In the midst of the upcoming events I listed out a couple of weeks ago, I forgot one.

It’s the Diocesan Catholic Ministries Appeal. And it’s going to happen. Some of you may already have been receiving the request letters from the Diocese. Some of us may already be thinking about our giving budget and making decisions about how much to give to that worthy cause.

Just a heads up: This year, the Ministries Appeal will be treated a little differently for St Boniface Parish. We’ll have a goal. We’ll put the ask out there for you. I will never tell you not to give to the Appeal. We all benefit from the charitable works of this Diocese—our schools, our parishes, our seminarians and priests, our outreach to the poor and marginalized. How could we possibly say “Don’t give”?

But, later this fall, you’ll receive another ask. A capital campaign for the parish. As you know, we’ve had some challenges this past year—particularly the need to rebuild a damaged pipe organ. We have other projects that deserve some special attention—in our church buildings and in our cemeteries. It’s only prudent of us as a parish to ask for some special donations to ensure that we can rise to the challenges while maintaining our financial responsibility for the day-to-day running of the parish.

So, you have some choices to make! Maybe you give to both programs. Maybe you divide your sacrificial giving. Maybe you decide to pass on one in favor of the other. As the fall unfolds, our approach to the diocesan appeal will be a little softer. You won’t get quite so many letters about it. We won’t do the big push at Masses. I won’t needle you about how slowly the thermometers are rising. We’ll make sure that the campaign ends earlier rather than later this year.

At the same time, we’ll share with you the particular needs in our buildings. We’ll talk about how we build on our past—especially for St. Boniface Church, celebrating a golden anniversary—to provide a vibrant future for the whole parish.

Be alert to what’s the same and what’s different this year. And, by all means, if you have questions, ask them! We certainly want both parish and diocese to flourish. The more we all know, the more likely that end result will come about.