Did You Know? Three Insights into the Because We Are Catholic Annual Appeal

The annual Because We Are Catholic Appeal bears great fruit in the Diocese of Allentown. Below, we offer three important facts about the Appeal, shedding some light on the effects and workings of this initiative.

Did you know? Appeal contributions are reserved for Catholic schools, Vocations efforts, Parish Life, and Community Service ministries.

All Annual Appeal contributions are held in a restricted trust for these specific purposes. As soon as money flows in, money flows out in a monthly check to the various beneficiaries, so there is no pool of money to be tapped for other Diocesan expenses. Thanks to the Appeal, the Diocese supports seminarian formation, special learning centers, Hispanic ministries, retired and infirmed priests, and Catholic Charities, among many other ministries. As part of the Diocese of Allentown’s commitment to fiscal transparency, a full description of Annual Appeal distributions is available online at www.BecauseWeAreCatholic.org.

Did you know? The Because We Are Catholic Appeal is a restricted trust monitored by a Board of Trust Advisors.

Because We Are Catholic contributions are held in a restricted Charitable Trust, which is legally separate from the Diocese of Allentown. As stated above, funds from this trust may only be used for Catholic schools, Vocations efforts, Parish Life, and Community service ministries. A Board of Trust Advisors, composed of lay people from every county and Deanery in the Diocese of Allentown, meet regularly to monitor the Trust, review income and expenditures, and advise Bishop about local community needs and Annual Appeal allocations.

Did you know? Contributions to the Annual Appeal also help your local parish.

All parishes in the Diocese of Allentown have a local Because We Are Catholic Appeal goal. Parishes receive cash back when that goal is exceeded. Additionally, as part of an effort to connect new parishioners with the Because We Are Catholic Appeal, parishes receive 100% of contributions from first-time Annual Appeal donors. Finally, parishes which do not meet their Annual Appeal goal are not required to cover the difference from their own funds. In this way, the Annual Appeal is not a burden to parishes. Instead, it is a shared, community-wide effort to support Diocesan ministries as well as your local church.

We hope that this information is helpful to you. Please consider making a gift to the Because We Are Catholic Appeal today by clicking the button below.