By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer

ATLANTA—Catholics throughout the archdiocese are asked to pledge their support to the 2002 Archdiocesan Annual Appeal on Commitment Sunday, Oct. 28.

The Archdiocesan Annual Appeal, with a goal of $4.5 million for 2002, helps to fund some of the operating expenses for a 12-month period of a variety of archdiocesan programs, including vocations, Catholic schools, religious education and faith formation, pastoral outreach and Catholic Charities.

The theme is “Our Church, Our Future.” The $4.5 million represents only a portion of the budgeted costs of the programs and ministries supported by the Annual Appeal.

The $4.5 million will be utilized in the following ways:

—$1,305,000 for Catholic education. There are 14 archdiocesan elementary schools and three archdiocesan high schools. Funds also help support Catholic campus ministry in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

—$1,080,000 for the Vocations Office. Funds go toward the education of seminarians studying to be priests of the archdiocese. There are 54 men in the process of study currently. In the past four years, the archdiocese has ordained 41 men to the priesthood.

—$540,000 for Catholic Social Services. 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; Community 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 Migration and Refugee Services.

—$495,000 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 approximately 100,000 children, youth and adults by approximately 10,000 catechists, not including bilingual catechesis programs.

—$315,000 for Catholic Charities. Funds go towards Catholic Housing Initiatives; Catholic Personal Care Homes; and the Village of St. Joseph, which offers child and adolescent counseling on an ability-to-pay basis.

—$180,000 for mission development in the archdiocese. Funds are used to develop and open new missions to serve the growing Catholic population.

—$135,000 for the Office of Family Concerns, which oversees marriage preparation programs, remarriage workshops and Natural Family Planning programs in English and Spanish.

—$135,000 for the Hispanic Apostolate. Funds go toward programs that serve the growing Hispanic population of the archdiocese.

—$90,000 for the Permanent Diaconate and Deacon Formation Center. There are currently 138 men serving as permanent deacons in the archdiocese, with 53 more currently in formation.

—$67,500 for the Office for Black Catholic Ministry.

—$60,000 for the Pro-Life Office.

—$45,000 for the Ministry to Persons with Disabilities. A new office has been created in order to serve the needs of persons with disabilities. A search is being conducted for a director, who, under the direction of Msgr. David Talley, chancellor, will work with and assist all diocesan staff offices to ensure that these offices plan for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all activities. The office will also provide resources to parish personnel and maintain up-to-date information on curriculum materials, special equipment and other items concerning people with disabilities.

—$30,000 for Project Aware, the program providing education, information and training to recognize child abuse and correctly respond to possible abuse.

—$22,500 for Eucharistic Renewal. Funds go toward promoting the church’s teaching on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and all related programs.

The total budgeted cost for these programs and ministries is $8.18 million. That figure does not represent the total archdiocesan budget.

In his letter to Catholics concerning the 2002 Annual Appeal, Archbishop John F. Donoghue wrote that he has witnessed “firsthand the sense of stewardship that has been embraced by our Catholic community.”

Citing the 2002 theme “Our Church, Our Future,” Archbishop Donoghue believes that the key to the success of the archdiocese is cooperation.

“Acting individually or as a single parish or mission we cannot possibly meet the needs of the growing number of Catholics settling in northern Georgia,” he wrote. “But working together through the Annual Appeal, the generosity of over 100,000 Catholic families can ensure the continuation and expansion of essential archdiocesan programs and ministries.”

“All that we are and all that we have is a gift from God,” he continued. “We are asked to use these gifts responsibly, generously and wisely to further His kingdom here on earth. Therefore, at this time, I ask you to consider the blessings you have received in your life. Then, pray for wisdom and courage, and in humble thanksgiving for God’s many gifts, I ask you to please consider making a gift to the 2002 Archdiocesan Annual Appeal.”

With the sorrow of the recent attacks on the United States, it is especially important to support one’s faith, the archbishop said.

“At this time of loss and confusion in our country, nothing could be more welcome than the peace of Christ Jesus,” he wrote. “Please help us proudly witness our faith now as we prepare the way of the Lord for the future of our Catholic families in northern Georgia.”

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.

Parishioners will receive a letter from the archbishop and supporting materials in the mail or through their parish. Commitments made to the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal can be fulfilled immediately or over a 10-month period from January to October 2002.