Archdiocesan capital campaign surpasses $100 million goal – new target set

With several months remaining in the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s first capital fundraising campaign in 15 years, Archbishop William E. Lori announced Dec. 30 that the campaign’s $100 million goal has already been surpassed and a new goal of $130 million has been set.

A Dec. 30 news release noted that the Embracing our Mission – Shaping our Future campaign, announced in September 2012, “will provide financial support for the Catholic Church’s mission of educating children of all faiths and economic backgrounds, serving the poor through more than 80 programs of Catholic Charities, and bringing people closer to Jesus Christ through the archdiocese’s 153 parishes.”

Archbishop Lori said the archdiocese is “blessed with extraordinarily generous parishioners and philanthropic partners who believe deeply in the Church’s mission and who eagerly share their own gifts to advance that mission for the benefit of others.”

Surpassing the goal, he said, allows the archdiocese to “be able to serve even more of God’s people in our schools, our parishes and our Catholic Charities programs.”

According to the archdiocesan website, $50 million of the original campaign goal will be used to fund endowment, tuition assistance and capital needs of Catholic schools; $20 million will be returned to parishes to fund programs and capital needs; $10 million will go to support the work of Catholic Charities, the largest private provider of human services in Maryland; $10 million will support vocations and retired clergy; $7 million will help maintain the archdiocese’s two cathedrals; and $3 million will go to evangelization.

Sean Caine, archdiocesan communications director, said money raised beyond the original goal will go to the same causes.

Frank Bramble, chairman of the campaign, noted that the campaign’s success is “especially gratifying because it comes during the toughest economic times of this generation.” He also thanked supporters of the campaign whose generosity demonstrates their “commitment to the archdiocese and to Catholic schools.”

“They have risen to the occasion and exceeded all expectations,” he said.  

The campaign is expected to conclude in the fall when the archdiocese will celebrate 225 years since its founding.