By Kathi Stearns

Staff Writer

ATLANTA-A capital campaign intended to raise $50 million has actually reached $102,680,969.35 in pledges to assist the Archdiocese of Atlanta in responding to the rapid rate of growth of its Catholic population. This figure represents an unprecedented 205 percent of the original goal.

Entitled "Building the Church of Tomorrow" the campaign, which was formally launched March 21, 1997, has raised the funds necessary for the construction of new schools and Catholic campus centers, as well as endowments for the education of seminarians and for the retirement needs of priests.

Unlike the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal, this campaign was directed toward major capital expenses rather than annual operating expenses. Parishioners were personally asked by 4500 parish volunteers to make a significant sacrificial contribution in the form of a pledge that may be fulfilled over as long as a five-year period.

"The 'Building the Church of Tomorrow' campaign has been a success beyond our expectations," Archbishop John F. Donoghue said at a campaign celebration Dec. 2 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Alpharetta. "This campaign has become national Catholic news. Throughout the country people are inspired by our success and are renewed in their hopes for their own home dioceses."

The archbishop thanked the pastors, parish campaign volunteers and the campaign organizational staff for their efforts on behalf of the campaign. "I know this was not an easy job. Many of you have achieved goals that you never thought possible. And you have done this by means not always easy, like visiting fellow parishioners and asking for their support. For this hard work and dedicated leadership, I thank you. I am especially grateful to the priests and deacons who supported this program. You heard the call of the Church, trusted the message and answered the challenge."

The archbishop said the archdiocese has been blessed with many graces as a result of the campaign. "New resources, new life, new volunteers and a new spirit have come into many parishes as a result of this campaign. All our tangible objectives have been accomplished, and the benefits will be felt for many years to come. Today's and tomorrow's Catholics in North Georgia owe a debt of gratitude to you all for making this campaign a success."

The capital campaign was run by Community Counselling Service Co., New York (CCS). "Of all the fund raising consulting firms we interviewed for this campaign, they were the only ones who were confident we could attain a goal of $50 million," said Anno Hardage, chancellor for operations and development. "No one thought $102 million, but we always believed we could make it to $50 million."

Members of the campaign management team which met weekly over a 14 month period included Archbishop Donoghue, Msgr. Edward J. Dillon, vicar general for the first 12 months of the campaign, Father Mark Lacey, chancellor, Susan Kelly, director of development and Hardage. Msgr. Peter A. Dora joined the management team when he was appointed vicar general Sept. 1, 1997. Donald R. Keough, retired president and chief operating officer of the Coca-Cola Co., served as the honorary chair.

In the archdiocese there are currently 81,345 registered households from which 38,874 households were personally visited and asked to donate to the campaign. These efforts resulted in a 63 percent giving rate. The average gift pledged was $4,206 which is more than four times higher than the average pledges in any other diocesan campaign conducted by CCS. Of the 24, 409 pledges received, the largest gift pledged was $2.5 million, and the archdiocese received six gifts over $1 million. Fifty-six priests pledged $472,832.

The campaign is structured so that a portion of the funds raised will go toward the needs of individual parishes and missions. Of the $102 million, approximately $44 million will be used for archdiocesan needs and $58 million will be used for parish needs.

The $44 million archdiocesan portion will be divided among the following projects and priorities:

• $12 million is to be used to pay for a portion of the construction costs of five new Catholic schools, three new elementary and two new high schools. A $50-$60 million bond issue will also be used to fund this new construction. Three elementary schools are scheduled to open in 1999 and two high schools in the fall of 2000.
• $24 million is designated to create an endowment fund for Catholic schools. This fund is to be used for tuition assistance for Catholic families with children in Catholic schools.
• $2.5 million is to be used to build both a permanent Catholic Center on the Atlanta University campus in memory of the late Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM, and $500,000 to establish a Catholic Center at Kennesaw State University.
• $5 million is to be used for an endowment fund for the education of seminarians studying for the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and an endowment fund for the care of archdiocessan priests in their retirement. The archdiocese currently has 70 men in the seminary, reportedly the largest number of any diocese in the U.S. The campaign raised $3 million for an endowment fund in which the principal would be protected and the earnings used toward the cost of educating future priests of the archdiocese. A $2 million endowment fund will be created for care of retired priests, designated solely for residential and health care. Since the archdiocese marked its fortieth anniversary in 1996, a growing number of priests are approaching retirement, and their care will be an ongoing need.

