An Appeal based on the Gospel

	Bishop Robert J. Banks

This week we began the Bishop's Appeal for 2003. It is my hope that our people will respond as enthusiastically as they did last year. The 2002 Appeal was the best yet, with increases in the total amount given, the average individual gift and the number of Crozier members. If we can maintain that trend, our 2003 appeal should definitely meet its target of $4.8 million.

Stepping Together in Faith 2003 Bishop's Appeal
Related articles ... from Feb. 7, 2003 issue: • Weekend helps couples avoid marital rocks from Jan. 31, 2003 issue: • Stop and consider all the people Appeal helps • Pie chart showing how contribu- tions to Bishop's Appeal are divided • TEC enriches and plants seeds

I can't think of another collection where you get "more bang for the buck." Thanks to the tremendous support we get from local pastors and parish staffs, we do not have to spend much on running this diocesan-wide collection. Yes, we do have some advertising, but it would not be fair to expect parishes to carry the whole burden of making the Appeal alone. The Diocese has to do something, and the advertising has made a difference.

Thanks are necessary

Every year, I receive a couple of letters from generous donors who say that I should not be sending out "thank you" letters. But that would not be polite and, if I remember correctly, the Lord was upset that nine of those healed lepers did not come back to say "Thanks." Besides, the IRS wants proof if you give a gift over $200, or is it $250?

In these past two years, I have also received letters asking if the money will be used to take care of any of the expenses involved in the sexual abuse cases. I can assure you that gifts to the Bishop's Appeal are used only to support the charitable and religious operations of the Diocese. None of the money given in the Bishop's Appeal is used for settlements or other expenditures related to the sexual abuse cases.

If you have read carefully the annual financial report that was recently included in the Sharing newsletter mailed to most of you, you know that the funds generated by the Appeal are managed very carefully. There is an annual audit process and we have competent and successful business leaders as volunteers on our diocesan finance council and budget review committee. Beginning this year, we have sent to Abp. Dolan of Milwaukee a letter signed by all our finance council members that certifies we have received the yearly audit of the diocesan finances.

Enormous good work

Most importantly, the Church of Green Bay does an enormous amount of good work with the contributions received. And, each year, we do more, thanks to our people's generosity.

Many times, local counties and communities have had to call on our Catholic Charities for services that they cannot provide themselves. And now, with the shortage of priests and sisters, parishes find themselves having to rely for service on lay persons who have been prepared by the Diocese. Most noticeable, perhaps, is the increase of ministry and assistance to the thousands of Hispanics who come to this area. And, last year, we re-opened our office for adoptions with beautiful success.

I write all this because it is my responsibility to help raise the money we need in this great Church of Green Bay. And I do so willingly and with enthusiasm, because I know the money accomplishes so much for the Gospel and for the poor and troubled. But there is another reason that I am glad and eager to talk about giving generously to the Church. Giving to the works of the Church can be a way to grow in faith and in love of the Lord. This years slogan for the Appeal -- Stepping Together in Faith -- is not just a slogan. It is the truth. To give generously to the Appeal can be a step in faith.

It is not by accident that the beginnings of the Church in the time of the Apostles was tied up with generous giving. It started with members of the new Church supporting one another in the local community. "There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need" (Acts 4:34-5).

That might sound extreme, but they were listening to what Jesus had to say: "Sell your possessions. Give alms. Make for yourselves purses that do not age, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven. ... Where your treasure is, in that place your heart also will be" (Lk 12:32-34).

Certainly, Jesus was not trying to raise money; he died with nothing. He was preaching to each one of us about the attitude we should take toward our money and possessions. Most of us let the monks and nuns take Jesus' words about selling possessions literally. All I am suggesting is that our acts of generosity can be as religious as our acts of prayer, if we do them in faith and with heartfelt generosity.

Sow abundantly

St. Paul used his preaching in Greece to talk about faith in Jesus and generosity to the poor in Jerusalem. In his letter to the Corinthians, he urges them to give generously to the collection. "Remember: sow sparingly, and you will reap sparingly; sow bountifully and you will reap bountifully. Each person should give as he has decided for himself; there should be no reluctance, no sense of compulsion; God loves a cheerful giver."

Paul goes on to say that this is a religious act: "... those who receive it (the aid) will give honor to God when they see how humbly you obey him and how faithfully you confess the Gospel of Christ. ... their hearts will go out to you because of the richness of the grace which God has given you." Obviously, Paul sees generosity as a way of being faithful to the Gospel and as the result of a rich grace.

So I am not just pushing the Appeal; I am preaching the Gospel. And I hope that each one who contributes will do so with a full appreciation that they are being faithful to our Lord, Jesus Christ.