Preserving Our Past...Building Our Future
Case Statement
All funds pledged to the campaign have been used only for the goals which were presented at the beginning of the campaign.
On this page:
- Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament: $10 million
- Priests' Retirement & Housing: $7 million
- Catholic Education & Formation: $16 million
- Catholic Social Ministries: $5 million
- Parish Projects: $12 million
Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament: $10 million
The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is our mother church, the heart of the diocese. While we all participate as members of our own parishes, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament belongs to all the people of the diocese.
In the spring of 1997 an assessment of the 110 year-old European-style building was initiated. The assessment addressed four general areas: seismic and structural issues, water intrusion, functional elements, and liturgical needs. A proposal of a holistic plan of action was developed.
Thanks to funding produced in part by the Campaign, a monumental restoration effort began in August 2003. The magnificently restored Cathedral was rededicated in November 2005. Since then, thousands of people have taken guided tours of what is now the largest restored Cathedral in the United States west of the Mississippi.
Priests' Retirement & Housing: $7 million
As Catholics we are blessed with the gift of the priesthood. After a lifetime of service, devotion, and sacrifice we must secure our priests well being by providing for basic retirement needs.
The campaign calls for a $5 million contribution to the Priests Retirement Fund and a $2 million housing project for retired priests. In January 2004, the first six occupants took residency in the new facility that was constructed adjacent to the Christ the King Retreat Center in Citrus Heights on 15-acres surroundings of oak-filled landscape. The retirement village includes 24 independent living units, a 3,400 square foot community building, a chapel, living and recreation rooms, dining facility, kitchen, two guest rooms, and a parlor.
Catholic Education & Formation: $16 million
Catholic Schools are an effective way to pass along our Catholic faith and give young people a rich intellectual and spiritual foundation. Investment in Education and Formation involves four areas of focus:
Scholarship Endowment: $5 million
The campaign will augment the bishop’s scholarship fund dramatically by creating an endowment of $5 million for elementary as well as secondary need-based scholarships.
St. Francis High School & Bishop Quinn High School: $7.5 million
$5 million will be raised to support the much-needed expansion project at St. Francis High School in Sacramento and $2.5 million will be raised for our newest diocesan high school, Bishop Quinn Catholic High School in Palo Cedro.
Seed a High School Building Fund: $1.5 million
The diocese recognizes that as Northern California continues to grow, there will be still greater pressures put on our Catholic schools. The campaign allocates $1.5 million to “seed” a building fund for a new high school in the future.
Seminarian Endowment: $1 million
The campaign helps us meet the financial challenges of more vocations by increasing our seminary endowment by $1 million.
Religious Education & Lay Ecclesial Ministry Scholarships: $1 million
By creating a $1 million Lay Formation Endowment we are able to offer partial scholarships for the formation of parish Coordinators and Directors of Religious Education, Youth Ministers, Religion Education Teachers, and other lay ministries.
Catholic Social Ministries: $5 million
The campaign recognizes that many of the organizations that provide the most important services to the community have the fewest resources to carry out their good works. The campaign creates hope for those in need in the following ways:
Social Services Endowment: $2 million
The campaign will create a $2 million Social Services Endowment that will allow programs and their sponsoring agencies to apply for funds on an annual basis. Those agencies include:
- Catholic Social Service, Sacramento
- Catholic Social Service, Solano County
- Northern Valley Catholic Social Service
- Mother Teresa Maternity Home of El Dorado County
- Sacramento Food Bank Services
- St. Patrick’s Home for Children
Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services: $2 million
Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services (SFB+FS) is a landmark Catholic social service organization dedicated to assisting those in need. SFB+FS used these campaign funds to construct facilities, in Del Paso Heights and North Sacramento, expanding their capacity to provide emergency food, educational opportunities, and other family services.
Diocesan Stewardship Appeal: $1 million
Now known as the Annual Catholic Appeal, the DSA did not conduct a separate collection in 2002 and was instead funded by funds raised by the campaign. The DSA was reorganized and reintroduced in 2003 as the Annual Catholic Appeal.
Parish Projects: $12 million
Parish communities are the center of Catholic and sacramental life for individuals and families. A primary objective of the campaign has been to strengthen the parishes at the same time as we secure the future of the larger Church. Throughout our 20-county diocese, funds returned to the parishes have been used for restorations, repairs, expansion, new facilities, debt reduction, endowments, and new ministries.