The $58 million pledged for parish needs will be used in various ways.

Several parishes with major capital building campaigns linked their parish drives with the timing of the archdiocesan capital campaign. These parishes strove to achieve a higher financial goal, and in the process will retain a larger portion of the funds raised for their local capital campaign.

Examples of parish needs include building expansion, repairs and renovations, debt reduction, endowments or a base of funding for parish ministries.

For instance, All Saints Church, Dunwoody, has identified $700,000 in parish projects it wishes to fund. These include an addition to the parish center, a new parking lot, a new church organ and repaving of existing lots. St. Anthony's Church, Atlanta, is using their portion of the overage to preserve their existing church in the historic West End area. The overage has allowed St. Michael's, Woodstock, to plan to break ground for their first church on March 28. St. Joseph, Dalton, also has plans for a new place of worship.

The top 10 parishes by percentage of goal achieved include the following: AUC Catholic Center, 606 percent; St. Joseph, Dalton, 352 percent; Mary Our Queen, Peachtree Corners, 293 percent; St. Matthew, Winder, 242 percent; St. Monica, Duluth, 221 percent; St. Michael, Woodstock, 207 percent; St. Thomas Aquinas, Alpharetta, 207 percent; St. Gerard, Fort Oglethorpe, 195 percent; St. James, Madison, 193 percent and St. Stephen, Lilburn, 191 percent. Seventy-one of the 91 participating parishes and missions raised 100 percent or more of their goal in pledges. Twenty two parishes received pledges for more than 150 percent of their goal.

The top 10 parishes by total amounts pledged include: Holy Spirit, Atlanta, $11,864,291; The Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, $11,200,460; St. Andrew, Roswell, $6,684,063; St. Thomas Aquinas, Alpharetta, $3,952,217; All Saints Church, Dunwoody, $3,927,373; St. Joseph, Dalton, $3,524,522; St. Catherine of Siena, Kennesaw, $3,067,838; Mary Our Queen, Peachtree Corners, $2,930,796; St. Ann, Marietta, $2,789,790 and St. John Neumann, Lilburn, $2,664,601. These parishes collectively raised 147 percent of their goal and accounted for 51 percent of the overall total pledged. Holy Spirit and Christ the King each rank among the most successful in the history of parish fund raising in the Catholic Church in the United States.

The top 10 parishes by the number of gifts received include: All Saints Church, Dunwoody, 1,225 gifts; St. Thomas Aquinas, Alpharetta, 1,157 gifts; Christ the King, Atlanta, 1,096 gifts; St. John Neumann, Lilburn, 1,034 gifts; St. Andrew, Roswell, 1,027 gifts; St. Catherine of Siena, Kennesaw, 980 gifts; Transfiguration, Marietta, 909 gifts; St. Benedict, Duluth, 908 gifts; St. Joseph, Marietta, 724 gifts and St. Ann, Marietta, 719 gifts. Forty-one percent of all gifts/pledges received during the campaign came from these 10 parishes.

The top 10 parishes by giving rate included Christ the Redeemer, Dawsonville, 100 percent; St. Anthony, Atlanta, 93 percent; Our Lady of the Mount, Lookout Mountain, 91 percent; The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 90 percent; Holy Spirit, Atlanta, 88 percent; St. Joseph, Dalton, 85 percent; St. Mary's, Jackson, 83 percent; St. Stephen, Lilburn, 82 percent; Christ the King, Atlanta, 81 percent; St. Francis de Sales Latin Mass Community, Alpharetta, 77 percent and St. Vincent de Paul Mission, Dallas, 77 percent. The overall giving rate of the archdiocese was 61 percent, almost three times higher than that of any other campaign conducted by CCS.

These statistics reflect all documented pledges received through February 24, 1998. Parish totals are subject to change after parish reviews and audits. The campaign surpassed the archdiocesan goal of $50 million Oct. 15, 1997 and the $100 million mark on Dec. 17, 1997. To date the archdiocese has collected $17,570,503.99.