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o CO co o CO *>s< go C o St o fc £ ^ 05 -5 s . 35 O 05 ^ X o CD £S <\^ lr -/: n The Sou ☆ <?00« Diocese of Savannah it hem (mss | 18S0 Wm 2000 g Diocese of San scab Contents Headline Hopscotch 3 News 3 Commentary. 4-5 DDA 6 Around the Diocese 7 Faith Alive! 8-9 Notices 10-11 Last But Not Least 12 Vol. 80, No. 5 $.50 PER ISSUE Thursday, February 3, 2000 (gifted for 150 years...a Savannah n Christmas Eve, 1999, Pope John Paul II “Opened Wide the Doors” in Rome, to begin the Jubilee Year 2000. The Diocese of Savannah marks two significant events in this Jubilee Year: its sesquicentennial (the 150 th anniversary) of its establishment and the 100 th anniversary of the rededication of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, the mother church of the diocese. The Diocesan Development Appeal picks up on the sesquicentennial with the theme...Gifted for 150 years...a grateful church responds. In looking back over the past 150 years, the Diocese of Savannah has been gifted— in its growth, in its leadership, in the dedication of its clergy and laity, in its diversity, in its tenacity in proclaiming the Gospel message in south Georgia. The current and 13 th Bishop of Savannah, J. Kevin Boland, admits to being constantly energized and edified by the depth of the faith found in so many of the small rural communities whose parishes have sometimes as few as 50 families. “It is amazing to me,” he said, “that these small pockets of the Catholic faith have grown into such vibrant communities of Christian wit ness. One of our great gifts has been the many priests who have worked in these rural areas over the years and who continue that work today.” While acknowledging the many gifts that have gone before, diocesan per sonnel are also looking to the future. Sister Mary Faith McKean, RSM, diocesan chancellor, speaks about the challenges that lie ahead in the coming millennium and the need for funding. “We need to continue building on the strong foundation we have. In so many areas—the Hispanic apostolate, lay ministry preparation and vocation work, for instance—the results are already visible.” Sister Jackie Griffith, SSJ, Director of Catholic Social Services for the dio cese, sees firsthand the necessity for the DDA as it applies to her ministry. “You only have to listen to the news or read the newspaper to see the growing disparity between the rich and poor people. To express our solidarity with our brothers and sisters in need, it is imperative that we share our personal and financial resources,” she said. The Jubilee Campaign last year raised $200,000 for communications and technology. “These capital improvement funds will get us started, but we will be depending on monies raised by the DDA for ongoing funding,” said Barbara gratefuC church responds King, Director of Communications. “The director of our new Office of Technology Services, Jim Knapp, has developed a detailed plan for linking our diocesan offices with parishes, schools and social service centers. The plan has received the tentative approval of Bishop Boland as long as each phase is finan cially viable. With the help of sup port from the DDA, we will work to bring the members of our widely dis persed Catholic community in south Georgia in closer contact with each other.” One of the jobs of the Office of Stewardship and Development is to ask the members of the diocesan family to assist in the ministries of the diocese. Pat Signs, who directs the annual DDA, hopes to raise $1.3 million in the next two months. “This money is needed each year to carry out the mission of the diocese. We raised close to $1.5 million in 1998 when we last had the DDA,” said Signs, “and are confident that we will do equally well this year.” (The 1999 DDA was incorporated into the Jubilee Campaign, One Faith...One Family and not held as a separate appeal.) “This coming weekend’s second reading from Paul,” commented Bishop Boland, “says ‘I offer the Gospel free of charge...’ It seems ironic that this falls on the same day we come asking for financial support. The Word is, indeed, free to all of us. However, the means employed to sustain and spread the Word requires money. An example, I suppose, of the idealistic versus the realistic.” During the coming week each reg istered family in the diocese will receive a letter, brochure and pledge card in the mail. Families will be asked to make a nine-month pledge. “Our average gift in 1998,” said Signs, “was $200.32 from 7,570 gifts. This represented 27.4 % of our families. We are hoping to raise the percentage to at least 30% this year,” she said. Compared to other dioceses throughout the country, the average gift from the Diocese of Savannah is high, but the percentage of participa tion is low. For 1997, the last year for which national figures are available, the comparisons are as follows : Participation Average gift National Average 36.7% $135.15 Savannah Diocese 27.4% $200.32