One-third of the way into the campaign, Archdiocese already two-thirds to goal in first such campaign in 15 years.
At 10 a.m. today, Archbishop William E. Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore, announced the kickoff of the Embracing our Mission ~ Shaping our Future capital campaign. He made the announcement from the new location of Archbishop Borders School in Baltimore’s Highlandtown neighborhood.
Embracing our Mission ~ Shaping our Future is the first capital campaign in the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 15 years. The goal of this historic initiative is to provide the financial support needed to further the Church’s mission of educating children of all faiths and economic backgrounds through its Catholic schools, serving the poor through more than 80 programs of Catholic Charities, and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ through more than 150 parishes in Baltimore City and nine counties in Maryland.
Archbishop Lori announced that $64 million has been pledged through the campaign already, with only one-third of the Archdiocese’s parishes having participated and several major gifts of $1 million or more.
“Today, we stand on the broad shoulders of those who have gone before us to rededicate and recommit ourselves to the Catholic Church’s generous and loving mission,” Archbishop Lori said. He thanked his predecessor, Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, for initiating the campaign and the people in the parishes, whom he called “the heart and soul of our Archdiocese…who inspire me daily with their goodness and their unwavering faith.”
Money raised in the campaign will fund key programs in the areas of education, charitable outreach, and parish needs.
- Half of the projected minimum goal has been earmarked for Catholic education as $50 million will be used to fund an endowment, tuition assistance and capital needs of schools;
- Twenty-million will be returned to parishes to fund programs and capital needs; and
- $10 million will go to the support the work of Catholic Charities, the largest private provider of human services in Maryland.
The campaign also targets programs and initiatives that seek to increase priestly vocations and provide care for retired priests, preserve the Archdiocese’s two cathedrals and help the Church in its overall mission of evangelization in today’s world.
Following the announcement, Archbishop Lori blessed the new home of Archbishop Borders School. The school moved into a renovated former Catholic school building at the start of this school year and is in the third year of implementation of its dual language program, which aims to graduate students with fluency in English and Spanish. It is the first and only program of its kind in a Catholic school in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Approximately 500,000 Catholics are members of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. It is the oldest Catholic diocese in the United States, founded in 1789. Archbishop William E. Lori is the 16th Archbishop of Baltimore, installed May 16, 2012.
More information about the Embracing our Mission ~ Shaping our Future campaign can be found at https://www.archbalt.org/embrace/.