Can You Raise $$$? The Archdiocese Needs You ASAP! (Follow-up)

Well folks, some of you may remember my last posting on July 11th.  It seems that they are still looking to fill some critical fundraising positions.  (See images below.)  Note that this has been going on since June.  

Now, I know that these things can take time, but what makes it unusual is that all of these fundraising positions need to be filled at the same time.  Makes you wonder what went on behind closed doors.

In addition, they have added another position that they need to fill: Development Services Manager.

According to the job description:   

Reporting to the Executive Director of Development and working closely with the Director of Donor Relations and Gift Planning, Director of the Annual Appeal, Director of Stewardship and the Donor Relations Officers, the Development Services Manager coordinates and plans the administrative and special event functions of the Office of Development. 

It seems that you have one BIG BOSS, and at least four or more other bosses.  At least five bosses!  Talk about matrix management.  

Again, these jobs pay well, as the funds come from the 14% taken out of each and every Sunday collection.

Remember, you help to keep those who cannot maintain their vows and those who protect them, aka Msgr. Rossi and Archbishop Gregory, with a roof over their heads and three meals a day.  

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Please remember to sign the petition to ask CUA President Garvey to investigate Msgr. Rossi.

Remember to help out George Neumayr on his journalism fund.  

Archbishop's Appearl 2010 (A Repost)

Because of the snow storm last weekend, each of us will be asked this weekend to contribute to the Archbishop's Appeal. I decided to repeat my blog message from last week, with a couple of minor edits.

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This weekend you will be asked to pledge to the Archbishop's Appeal 2010.

You will hear an audio message from him (and some of you may even hear it from him or one of our bishops in person).

You will be asked to complete a card making your pledge ("Print Your Name. Then, print your address...") or if you are so inclined, right then and there make your contribution.

As in the previous years, I will not. I encourage you not to do so too.

Donate but not to the Archbishop's Appeal.

I do not say that lightly or flippantly. There are many good things that the Appeal does. Over the last few years, the Archdiocese has provided more information about where the money is going. Finally!

It helps educate our seminarians, pro-life activities, etc.

But even with all of those good things, I in good conscience cannot give.

I say this not because I believe that the Archbishop and his staff are out there having lavish cocktail parties and taking expensive vacations.

I do so because I believe that he has failed time and time again to act as a shepherd of this diocese against the pro-abortion, pro-homosexual, anti-family and anti-marriage forces.

He continues to support CCHD, even when we have seen time and time again, the money used against Church teaching. We even honor those who run it inappropriately.

He refuses to admit that this health bill is a disaster and should be scrapped, while at the same time advocating that those who are illegal aliens be given full health care coverage.

Finally, they have set up a policy that will make it easier to close a school, and if parents want to keep it open, placing more of a burden on them, so that we can spend more of our money acting as a social services agency. Remember how they all told us that no schools would be closing!

Unfortunately, the Archbishop just does not get it.

The only way that he will understand is to reduce the amount that is received.

Donate but not to the Appeal.

I am urging you to take the money and donate it directly to your local Catholic elementary school. The changes in tuition and funding are really going to hurt many parents, esp. those with large families. A couple of our schools are barely managing to stay open next year. Three will close in June.

Catholic schools are always in need of funding. Many have lists of items needed. Help purchase one of them or join in with another family to do so. Ask that the money you donate be spent directly on assisting a family who cannot afford school supplies. Donate the money with the stipulation that it be used to reduce the tuition of a family in need, above and beyond what the diocese may do.

Donate it directly to the school so that the Archdiocese cannot get it.

Donate but not to the Archbishop's Appeal.

If you don't have a Catholic elementary school, then donate to the religious order which educated you (provided they are faithful to the teachings of the Church and not some loony tune order - no offense to Warner Bros.).

Donate but not to the Archbishop's Appeal.

Donate to the Jeanne Jugan Residence, St. Ann's Home, or St. Joseph House.

Donate but not to the Archbishop's Appeal.

Donate to the Missionaries of Charity.

Donate but not to the Archbishop's Appeal.

Want to support seminarians? Then find your local Knights of Columbus council. They always have fund raisers for seminarians.

