Partners in Charity, formerly known as the Bishop's Fund, is the Annual Appeal for the Diocese of Worcester, serving 28 charitable, educational, and pastoral ministries. Through your generous support we are able to serve thousands of families and individuals in Worcester County through outreach, formation, evangelization, and worship. 

Appeal goal: $5 million

CLICK HERE for 2017 Partners in Charity Appeal Brochure

CLICK HERE for 2016 Annual Report

By William T. Clew

Catholic Free Press Editorial
Friday, July 14, 2017
 
 

 The annual Partners in Charity Appeal appears to be on its way to hitting its goal of $5 million.

          Gifts and pledges total $4,801,984, Michael P. Gillespie, director of Stewardship and Development, said Wednesday. That is 96 percent of the goal.

          The Appeal began its annual solicitations the first week of Lent. By the beginning of June, most of the gifts and pledges for the fund drive had been received.  But $198,016 still is needed to reach the goal.

          The fund drive is, in effect, headed down the home stretch. But that’s often the toughest part of the race. 

          So this is not the time to be complacent.
          It is still summer vacation time. People are away, enjoying sun and fun. They’re probably not thinking of those who need the help of the agencies and ministries that depend on the Appeal for some of their support.

          But those ministries and  agencies, 28 of them,  are still there, and so are the people who need their help.    The numbers for the drive this year are encouraging. There have been 16,258 gifts and pledges so far this year, with a little more than six weeks to go. The average gift is a generous $298. Among those who have made donations are 135 priests.

          Thirty-eight parishes have reached or exceeded their goals and many more are close to making it.
          There have been 779 new donors, people who are contributing to the Appeal for the first time. There have been 680 gifts or pledges made on-line, a convenient way to do it by people who are away, or for anyone else for that matter.

          Back around Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, the Appeal was more than half a million dollars short of the goal, and there were about 4,000 people who had given in the past but had not yet done so this year.
          Mr. Gillespie said then that the Appeal was reaching out to those people to ask them to continue their support, and it continues to do so.

          That number has been reduced to 3,178. Some of those people may have died  or moved away. But if those who still are here were to make a gift or pledge, it could put the Appeal over the top, Mr. Gillespie said.

          Two years ago the Appeal fell a bit short of its $5 million goal. Last year it exceeded its goal.
          In May, Mr. Gillespie said he was optimistic that the Appeal will go over the top again this year. This week he said he still feels that way.

          This year’s Appeal ends with the end of the fiscal year, Aug. 31, a few days before Labor Day.

          With the continued generosity of the people of the diocese the Appeal will finish that home stretch drive with a $5 million victory.

  www.catholicfreepress.org

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Bishop McManus presented four people with pro-life awards on Thursday, March 30^th during a Mass at St. Paul Cathedral.

The Partners in Charity Appeal funds the Respect Life Office.