By Gretchen Keiser, Staff Writer

ATLANTA—Catholics throughout the archdiocese are asked to pledge their support to the 2001 Archdiocesan Annual Appeal on Commitment Sunday, Oct. 29.

The Archdiocesan Annual Appeal, with a goal of $4.3 million for 2001, helps fund the operating expenses for a 12-month period for a variety of archdiocesan programs, including vocations, religious education and faith formation, pastoral outreach and Catholic Charities.

The $4.3 million will be utilized in the following ways:

—$1.746 million for the Vocations Program. Funds go toward the education of seminarians studying to be priests of the archdiocese. There are 49 men in the process of study currently. Eleven priests were ordained this year and eight are scheduled to be ordained in 2001. The Vocations Program also includes the formation process for the 135 permanent deacons of the archdiocese, who provide ministries in parishes and missions and at prisons, hospitals, nursing facilities, Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport and in many other areas of service.

—$500,000 for the Religious Education and Faith Formation Program of the archdiocese. Funds go toward the archdiocesan youth ministry and young adult ministry programs; toward family and children’s catechesis; toward archdiocesan adult formation and initiation of people into the Catholic faith; toward lay formation and evangelization efforts; and toward the office of Hispanic catechesis. The Religious Education Department oversees the catechesis of 50,000 children and youth by 7,950 catechists, not including bilingual catechesis programs, and of 41,000 adults in faith formation programs.

—$466,000 for the pastoral outreach of the archdiocese. Funds are directed toward the archdiocesan Pro-Life Office, the Office for Black Catholic Ministry, the Hispanic Apostolate and Project Aware, the program providing education, information and training to recognize child abuse and correctly respond to possible abuse.

—$338,000 for mission development in the archdiocese. Funds are used to develop and open new missions to serve the growing Catholic population. Most recently a new mission has been opened in Sharpsburg.

—$950,000 for Catholic Charities of the archdiocese. Programs include Counseling Services, offering individual, couple and family counseling; Pregnancy, Parenting and Adoption Services, which assists women in crisis pregnancies and provides an open adoption process; Commmunity Connections/Parish Social Ministry, which works with issues of social justice at the parish level; Immigration Services, which assists people who have immigrated to the United States; and the Athens office of Catholic Social Services. In addition, funds are directed toward housing for the elderly, which is under the umbrella of Catholic Charities, and the Office of Family Concerns, which oversees marriage preparation programs, remarriage workshops and Natural Family Planning programs in English and Spanish.

The cost of administering the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal is $300,000 or approximately seven percent.

In his letter to Catholics on the 2001 Annual Appeal, Archbishop John F. Donoghue said that the Appeal “is of critical importance to sustaining the well-being of our Catholic family in North Georgia.”

“The center of that life for each of us is our own local parish,” the archbishop said, “but there are things that local parishes cannot accomplish alone, nor should they be expected to.”

“Through the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal, the Office of the Archbishop and the agencies of the archdiocese are able to be a central source of support, responding to needs too large or too specialized to be met on the local level,” the archbishop wrote. “Through the Appeal, we are able to fund a broad range of programs and services that provide comfort, aid and support to all our neighbors.”

Growth in the archdiocese has been a blessing, Archbishop Donoghue said, but also must be met with greater generosity by Catholics.

“The Archdiocese of Atlanta has witnessed substantial growth in the last few years, which is, I am sure, encouraging to all of us. However, growth also means that the demands on these ministries and programs have increased as well. In order to respond to these demands, I am counting on each member of our community.”

“In thanksgiving for the Lord’s goodness, shared with us, please reach out in the spirit of love and compassion today.”

In line with a Christian model of life, reflecting good stewardship, Catholics are asked to give a tithe, or 10 percent of their annual income, to charity over the coming year. If they prayerfully believe this is too much for them to give, they are asked to give whatever percentage they believe they can afford. The key is making a decision reflecting trust in God’s providence and provision and expressing gratitude to God.

Of their total charitable gift over the coming year, it is suggested that Catholics donate 5 percent to their parish, 1 percent to the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal and 4 percent to other charities of their choice. Commitments made to the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal can be fulfilled immediately or over a 10-month period from January to October 2001.