There are two main reasons we are launching a capital campaign now. First, we know from our master plan that there is a great need for more space for ministry, education and prayer meetings. There are also critical maintenance, renovation and modernization projects that must be completed on the school gym so that the condition of our building doesn’t deteriorate any further. Second, there was overwhelming support for this campaign from you, our parish and school families, when asked in the planning study a few months ago.

Yes, there are some remaining funds from the sale but, what was not used in updating the maintenance status of our existing buildings, has already been dedicated to the current construction work.  Our community voted heavily in favor of addressing all deferred maintenance of our existing campus as the first priority with those funds so we tended to painting, roof repair, HVAC repair, kitchen and restroom remodeling, parking lot maintenance, school repairs and maintenance and many other items before planning our current building projects.  All remaining funds have been dedicated to the Sacred Heart Faith Formation Center construction project.  

Occasional 2nd collections will not raise the funds needed to accomplish our goals. Sacred Heart has not had a capital campaign since the 1980s, which means that for four decades, repairs and maintenance have happened only as parish savings have allowed.  Considering that our parish operating budget is around one million dollars annually and our school budget is around 2 million dollars annually just for utilities, insurance and basic personnel costs, we really have not been able to save much in the way of extra funds, apart from the recent sale of land.

 After the land sale to St. Mary’s, our Finance Council voted unanimously to reserve 10% of the principle from the sale to charitable works.  The sale was for six million dollars, so six hundred thousand dollars was set aside with the goal of distributing up to sixty thousand dollars annually to charities over a ten year period.  The investment of these funds has actually done better than expected so we will be able to continue this practice for several more years to come.  We have replaced the failed HVAC system for St. Rita’s Retreat Center, remodeled the St. Vincent De Paul Family Shelter after water damage, contributed to building small homes at Hope Village, supported Sacred Heart School, Magdalene Home and hospital counseling programs among other causes.  This model of tithing for us has always been a priority but giving to the parish so that we can successfully respond to God’s Gospel missionary call is also worthy of our support.

First, our school is not an independent corporation in the same way that St. Mary’s is.  Instead, it is our parish’s largest and most expensive ministry.  Under our parish care we hope to not only help educate our next generation of community leaders but to pass the faith onto them as well.  Second, Catholic schools across the country are not self-sufficient.  They rely on three sources of income to operate…tuition, fundraising events and parish Sunday collections.  In our archdiocese, parish support amounts to 20% of all Sunday collections.  So, in short, the school is unable to afford covering the costs of necessary campus maintenance and repairs on their own.     

We are one, Sacred Heart Catholic Parish and family, and as such, we will invite all those individuals and families whom Sacred Heart serves to support the Our Faith, Our Family, Our Future campaign. The campaign is an extraordinary effort, and we will need support and investment from all parishioners, school and religious education families, and school alumni to accomplish our goals. In the course of conducting this campaign, aside from raising funds for true needs, we hope to educate, to inspire, to ignite and reignite, and to strengthen our parish community.