by Andy Katherman | Dec 9, 2023 | Communication Suite
New gifts and pledges have been rolling in ever since the start of our campaign’s Commitment Weekend last Saturday. We were excited to announce that we had surpassed the Celebration Goal of $15 million. In just three days, we added over $650,000 in new gifts and pledges, bringing our total to $15,707,288 in gifts and pledges.
We’re still counting pledge forms to record decisions. If you’ve yet to pledge, it’s not too late! Just visit https://www.OneFaithFamilyFuture.com/Pledge
If you’ve pledged, but haven’t set up automatic payments from your checking account or credit cards, you can do that here: https://OneFaithFamilyFuture.com/Donate (Tip: If setting up periodic payments, compute the periodic amount before you get started.)
Thank you to the donors listed below who made a first-time pledge or increased their original pledge at Mass or online over Commitment Weekend.
A complete list of donors-to-date can be found here.
by Andy Katherman | Dec 2, 2023 | Communication Suite
Welcome to Commitment Weekend! The formal push for our One Faith – One Family – One Future Capital Campaign is winding down, and we’re grateful for the continued generosity of the St. John Vianney and Our lady of Lourdes faith family. We kicked off the public phase of our effort three months ago, and since then we’ve seen the fundraising totals gradually climb. As of November 27, we have received $14,755,079 in total commitments from over 700 families, friends and businesses! Each gift, each pledge, each display of sacrifice is an inspiration and blessing to us. Due to the overwhelming display of stewardship, we are getting closer and closer to our $15 million Celebration Goal and 3/5ths of the way to our $25 million Challenge Goal!
We now join together to celebrate Commitment Weekend. As we do, it is important to honor the families who have given so generously to this campaign and whose names appear in our “Campaign Donors” list. Supporting our campaign isn’t an expectation – it’s an invitation to invest in the future of the Bettendorf Catholic community. So, if you have made a pledge or gift, thank you!
Everyone will receive a commitment card during Mass this weekend. We ask everyone to complete the card. Before doing so, please reflect on how you can help secure a brighter future for our faith community. Please know that your donation, no matter the size, will have a positive impact on what we’re able to accomplish for Christ. We celebrate each and every gift.
If you have yet to join our cause and will not be at Mass this weekend, we invite you to make your commitment today here.
THANK YOU for your investment in this effort, in our shared mission and ministries, in support of Catholic education and our diocesan priests. Your support is a blessing to everyone we serve and is an example of what we can achieve when we come together as a one community in Christ.
In service to Christ and with our deepest gratitude,
Fr. Jason Crossen (Pastor, Our Lady of Lourdes) & Fr. Rich Adam (Pastor, St. John Vianney)
by Andy Katherman | Nov 18, 2023 | Communication Suite
Commitment and the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
“What shall I render to the Lord for all God’s benefits to me?
…I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving….
I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all God’s people.”
~Psalm 116:12, 17a,18
In just two weeks, on December 2-3, we will arrive at Commitment Weekend for our One Faith – One Family – One Future Capital Campaign. During each Mass, we will take a few moments for everyone to make or reaffirm their pledge to our capital campaign.
In the Gospel for this weekend, Jesus preaches about stewardship in the familiar “Parable of the Talents.” The lesson for us is simple: All that we have, regardless of its measure, isn’t really ours. It is ours to manage to the best of our abilities for God’s purposes.
The verses from Psalm 116 show us the path to faithful stewardship: An “attitude of gratitude.” The psalmist suggest that our commitments—our “vows”— to the Lord are an act of thanksgiving, a grateful response to all that God has done for us. What can we render to the Lord, really, for all the benefits we have in Christ? We can offer the “sacrifice of thanksgiving,” We can commit ourselves to serving the Lord with all that we are and have.
True thanksgiving is indeed a sacrifice in that it demands that we humble ourselves before God, that we give up our hubris and self-reliance, that we let go of our fears and self-doubt, and lay it all at God’s feet and simply say, “Here it is, Lord. It’s all yours. I’m all yours, for without you, I have nothing.”
Ready to pledge? Click here to make your pledge today!
by Andy Katherman | Nov 11, 2023 | Communication Suite
Help Us Reach The Finish Line
We are three weeks away from Commitment Weekend and less than three months away from the end of the pledging phase of our One Faith – One Family – One Future Capital Campaign. The Celebration Goal of $15M is very much within reach, but we REALLY need to reach the $25M Challenge Goal at a minimum to avoid scaling back the project.
