Partners in Charity kicks off in many parishes this weekend

Partners in Charity turns to St. Pope Paul VI to be the inspiration for the 2019 appeal. With the theme, “Generate Joy,” the annual campaign, which raises $5 million, begins in many parishes this weekend with in-pew collections, according to Michael P. Gillespie, director of the Office of Stewardship and Development.
A quote from Pope Paul VI, which tops the material being distributed in the parishes, provides a call to action for the appeal: “Technological society has succeeded in multiplying the opportunities for pleasure, but it has great difficulty in generating joy.”
The activities of 28 charitable, educational and pastoral ministries that receive funding from Partners generate spiritual joy, and express the joy of mission, of witness and of sharing.
In preparation for the campaign, parish representatives have met at the Chancery to collect campaign materials, view the Partners’ video and hear words of encouragement from Bishop McManus.
A first-time parish chairman said potential challenges to a fund-raising campaign, in light of scandal in the Church, can be overcome.
“I think the generosity of people in this diocese speaks for itself” – in spite of economic difficulties and immorality in society, said Kyle McDonald, of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Webster. “The disrespect for human life is at the forefront. I think people can easily get discouraged and feel like they’re fighting an uphill battle.”
But the Church is universal, and everywhere there are good people encouraging others to stand up, “so I consider it an honor to be asked to chair the campaign this year,” Mr. McDonald said.
His plans for how to address the discouragement he was talking about?
“Getting people to realize we’re all in this together,” he said.
“It’s very rewarding; last year we reached our goal” – as usual –  said Connie Jezierski, who’s been parish administrator at St. Louis in Webster for a number of years, and sets up the Partners mailings to parishioners. She said she came to the Chancery to pick up campaign materials because the Partners chair couple was unable to do so.
Speaking to parish representatives like her who attended the kickoff Feb. 28, Bishop McManus talked about about simultaneously holding two fundraising initiatives: the Partners appeal and the new capital campaign, “Legacy of Hope.” Partners is “to keep the lights on today,” he said. Legacy is so the faith will continue to be passed on.
The nine parishes that will be in the first phase of the Legacy capital campaign started their Partners in Charity appeal a month earlier than the other parishes, Mr. Gillespie said.
“The generosity of the people of the diocese is well proved,” the bishop said, supporting that statement with a tally of what has been given so far.
As of Wednesday, $1,609,202 has been received in pledges and cash from 3,782 donors, Mr. Gillespie said in an update. He said those donations came from direct mail and year-end giving initiated by Partners in Charity and from the parishes that started early. The campaign is at 31 percent of its $5 million goal, a goal it has had for several years and exceeded for the past three years, he said.
By March 6 last year $1,397,449 had been received in pledges and cash from 3,511 donors, Mr. Gillespie said.
The total number of gifts for the 2018 campaign was 16,454, he said, expressing hope that this year there will be 20,000 gifts. He said every gift, no matter the size, is important.  
The bishop encouraged pastors to show the video to their parishioners. He said he liked how the video showed Theology on Tap, a ministry that affects young adults, and how it showed people from different ethnic groups, including seminarian Peter Bui. So many good things are being done in the diocese, made possible by Partners in Charity, the bishop said.
Mr. Bui, of Our Lady of Vilna Parish, was born and reared in the Worcester Diocese to parents who immigrated from Vietnam.
The bishop said that when he came to the diocese in 2004 he was “blown away” by the faith he saw at Our Lady of Vilna, where the Vietnamese Catholic community worships. These people suffered greatly in communist Vietnam to preserve the faith, and kept the faith after coming here, he said.
“Fifteen years ago I began to pray that God would send a Vietnamese seminarian,” Bishop McManus said with feeling, adding that God answered.
The diocese has Vietnamese priests who grew up in Vietnam and were ordained here before Bishop McManus came. The bishop told The Catholic Free Press that Mr. Bui is the diocese’s first Vietnamese-American priestly vocation.
He expressed appreciation that Mr. Bui is a role model for Vietnamese-American youth, who are enculturated quickly in the United States. He said Father Tam M. Bui (no relation), pastor of the flourishing Our Lady of Vilna, is very supportive of vocations.
After the video was shown, a brief clip was added: Mr. Bui sending his thanks and prayers from seminary.
Appreciative murmurs from the audience included the comment, “That was nice.”