The Diocese of Saint Petersburg is committed to accountability. Some ways we demonstrate this to our 125,000 registered households and 24,000+ donors are: In addition, the Diocese and the Foundation prepare annual reports to share how gifts are being utilized to impact lives for Christ. A printed version of the 2023 Annual Report and the …
All five counties in the Diocese of St. Petersburg and our neighboring counties were directly impacted by Hurricane Idalia. To begin assisting those most affected, on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, Bishop Parkes presented Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Petersburg with $100,000 from the Diocese of St. Petersburg Disaster Relief Fund. Our Disaster Relief …
Our diocesan ministries, education and outreach programs offer support, professional guidance, and direct delivery of services to and for our people, parishes, schools and communities. They do this while maintaining a very tight annual budget which relies on specific revenue sources, including interest earnings, donations and grants, bequests, parish assessment payments and direct donations to …
Continue reading “Offering Thanks to Those Who Give So Much”
The Diocese of St. Petersburg is dedicated to Courageously Living the Gospel, our diocesan mission statement which defines who we are and how we live our faith as a local Church. To offer special thanks to those who have given so much to bring our mission to life, Bishop Parkes established the Mater Dei Giving …
The 2022 Catholic Ministry Appeal has reached 124% of the overall goal from about 20% of our households. To date, we have received almost $8.4 million in payments on more than $8.8 million in commitments. Forty-one of our parishes have exceeded their individual goal, and 11 more parishes have pushed past 90% of goal. This …
Members of the Mater Dei Giving Society will be receiving an invitation from Bishop Parkes to join him at an afternoon prayer service at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle on November 20, 2022. A reception will follow the 2pm service. Our giving society recognizes those who have supported diocesan ministries, Spirit FM, Catholic …
Continue reading “Prayer Service for Mater Dei Giving Society Members”
To assist parishes working to promote legacy giving, end of year generosity and/or new, creative options for giving with parishioners, the Catholic Foundation has created camera ready, downloadable materials and pre-drafted text for message development. Please visit the Parish Resource Page to download the following materials: bulletin inserts and articles text for article, pulpit and …
Each year, the Diocese of St. Petersburg is blessed with gifts of time, talent and treasure from our faith family across the five counties that make up our diocese. As Bishop Parkes explains in his introductory note, “The generosity that you have shown through your support of our ministry and services here in the Diocese …
Parish leaders have spent months planning and diligently working to complete recommended activities and run a successful and positive Catholic Ministry Appeal active phase. And now, the first parish has officially exceeded its goal for our new Catholic Ministry Appeal. Congratulations St. Brendan Parish Family for surpassing goal in record time! “This accomplishment has little …
Throughout January, parishes and missions began sharing information about the new Catholic Ministry Appeal through the bulletin, from the pulpit, on their websites and via social media channels. In addition, parishioners received a mailing from Bishop Parkes and a follow-up communication from their pastor. All of this laid the groundwork for pastors to ask parishioners …
Throughout Fall 2022, the Office of Stewardship and Development reached out to those who have historically supported diocesan ministries, programs and outreach to make sure they were aware of the upcoming change from Annual Pastoral Appeal (APA) to the new Catholic Ministry Appeal. That communication process revealed thousands of families and households willing to share …
Continue reading “Why Support Shared Ministries and Services?”
After six months of planning, and engaging our parish leadership and historical donors in the transition process, our new Catholic Ministry Appeal has officially launched in all 79 parishes and missions. The Catholic Ministry Appeal replaces what was formerly called the Annual Pastoral Appeal (APA). This change from APA to Catholic Ministry Appeal came after …
Bishop Parkes launched the Mater Dei Giving Society on November 9, 2020 with a special live stream event featuring prayer and conversation. Named in honor of our Blessed Mother, the Mater Dei Giving Society recognizes those helping our diocese put our faith into action so the world can see who we are by the good …
The Office of Stewardship and Development is sponsoring three (3) scholarships for the International Catholic Stewardship Conference (ICSC) being held in Orlando, Florida September 12-15, 2021. The scholarship is open to Parish Leaders from all 79 parishes and missions of the Diocese of St. Petersburg who are looking to participate in the conference for the …
Continue reading “Scholarships Available for Stewardship Conference in September!”