The construction of St. Joan of Arc Catholic School is an extraordinary opportunity for us to reshape the landscape of Catholic evangelism in Bettendorf. Fr. Rich spells it out for us in this week’s campaign video post, “Opportunity.” You’ll find it on each parish’s Facebook page and here on the campaign website.
Thank you to the 385 SJV parishioners and the 164 OLOL parishioners who have completed their pledge form. Let’s keep those gifts and pledges coming! Remember, the more money raised before the end of the year, the more we can commit to accomplishing, and the less we’ll have to borrow to accomplish it! Every gift – no matter the amount – moves us closer to the finish line!
Ready to pledge? Click here to make your pledge today!
by Andy Katherman | Nov 4, 2023 | Communication Suite
Your Donations at Work – Site Preparation Begins
With Commitment Weekend just four weeks away (December 2-3), our Project Managers overseeing construction, Daryl Schloz and Mike Johnson, want to provide you this update:
- Site preparation for St. Joan of Arc Catholic School is underway. Work started this week on the 30 acres designated for the new school. (The remaining 35 acres will be rented to the seller for farming.)
- Work with Bray Architects and Russell Construction is on track. Our goal & expectation remains that we will open the new school the Fall of 2025.
- From a construction perspective, we feel very good about our status. Getting funding to do what we are designing is the issue.
- A St Joan of Arc Finance Committee has been established to develop the overall funding and its availability to support the overall project. This Committee is led by Paul Alagna (OLOL Trustee) and includes the Priests, Trustees and Parish Finance Chairs from both parishes, Donna Metzger (SJA Finance Director), and the Project Managers.
- We plan on a late-December review on funding to determine if we need to make any significant changes to the design and thus the bid packages for construction.
Help Us Reach The Finish Line
This past week, total pledges and gifts for our One Faith – One Family – One Future Capital Campaign approached $13.9 million. Thank you to all our parishioners and friends who have pledged their support. So many have given generously!
The Celebration Goal of $15M is within reach, but we REALLY need to reach the $25M Challenge Goal at a minimum to avoid scaling back the project. Things we’re doing:
- We’re establishing a team to pursue pledges from area businesses. If you want to be involved or have suggestions for team members, please contact Tim Voss, our Steier Group Campaign Manager at info@onefaithfamilyfuture.com.
- We’re also asking anyone who pledged early to consider an additional gift and those who made one-time gifts to consider multi-year pledges in support of the campaign.
- And, we’re inviting those of you who have yet to give to consider the many ways you can support this historic effort for our faith community.
The historic and future relevance of this project are central to this week’s campaign video post, “Building a New School.” You’ll find it on each parish’s Facebook page and here on the campaign website.
Keep those gifts and pledges coming! Remember, the more money raised before the end of the year, the more we can commit to accomplishing, and the less we’ll have to borrow to accomplish it! Every gift – no matter the amount – moves us closer to the finish line!
by Andy Katherman | Oct 28, 2023 | Communication Suite
Campaign Progress
This past week, total pledges and gifts for our One Faith – One Family – One Future Capital Campaign surpassed $13.6 million, putting us more than 9/10ths of the way toward our $15 million Celebration Goal and more than halfway toward our $25 million Challenge Goal. Thank you to all our parishioners and friends who have pledged their support. So many have given generously!
As of this past Monday, less than 475 parish families—both parishes combined—had made a gift decision. That’s less than 15 percent of families. Also:
- 66 percent of gifts/pledges are from SJV households or parish ministries, 29 percent are from OLOL, 5 percent are from “Other” donors (non-parishioner friends and organizations).
- 58 percent of the dollars raised have come from OLOL households and parish ministries, 27 percent from SJV, 15 percent from “Other” donors.
It’s great to see this level of participation. It shows that we have both the desire and the resources in our community to succeed! And it is our community we are serving; it is our future we are building; it is our shared responsibility to respond generously.
“One Community” is at the heart of a brief message LCS Principal and SJV parishioner Katie Selden shares in a short video. Be sure to check it out!
Our volunteers are continuing their attempts to connect with parishioners. If they’ve had trouble reaching you, you should have received a letter from Father encouraging you to answer when they call, reply when they email or, if neither of those has happened, to make certain we have your correct contact information.
Please know that your pledge and ultimate gift, no matter the size, will help lay a foundation of faith for our future! Thank you!
[P.S. If you’ve pledged and need to set up automatic payments, please contact the campaign office at info@onefaithfamilyfuture.com.]
