory collection over the previous three years to the start of the campaign by the parish. The campaign in the diocese was done in phases, with different parishes participating in each phase.

“It gave parishes an incentive to go over their target,” said Bob DeWitt of The Church Alive campaign. “It also gave pastors a chance to get to know their parishioners as they sat down and talked to them about the campaign. Most of the money was raised in those one-on-one visits.”

Parishioners took to heart and took to prayer the campaign,” he added. “That was a big reason for the success.”

St. Hugh Parish in Carmichaels, Greene County, was one of the parishes to exceed its target. The target established by the diocese was $275,000; parishioners pledged $433,215, or 158 percent of the target.

The Rev. John Bauer, pastor at St. Hugh, admits to being skeptical when he first learned of the lofty campaign plans.

“I was one of those who thought it would flop,” Bauer admitted. “But we did very well. I was just amazed at the response. Our parishioners took ownership of it. The response was just great. I am really proud. Grace was built upon grace.”

The parish plans to use the money toward construction of a new social hall that will be built adjacent to the church. Bauer said the parish has outgrown the space in the basement that it uses for meetings and various functions.

Father Robert Staszewski is proud of the generosity of the two parishes he shepherds in northern Washington County, St. Michael in Avella and St. Ann in Bulger. The parishioners of St. Michael more than doubled the $140,000 target, pledging more than $290,000. The members of St. Ann also exceeded their target of $180,000.

“They certainly embraced the campaign and did very well,” Staszewski said. “Most of the members have been born and raised in these communities. The church is an important part of the fabric of their lives.”

The pledged money will be used to pay off debt at St. Michael from a previous building project while the money promised to St. Ann will be used to make upgrades and repairs.

Several parishes in the diocese were given permission to conduct a larger, combined campaign to address extraordinary needs. The parishes had to guarantee they would meet the target and were allowed to keep all of the money over the target toward the approved special projects.

Three of those parishes are in Washington County. Immaculate Conception in Washington is doing a complete renovation of the interior of the church. Ave Maria in Bentleyville is expanding evangelization, education and the youth ministry as well as working on the Knights of Columbus Hall, which will be used for those programs. St. Benedict the Abbot in Peters Township is converting the former church into a parish center and revamping O’Brien Hall.

The target for St. Benedict was $2.26 million. Parishioners pledged $4,424,746, or 194 percent of the target in their campaign, titled “Preserving Our Heritage, Building Our Future.”

“The campaign was very successful across the board,” said the Rev. Robert Miller, pastor. “None of us had done any fundraising like this before, so I think we were all pleasantly surprised. We followed the recipe given us by the campaign, and it worked.”

Miller said he enjoyed having the opportunity to get out and meet some of the parishioners he did not know. There are 11,000 parishioners in St. Benedict.

“The parishioners already give to so many charities,” he added. “I learned about their generosity and kindness.”

Miller anticipates work beginning this summer to refurbish the former church that has seen little use since 2006 when the new church was completed. The former church is used for storage and a few classes.

“But there are a lot of memories for parishioners in that building,” Miller said of the former church. “There were people who were married there, buried family members and baptized children. Now, we have a chance to turn it into a parish center. We really need the space for our different programs. We have over 1,200 students enrolled in our faith formation or CCD classes.”

The first phase of work will be focused on the heating and cooling system as well as installation of a fire protection system. He expects to let bids for the project in March. He said about $500,000 in pledges have been collected to start the project.

Miller said parishioners already have benefitted from the campaign through the diocese, receiving assistance through tuition reimbursement so their children can attend school at St. Patrick in Canonsburg or St. Louise DeMarillac in Upper St. Clair.