Donations to the appeal will continue the support of various charitable, educational and spiritual programs of the Diocese of Sacramento.

More than 90,000 Catholic households in the 20-county diocese recently received advance notice of the appeal through a brochure and pledge envelope sent to them by the Diocesan Office of Stewardship and Development.

Bishop William K. Weigand, writing to potential donors, said the appeal is in keeping with the Jubilee Year themes of thanksgiving and social justice.

“Living as Jesus taught us, we can impact others for good—as individuals, as families, as parish communities and as a diocese,” he said. “We help share the future of the church and the world around us. Our faith calls us to live today with a sense of gratitude for the many blessings we have received and to share our good fortune with others, after the example of Christ.”

The annual appeal insures financial support for numerous diocesan programs and services, including Catholic Charities (three regionally-located diocesan social service agencies), Catholic school scholarships, community outreach services, ministry to persons with disabilities, special care of infirm priests, family life and youth ministries, education of seminarians and developing new parishes.

Last year, more individuals contributed to the Diocesan Stewardship Appeal than previously, said Mimi Scherber, director of the Office of Stewardship and Development, which administers the annual appeal.

“More people are realizing that all we have is a gift from God—this is the heart of stewardship,” she said. “Tending those gifts in a responsible and accountable manner and sharing them in justice and love with others is what stewardship is all about. The appeal meets those needs that are larger and more complex than a single parish or service group is capable of meeting.”

The appeal is geared to making contributions easy, Scherber noted. Contributors can break down their pledges into 10 monthly payments that start in March or they can make a one-time gift.

Scherber said some households in the diocese may be missing from lists used to send appeal information. “If this happens, parishioners should look for pledge envelopes in their parish,” she said. “We want to give everyone an opportunity to consider making a pledge to the appeal during this Jubilee Year.”

For more information about the Diocesan Stewardship Appeal, call the Office of Stewardship and Development at (916) 733-0266.

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