Donate but just not to the Archbishop's Appeal.

I think you got the message: Donate but just not to the Archbishop's Appeal.

Archbishop's Appeal 2010

This weekend you will be asked to pledge to the Archbishop's Appeal 2010.

You will hear an audio message from him (and some of you may even hear it from him or one of our bishops in person).

You will be asked to complete a card making your pledge ("Print Your Name. Then, print your address...") or if you are so inclined, right then and there make your contribution.

As in the previous years, I will not.

I encourage you not to do so too.

Donate but not to the Archbishop's Appeal.

I do not say that lightly or flippantly.

There are many good things that the Appeal does. Over the last few years, the Archdiocese has provided more information about where the money is going. Finally!

It helps educate our seminarians, pro-life activities, etc.

But even with all of those good things, I in good conscience cannot give.

I say this not because I believe that the Archbishop and his staff are out there having lavish cocktail parties and taking expensive vacations.

I do so because I believe that he has failed time and time again to act as a shepherd of this diocese against the pro-abortion, pro-homosexual, anti-family and anti-marriage forces.

He continues to support CCHD, even when we have seen time and time again, the money used against Church teaching. We even honor those who run it inappropriately.

He refuses to admit that this health bill is a disaster and should be scrapped, while at the same time advocating that those who are illegal aliens be given full health care coverage.

Finally, they have set up a policy that will make it easier to close a school, and if parents want to keep it open, placing more of a burden on them, so that we can spend more of our money acting as a social services agency. Remember how they all told us that no schools would be closing!

Unfortunately, the Archbishop just does not get it. The only way that he will understand is to reduce the amount that is received.

Donate but not to the Appeal.

I am urging you to take the money and donate it directly to your local Catholic elementary school. The changes tuition and funding are really going to hurt many parents, esp. those with large families. A couple of our schools are barely managing to stay open next year. Three will close in June.

Catholic schools are always in need of funding. Many have lists of items needed. Help purchase one of them or join in with another family to do so. Ask that the money you donate be spent directly on assisting a family who cannot afford school supplies. Donate the money with the stipulation that it be used to reduce the tuition of a family in need, above and beyond what the diocese may do.

Donate it directly to the school so that the Archdiocese cannot get it.

Donate but not to the Appeal.

If you don't have a Catholic elementary school, then donate to the religious order which educated you (provided they are faithful to the teachings of the Church and not some loony tune order - no offense to Warner Bros.).

Donate but not to the Appeal.

Donate to the Jeanne Jugan Residence, St. Ann's Home, or St. Joseph House.

Donate but not to the Appeal.

Donate to the Missionaries of Charity.

Donate but not to the Appeal.

Want to support seminarians? Then find your local Knights of Columbus group. They always have fund raisers for seminarians.

Donate but just not to the Appeal.

I think you got the message: Donate but just not to the Appeal.

Archibishop's Appeal 2009 - The Last Few Weeks

Well, for the last two weeks, the Appeal has been a central effort of most parishes in the Archdiocese of Washington DC. We have been asked to pray for those who give (and for those who do not give), bulletin announcements have been printed, direct mailings have been made, and a multitude of stories in the Catholic Standard.

A taped message, by Archbishop Wuerl, was played at each Mass. Sorry to say, when I could hear it, it was a pretty lackluster appeal.

Then, once again, we were given forms to complete. Now maybe the Archdiocese feels that it gets a better response by telling people to pick up the form, take a pencil, and fill in your last name, your name and the name of your spouse. Then enter in your address -- street, city and zip code. You get the idea.

Sorry, we are not idiots, contrary to popular opinion. We know how to complete the forms and if we want to, we will do it.

Once again, I urge you not to give.

As I have written before:


the most fundamental to me is the fact that we continue to let pro-abortion, anti-true marriage politicians continue to receive Holy Communion on our parishes, but say/do nothing. To me, that is the our current scandal.

Our clergy and religious celebrate the election of a pro-abortion politicians, or praise them when they have died.


We have anti-Church groups meeting on a regular basis in our parishes.


When pro-gay legislation is passed, our Archbishop remains silent.