An integral part of our diocesan vision to courageously live the Gospel is to equip our people as Missionary Disciples inspired to invite and accompany others in their journey to Christ. The question is, in times when we are encouraged to maintain distance, how do you accomplish this? The Office of Evangelization & Missionary Discipleship …
To date, we have received a couple of hundred gifts made from IRAs. This week alone, we received and acknowledged more than 50 gifts made from the IRAs of donors. We expect this number to keep jumping up. Why? Not-for-profits across the country are also seeing dramatic increases in the number of IRA donations. Right …
A giving society is established by organizations to give thanks to those who make it possible for them to fulfill their mission. While this is usually done through in-person events, the Diocese of St. Petersburg courageously jumped into the unknown last November to launch their Mater Dei Giving Society virtually. “For the last couple of …
Continue reading “Behind the Scenes of a Live Stream Event with Bishop Parkes”
The purpose of endowed and long-term investments is to provide support to beneficiaries now and into the future. The Catholic Foundation is proud to be entrusted with more than 70 managed and endowed funds from committed donors. As stewards of the legacy gifts so generously given, the Catholic Foundation is committed to transparency and accountability. …
As with many large gatherings in the past year, the popular Catholic Foundation Life Planning Workshops for parishes were put on hold. However, questions surrounding legacy planning, legal matters and financial planning issues were flooding in. To assist and provide a new resource for parishes and their parishioners, the Catholic Foundation has launched the new …
Continue reading “Catholic Foundation Legacy Planning Video Series”
The theme for the 2021 Annual Pastoral Appeal is “Hope in the Lord”, inspired by Isaiah 40:31 – “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Through hope, we find strength, …
Even through difficulties and challenges, our more than 24,000 generous donors provided more than $10 million in support of our 50+ diocesan ministries and services through the 2020 Annual Pastoral Appeal. Gifts were also made to support special projects through the Forward in Faith Campaign, and Bishop Gregory Parkes launched our new Mater Dei Giving …
The Catholic Foundation 2021 Giving Challenge is off to a great start! Two weeks ago, the Foundation announced that due to the current status of the pandemic and concern for the safety of potential guests, the annual Gala event would not be held in 2021. Instead, past event sponsors and supporters, as well as …
Continue reading “Catholic Foundation Giving Challenge Off to a Great Start!”
As we embark on a new year, the Catholic Foundation is making changes to a traditional, well-loved annual event. In past years, the Catholic Foundation held its Gala in February as the signature event for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, bringing together 600+ supporters from across our five counties. Taking into account the current status of …
We know that many of our parishioners actively search for ways to invest in their parishes, the greater Catholic Church as well as other organizations that align with our Catholic Values. They look to support good deeds through their generous giving. Because of this, we are proud and excited to announce the launch of the …
Continue reading “New Donor-Advised Fund is Introduced in the Diocese of St. Petersburg”
There are many advantages to making a gift to a not-for-profit at year-end, and gifts to parishes, our Catholic ministries and diocesan Church qualify. For those interested in making a year-end gift through an IRA, a donor-advised or giving stock, please contact the Office of Stewardship and Development at stewardship@dosp.org. For those wanting to explore …
With the suspension of public Masses and social distancing in place to support community efforts to slow the spread of illness, a reality our parishes face is that basic operational expenses are addressed through active participation in offertory giving. The intent is for our parishes to continue ministering and serving our communities through this time, …
Office of Stewardship & Development It is our hope and prayer that the faithful of the Diocese of St. Petersburg remains healthy and steadfast, keeping God at the center of our lives and the lives of our families and those we love and serve. Understanding that it is times like this when we as Church …
The Office of Stewardship and Development is hosting three FREE ½ day workshops this spring open to anyone looking to make stewardship a way of life in their parish or school. Our focus is “hospitality”, one of the key elements of our diocesan mission, Courageously Living the Gospel, and one of the seven pillars of …
Continue reading “Spring 2020 Stewardship Workshop Series – 2 of 3 Announced!”
The Office of Stewardship and Development is hosting three FREE ½ day workshops this spring open to anyone looking to make stewardship a way of life in their parish or school. Our focus is “hospitality”, one of the key elements of our diocesan mission, Courageously Living the Gospel, and one of the seven pillars of …
Continue reading “Spring 2020 Stewardship Workshop Series – 1 of 3 Announced!”
2020 is quickly approaching! A fresh start, a fresh year, a new beginning. Before all of us take that step into the new year, there is still time to make a difference in this one. All gifts given by December 31st count for 2019 and help reduce your tax burden before we start our new …
The nationally recognized Msgr. McGread Stewardship Conference will take place at our Bethany Center in Lutz on January 30th. Catholic Stewardship Consultants, Inc., the conference organizers, are pleased to offer top-notch stewardship formation developed with the assistance and guidance of renowned stewardship pastor and long-time stewardship advisor, Msgr. Thomas McGread. Msgr. McGread, who passed away …
Continue reading “2020 Msgr. McGread Stewardship Conference being held at Bethany Center”
The Office of Stewardship and Development is hosting two FREE ½ day workshops this fall open to anyone looking to make stewardship a way of life in their parish or school. This year, the focus is “hospitality”, one of the key elements of our diocesan mission, Courageously Living the Gospel, and one of the seven …
Continue reading “Fall 2019 Stewardship Workshop Series – 1 of 2 Announced!”
