FALL RIVER– The end of May marked the close of the fourth week of the Fall River Diocese 2014 Catholic Charities Appeal and the total reported from its parishes passed the $2 million mark, Appeal officials have announced. Proceeds from the Catholic Charities Appeal provide funding for diocesan charitable programs, services and ministries throughout southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands. The Appeal, which began on the traditional first day of May, will continue until June 24.

The Catholic Charities Appeal office has provided each parish with an analysis of their progress to date and a comparison of their results over the past twelve years.

“Certainly the hope is that each parish will strive to increase both the rate of participation among their parishioners and the absolute dollars raised,” said Jim Campbell, who is the diocesan Director of Development. “There is hope that the spirit of generosity will prevail throughout all our parish communities to surpass last year’s Appeal total and enable the diocese to respond to even more of the thousands who turn to the Church for help in meeting temporal and spiritual needs.”

The most recent issue of Sharing, the diocesan development newsletter with information on the Appeal, is being distributed throughout the diocese for parish use in bulletins or in Appeal mailings or both. It includes three reflections on faith and service by teenage members of the diocese that provide powerful testimony to this year’s Appeal theme of “Find the Face of Christ in Your Neighbor.” A breakdown of the 2013 Catholic Charities Appeal revenue and expenditures is also published in the issue.

Campbell reminds donors that many companies offer a “matching gift” program.

“Many people don’t realize that their employer may match donations to not-for-profit organizations like Catholic Charities,” he explained. “And these ‘matching gifts’ can be very significant to the final Appeal total.

“The forms for a matching gift are not complicated; in fact all of the work is done by the employer and us. The donor just has to ask for a form at their personnel office, fill out a couple of lines and then return it to them for processing. The employer in turn sends it to us for verification and it is done.”

Campbell also pointed out that many Appeal donors take advantage of is the opportunity to honor or memorialize a loved one through their gift.  The Catholic Charities Appeal will honor the wishes of any donor who wants to dedicate their gift either to the loving memory of a deceased relative or friend or to acknowledge a living person whose actions are inspirational. Interested donors should contact the Development Office or Jim Campbell by e-mail to jcampbell@dioc-fr.org.

Donations to the Appeal can be sent to the Catholic Charities Appeal Office, P.O. Box 1470, Fall River, Mass. 02722; dropped off at any parish in the Diocese of Fall River, or made on the Appeal website: www.frdioc-catholiccharities.org

For more information visit the website or contact the Appeal Office at (508) 675-1311.

Parishes leading in returns to the Catholic Charities Appeal for each deanery or area of the Fall River Diocese as of May 29 are as follows:

Attleboro:
St. Mary, Mansfield                                                      $  76,183.00
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Seekonk                           67,031.00
Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Seekonk                          61,497.00
St. John the Evangelist, Attleboro                                54,630.28
St. Mark, Attleboro Falls                                                 33,713.00

Cape Cod & the Islands:
St. Pius Tenth, South Yarmouth                                $107,679.00
Christ the King, Mashpee                                                75,050.00
Our Lady of the Cape, Brewster                                     58,462.00
Our Lady of Victory, Centerville                                    55,704.00
Our Lady of the Assumption, Osterville                       54,951.00

Fall River:
Holy Name, Fall River                                                 $  35,750.00
St. John the Baptist, Westport                                       29,885.00
St. Louis de France, Swansea                                          26,619.00
St. Thomas More, Somerset                                            23,975.00
St. John of God, Somerset                                               23,383.00

New Bedford:
St. Julie Billiart, North Dartmouth                           $  47,563.00
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New Bedford                   41,548.00
St. Anthony, Mattapoisett                                               32,185.00
St. Patrick, Wareham                                                      30,442.63
St. Mary, South Dartmouth                                           30,192.00

Taunton:
St. Ann, Raynham                                                        $  66,432.00
St. Andrew the Apostle, Taunton                                  36,847.00
St. Anthony, Taunton                                                      26,125.00
St. Nicholas of Myra, North Dighton                           25,845.00
St. Jude the Apostle, Taunton                                       24,130.00

Diocese of Fall River
Diocese of Fall River
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