Message from Tom McCall - Finance

Over the last nine months, all of us have had to deal with various combinations of no mass, no communion, live streaming, and regulated attendance. We all feel the impact of poor economy, closed businesses, lost jobs, loss of personal touch, and the world of needed economic stimulus. I ask you to continue to pray and be faithful, while you are staying safe from the COVID-19 virus.

We do not always ask for money, but we do when we must. Holy Cross continues to pay people, utilities, water, internet, computer support, security, diocesan support, books, training, maintenance, and repairs - whether you are here or at home. The service and volunteerism of our parish enables us to have lower administrative costs than other parishes. Our future continues to depend on the drive, commitment, and generosity of all parishioners. Please move Holy Cross towards the top of your budget priorities. 

In June 2016, we began our capital project under the umbrella of prayer. We asked for the on-time, on-budget completion of our plan. God answered our prayers and allowed us to complete a fabulous facility renovation, expansion, and rejuvenation of our parish campus. We were also blessed with the storage garage and new mowing equipment which were separately donated by anonymous parishioners.

We started our GIFT Capital Campaign fundraising in June 2016 and renewed it in September 2019. We truly thank all who have already participated.  We were able to hear some remarkable testimonials about the church and Holy Cross.  We had started the GIFT2RENEW campaign but remained quiet during the Christmas 2019 season and the nine months of the pandemic. 

We have now paid $3.7 million of our $6.1 million construction costs and the advances taken that are due to the Diocese is $2.4 million. Of course, we are committed to return those funds expeditiously.  These funds will then be available for Catholic Charities, food programs, shelter support, school assistance, seminarian development, and immigration assistance.  In addition to these valuable programs, Holy Cross has been the beneficiary of direct, monetary grants for our parish ministries.

I close with a call to action to continue to support the GIFT Capital Campaign. Once again, we pray to God and His intercessors, Mary, and the saints. Please make an average new or renewal pledge of $3,600, paid over three years, which is $100 a month over 36 months, or $25 a week over 156 weeks.  We ask parishioners who can do more, to do so. If you cannot make the average pledge, do what you can, but be sure to participate.  We have 2500 Parishioner Families, of which 1,250 are highly active; yet we have only 500 families, or 20%, participating in the GIFT Capital Campaign. 

Please raise your cross and help us eliminate the financial stress on Holy Cross Parish. Today’s bulletin and the church website under “GIFT” will assist you with your pledge.

Thank You!

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as we begin to prayerfully consider participating in the capital campaign to benefit the building fund, a few questions have been asked by several parishioners.  Why do we need a capital campaign?  How does a capital campaign work in conjunction with the weekly offering? How long is our campaign?  A capital campaign is needed when the weekly offerings are not sufficient to cover the cost of improvements needed for the church to benefit the parish community.  It is a good time to examine your overall giving level to ensure you are fully supporting the parish with your weekly offering through tithing which is 10% of your income. Capital campaign pledges are in addition to what is given weekly.  In our diocese, it is customary to ask parishioners to give the same amount to the capital campaign each week that they give in the weekly offering and to contribute this incremental amount for 3 to 5 years.