August 8, 2019 – Registration is open for 57th Annual International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC) Conference scheduled for October 6-9, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, and journeying through our diocesan mutually-shared vision, Courageously Living the Gospel, this year’s ICSC Conference offers us tremendous resources, experiences, and professional testimony on how …
August 8, 2019 – #GivingTuesday kicks off the giving season on Tuesday, December 3, 2019. What is #GivingTuesday you might ask? #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Immediately following our national day of thanks (Thanksgiving), retailers get us focused on HUGE sales (Black Friday, Cyber …
Continue reading “#GivingTuesday – a national day of giving!”
August 5, 2019 – According to the feedback from those who participated in our 1st EVER 2019 APA MID-Year Webinar it was a great success! Thank you to those who joined us! The Office of Stewardship and Development, courageously and successfully branched out into technology! As good stewards of all resources and YOUR time and …
February 20, 2019 – New materials are ready and available to spread the Good News about the 2019 Annual Pastoral Appeal, BE COURAGEOUS Live the Gospel through the Annual Pastoral Appeal! Digital materials are available now for download by clicking here. Digital promotional items include: Leadership Resource Manual (English) – contains materials to help prepare for …
Continue reading “APA 2019 Materials Available for Download”
January 9, 2019 – Last year, our generous donors provided almost $10 million in support of our diocesan ministries and services through the Annual Pastoral Appeal. In addition, gifts were made to support special projects through the Forward in Faith Campaign. Just as each person must be accountable, the Church must also be accountable to its …
January 9, 2018 – Last year, our generous donors provided almost $10 million support our diocesan ministries and services through the Annual Pastoral Appeal. In addition, special gifts were made to support special projects through the Forward in Faith Campaign. Just as each person must be accountable, the Church must also be accountable to our donors for …
December 15, 2017 – Last year, our generous donors provided almost $10 million support our diocesan ministries and services through the Annual Pastoral Appeal. In addition, special gifts were made to support special projects through the Forward in Faith Campaign. Just as each person must be accountable, the Church must also be accountable to our donors …
September 6, 2017 – Plans are underway for special collection for our seminarians, which will take place in all parishes and missions of the Diocese of St. Petersburg on October 7 and 8. Seminarians, staff working with our seminarians, and recently ordained priests will be presenting at Masses at approximately half of our parishes. We will also …
September 30, 2016 – From September 17 to September 24, the Catholic schools and centers of the Diocese of St. Petersburg partnered with Somebody Cares Tampa Bay for CareFest 2016. Students joined thousands of volunteers across Pinellas, Hillsborough, Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco counties to help the local community during the week of service. Projects included …
Continue reading “Week of Caring – Catholic Schools Show Hearts of Mercy!”
September 30, 2016 – Our dedicated supporters have helped us exceed $31.3 in pledges and over $20.9 million in payments to the Forward in Faith Campaign! The faithfulness of our 16,638 donors has provided funds for the construction projects included in the campaign, including the new Mother Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School in Lutz, the new building at St. Anthony …
December 11, 2015 – Thank you to the dedicated donors who continue to faithfully make payments on pledge commitments. With their help, total payments received for Forward in Faith Campaign have exceeded $16 million. Students, faculty and staff are enjoying the new school – Mother Teresa of Calcutta in Lutz – and the new building at St. Anthony of …
September 14, 2015 – This Fall, parishes across the Diocese will participate in an update weekend for the Forward in Faith Campaign. Most parishes will participate on the weekend of September 26 and 27, 2015. This update weekend is centered in communicating three messages: A ‘thank you’ to all who have supported us …
Pope Francis made a surprise visit to the United States via video teleconference. The Holy Father spoke with students at Christo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago, with immigrants along the border at a parish in McAllen, Texas, and with a group of homeless on the streets of Los Angeles. Full video is scheduled to …
Continue reading “Pope Francis on Upcoming Broadcast of ABC’s “20/20””
The number one question asked by pastors, parish staff and parishioners for 2015 is, “What is the difference between the Annual Pastoral Appeal and the Forward in Faith Campaign?” It was also the number one question asked throughout the active phases of the campaign this past fall. While both efforts do provide funding for some major diocesan ministries, …
by DOSP Communications Office Reverend Ryan Boyle, Reverend Curtis Carro, Reverend Steven “Chuck” Dornquast, Reverend William “Bill” Santhouse, and Reverend Anthony Ustick were ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Robert N. Lynch on Saturday, May 16 at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle. This is the largest ordination class …
February 22, 2015 – Two Rite of Election of Catechumens and the Call to Continuing Conversion of Candidates for Full Communion evening prayer services were held at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle in St. Petersburg. We rejoice with those who will be elected to the Easter Sacraments and we greet as sisters and …
In his 2015 Lenten message, Pope Francis asks us to “make our hearts firm” (Jas 5:8) and to be “merciful, attentive and generous.” Embrace his call to mercy by reaching out to those in need. Be attentive to the Lenten call to prayer; be generous with your time and treasure. “Through prayer, charity and humility before …
