Forward With Faith

Case for Support

In partnership with the Archdiocese of Hartford, we are now embarking on Forward with Faith, a landmark campaign being led by The Hartford Bishops’ Foundation, through which every parish will be asked to participate to help move our Catholic community forward to a future of vibrancy and renewed evangelization.

The Forward with Faith Campaign strives to build the strong financial foundation necessary to address our future needs and strengthen our parishes, schools, faith formation programs, and social service ministries.

From the Archbishop

Funding Initiatives

Vibrant Parishes

Vibrant Parishes

 “The parish is where the Church lives. Parishes are communities of faith, of action, and of hope. They are where the Gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent to renew the earth. Parishes are the home of the Christian community; they are the heart of our Church. Parishes are the place where God’s people meet Jesus in word and sacrament and come in touch with the source of the Church’s life.”  
– U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Communities of Salt and Light

Educating to Reignite the Faith

Educating to Reignite the Faith

Our Catholic schools and faith formation programs are held to the highest Archdiocesan Religion Curriculum Standards (ARCS) to ensure student outcomes are tracked and ultimately achieved in all essential Catholic course areas. These standards are designed to empower young Catholics to live as disciples of Jesus Christ, engage them in their role as active participants in the Church, and to foster their growth spiritually, academically, personally and morally.

 

As evidenced through our academic results and standards, our Catholic schools and parish faith formation programs instill future leaders with confidence and a deeper understanding of Christ through a strong academic program and provide opportunities for generous service to the parish and wider community. The continual strengthening of academics; strong administrative and teacher leadership; and sound management practices are all critical to the future of Catholic schools. A successful Campaign will make possible grants to support faculty capacity-building, academics, and management improvements.

Champions in Service to Others

Champions in Service to Others

Answering Pope Francis’ call for Catholics to be “real champions in the service of others,” the Archdiocese of Hartford’s social service agencies deliver care, with respect and compassion, to individuals and families of all faiths and nationalities throughout the three counties of the Archdiocese each day.
 
 
 

Fund for Innovation & Emerging Opportunities

Fund for Innovation & Emerging Opportunities

Innovation occurs every day in dynamic organizations like the Archdiocese of Hartford and in our wider community. The Fund for Innovation and Emerging Opportunities will help prepare the Archdiocese to extend its reach into the broader community by supporting projects that show outstanding potential and require full or partial funding. The Fund will serve as a mechanism to help the Archdiocese be more nimble in its support of programs and community partnerships facing budget barriers.

 
Funded programs will demonstrate potential to create long lasting, positive change and strengthen our schools and parish communities across the Archdiocese. These may include, for example, communications and marketing efforts to drive enrollment and church attendance, or programs that benefit or promote STREAM education. The transformative power of this fund will also breathe life into programs serving the wider community.   
 
Through a grant-making system, funded innovations will have a measurable impact and may often be replicable, ensuring that viable experiments give new energy and life to our schools, parishes, and surrounding communities.

Saint Michael’s Involvement

How Forward with Faith Works

The Forward with Faith initiative is not new in the United States. The name may not be the same but the goal is and that is to keep Catholicism vibrant here in the United States. Churches within the Archdiocese of Hartford are being asked to contribute to the Forward with Faith initiative. The initiative has been phased in with Saint Michael’s being in Phase 2. Yes, there are churches who have already been through this process.

The Forward with Faith initiative relies on contributions and pledges from the parishioners in each church. Pledges may be made for a specific amount which may be paid over 5 years. This enables the giver to budget and pay as finances allow. For instance a pledge of $10,000 could be made for the 5 year period with each year’s payment being $2,000/yr. This can be broken down even further to a monthly payment. Using the same example, a monthly pledge would equate to approximately $166.67/month.

Here are some other examples:

PledgeYearlyMonthlyWeekly
$2000$400$33.33$8.33
$5000$1000$83.33$20.83
$10000$2000$166.67$41.67
$15000$3000$250.00$62.50

Saint Michael’s will benefit from this initiative. The total amount is split 50/50 so that the Archdiocese will retain $135,000 and Saint Michael’s will receive $135,000 back to use towards important projects here in our parish. If Saint Michael’s exceeds the Goal, anything above $270,000, Saint Michael’s will receive 80% of the amount above the $270,000. For example, IF Saint Michael’s pledges $300,000, In addition to the $135,000, we will receive 80% of the $30,000 that was pledged above the goal. $135,000 + $24,000. Once Saint Michael’s parishioners start the pledge payments, we will receive checks every six (6) months from Forward with Faith.

Forward with Faith

Our Parish is supporting Forward with Faith, a landmark campaign being led by the Hartford Bishops’ Foundation to make significant strategic investments in the spiritual and financial well-being of our Archdiocese and our local parish communities.

Forward with Faith, the first archdiocesan-wide campaign in the 175-year history of the Archdiocese of Hartford, is our opportunity to come together as one community of faith to invest in our parishes, schools, ministries, and services that are integral to the long-term sustainability of our Church.

Through the Forward with Faith Campaign, the Hartford Bishops’ Foundation will address four critical areas of investment: Vibrant Parishes, Champions in Service to Others, Educating to Reignite the Faith, Fund for Innovation and Emerging Opportunities.

Total Contributions/Pledges Split 50/50 $270,000

Towards Our Goal

Total Goal: $270,000
June 2021: $3,000
July 2021: $48,500
August 2021: $0
September 2021: $10,500
October 2021: $47,455
November 2021: $46,277
December 2021: $27,846
February 2022: $1,800

Towards Goal: $185,378 – 68% of Goal

Contribution/Pledge Summary

FAQ’s

No, the pledge amount may be spread out over 5 years.  This gives you flexibility in how you pay the pledge.

Your contribution helps Saint Michael’s.  Half of the amount pledged/contributed will come back to Saint Michael’s to help with parish improvements.  The other half will be used to revitalize Catholicism in our Archdiocese.

Yes, both here and throughout the Archdiocese.  The amount you pledge/contribute is personal and can be based on what you can afford to give.  We understand that times are tough and the Pandemic did not help.  The cost of pretty much everything is rising.  Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

As part of the planning process for this initiative, Saint Michael’s was asked to come up with projects that would benefit our parish church.  As with any church, there are many projects that need attention.  Here at Saint Michael’s we are looking at the roof, upgrading electrical and more.  More details will be shared soon.

More Information Coming Soon!