But as I have said before, find a group that supports the teachings of the Magesterium or helps those less fortunate directly. Give the funds directly to them.


Then, and only then, with the Archbishop get the message.

The Archbishop's Appeal has begun in earnest...

Well, with the 2008 Archbishop's Appeal over (more was raised than expected, so I have to congratulates those who ran the campaign), the 2009 Appeal has gotten underway.

We have heard for the last two to three weeks, intentions made during the Prayers of the Faithful that each of us think carefully about the Appeal. I have received my letter from the Archbishop Wuerl. And, I have heard it in the pulpit during announcements.

This year's theme is For the Glory of God but when you open up the brochure (in English and Spanish, of course), the headline reads: BRINGING HOPE. CHANGING LIVES. How Obamamania is that?

The brochure goes on to show the different ways the donations are spent: Spanish Center, Anchor Mental Health, Kennedy Institute, and Catholic education. It even highlights a Mr. & Mrs. Jim Quinn, who have been givers to the Appeal since 1970.

However, I will not give.

There are a number of reasons why but the most fundamental to me is the fact that we continue to let pro-abortion, anti-true marriage politicians continue to receive Holy Communion on our parishes, but say/do nothing. To me, that is the our current scandal.

Our clergy and religious celebrate the election of a pro-abortion politicians, or praise them when they have died.

We have anti-Church groups meeting on a regular basis in our parishes.

When pro-gay legislation is passed, our Archbishop remains silent.

Therefore, I will not give.

I urge you not to give.

I do urge you to take that money and give it to a good Catholic charity, maybe directly to your local Catholic school or a religious order that follows the teaching of the Magesterium.

That is what I intend to do.

If you feel the same, let me know. And, if you wish, you can even name the group that will get your funds.

If you don't agree with me, you can let me know too. You are always welcome to post here.

Archibishop's Appeal 2008 (An Update)

A friend of mine gives me a call. Here is a synopsis of our conversation:

Melvin (not his real name): Hey, I got a call from the Archdiocese the other night.

Me: You did? (Wondering what the heck was going on.)

Melvin: Yeah, they told me to stay away from you next week?

Me: Oh? (Now I am really confused, did they figure out who I was?)

Melvin: Yeah, they said there were going to send over a couple of the boy's from the Lavender Mafia and beat me with their pink purses. Not the Vera Bradley ones. But the ones our grandmother’s carried…you know the ones with the brass metal corners, the couple of pieces of hard candy (which have been in there for years), a couple of tissues, bobby pins, a pencil, small pad of paper, etc.

Me: (rolling my eyes)

Melvin: (Laughing)

Me: Okay, okay. So what’s up?

Melvin: Well, I did get a call from the Archdiocese.

Me: About what?

Melvin: Since I had not given to the Archbishop’s Appeal, they were calling me to contribute.

Me: So, what did you tell them?

Melvin: Well, the person on the phone explained who she was, the importance of the Archbishop’s Appeal, and then hit me up for $XXX (Note: A nice three figure amount.)

Me: What did you say?

Melvin: Well, I told her no but nicely.

Me: And?

Melvin: They she understood that $XXX was too much in this economy, so she dropped the amount about one-third.

Me: And?

Melvin: Told her no, I was not interested in giving. She asked me why?

Me: And you told her it was because of his stance of illegal aliens? On communion to pro-abortion politicians? What?

Melvin: I just told her I was not interested. And when she asked I again, I was very polite but told her no.

Me: Mmmm. Have they ever called before?

Melvin: Nope. Never.

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Help defeat Montgomery County's Gender Identity Bill 23-07 this November. Go to http://notmyshower.net.

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Vote NObama '08

Catholic Colleges and Homosexual Clubs

During the Papal Visit, the USCCB hosted a blog. One of the postings gave the number of Catholic schools at all levels.

Being the person that I am, I asked if this included everyone who called themselves Catholic (like Georgetown) or really and truly Catholic institutions. That posting was immediately removed. (You can see an earlier posting on this.) Note that it is their blog and they can do whatever they please.

However, in the Washington DC area, there are two “Catholic” institutions which have “homosexual associations”: Georgetown University and Trinity College.

To be honest, there is no surprise with either one.

But, I do know from previous reports, that the Archbishop refuses to do anything to go about closing these clubs, since the universities in question “are not administered by the Archdiocese.”

For a complete listing, click here.

2008 Archbishop's Appeal - Still Waiting

In late January, I wrote that my buddy had requested a statement on where the money raised from the Archbishops Appeal went. A reply was promised.

To date he has still not received a reply. I don't think one will be forthcoming.

Archbishop’s Appeal 2008 – Why I won’t give and why you shouldn’t too.

I have decided this year not to give to the Archbishop’s Appeal. Now, I did not make this decision lightly but have done so to make a point—that I am unhappy with the leadership of this Archdiocese.

I am unhappy with it for the following reasons (not in any particular order):

- The Maryland Catholic Conference (and of course the Archdiocese) is so worried about the plight of illegal aliens and working with anti-Catholic politicians, that Catholic schools are dying.

- The Archbishop continues to refuse to deny communion (and some speaking engagements) to pro-abortion and pro-homosexual politicians. Even after that fantastic article (that I have referenced to earlier by Archbishop Burke of St. Louis), our Archbishop continues to show no backbone on this issue.

- The issue of active homosexual priests is one of the key reasons why the Church continues to have not only a pedophile problem but also a problem in orthodoxy. It is my belief that active homosexual priests are more than willing to cover-up for their pedophile brethren and visa versa. The bishops don’t want to see this as a problem and so choose to ignore it. Remember the case of Fr. Lee that I wrote about on December 11th?

- An earlier query about where the money goes by my good buddy is still unanswered. Why should I give to a charity when I do not know how it is being spent?

Therefore, I have decided to withhold my contribution from this Appeal.

I am not going to take it and spend it on downloadable music, DVDs, video games or a couple of adult beverages.

I am going to take it and donate it directly to a Catholic charity. One in which I know that those who run it are faithful to the teachings of the Church.

When the Archbishop begins to show some moral backbone, then I will once again give.

I urge you to do the same.

It is the only way he will get the message.

The Archbishop's Appeal: Where does the money go?

On January 3, 2008 I (like hundreds of others) received a letter from Archbishop Wuerl regarding The Annual Archbishop's Appeal.

I opened it and examined the contents: the letter, the brochure and the return envelope.

The focus of the brochure is of course on who is giving and where is the money going. In this case, it highlights the University of Maryland Catholic ministry and Project Rachael -- both good programs. It also highlights two families who are contributors to the Appeal.

Then it suddenly struck me: nowhere does it say where all of the money is going exactly. It talks in generalities. Millions of dollars each year is given but where it goes, who knows.

Now, let me say this right here and right now: I do not think that the money is being spent on lavish parties, hobnobbing with the Hollywood crowd or massive stone monuments to the Archbishop. However, I would like to know who is getting the money. If I am giving, then I and all Catholics in the Archdiocese should know where it is going. A complete list would be nice. Don't you think?

So, off I went to the website. Low and behold, it gave me the same high level information that it gave in the brochure. It tells me the category of support, such as education or special ministries, and then lists a couple of the specific organizations. It does not give the entire list, nor does it tell the amount each received.

What I did notice right off the bat, in both the printed and on-line versions: How much each parish is assessed down to the last penny. I really can't tell you how Holy Redeemer in DC is assessed $10,292.30. But, it is important to know how much you are going to have to pony-up, including the thirty cents (for those in Holy Redeemer).

So, I asked a good buddy to request the complete list (exactly whom did the money go to) from the person listed on the website. So, he did and a reply was received that it would be forthcoming on the website in a couple of days. So, he checks every day.

And a week later, still no answer. But he notices that there is a new person in charge of the Appeal.

Not certain if the person was fired, quit or moved to another position, he sends an email to the new person. A reply was given that she would attempt to get a complete list and that she was compiling it. It seems that there is no list -- at least one that is made available to Catholics.

That was two weeks ago.

Still no list.

I will keep you posted but I am not holding my breath.


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Remember: Help stop the Montgomery Country Transgender Bill. Sign the petition (if you are a registered voter in MoCo.) Click here.