The Dialog

By Joseph Ryan

Dialog Editor

Bishop Malooly has begun seeking the input of priests and laity in the Diocese of Wilmington on planning for a capital campaign next year.

Priests and parishioners are being surveyed in the coming weeks to consider the proposed goals of the campaign and provide feedback in three ways: by one-on-one interviews, by mail or online surveys, and at seven town hall meetings scheduled throughout the diocese. The first two meetings, in Glasgow and Easton, Md., were canceled due to Hurricane Sandy. (See list below.)

The aim of the campaign is to strengthen the pension plans for lay employees and priests of the diocese as well as to raise funds for current and future needs of the parishes, according to Deborah Fols, secretary of the diocese’s Development Department.

At the town hall focus group meetings, parishioners will learn about the proposed campaign goals and ask questions about plans for the campaign.

“The foundation of our church is its people,” Bishop Malooly writes in a letter to parishioners. “Our parishioners, the lay employees that serve our parishes, schools and ministries and our priests that dedicate their lives to service to God are our strongest assets.”

The goal for the lay employee retirement fund in the campaign is $10 million. “These employees are men and women who dedicate their lives to the ministries of the church,” according to the flyer describing the campaign. They also include parish secretaries, maintenance workers, and teachers and administrators in parish schools.

Another goal of the campaign is to grow the priest health and welfare fund. “The diocese is committed to providing our priests a dignified retirement which includes a pension benefit and health care,” the flyer on the campaign states.

The town hall focus group meetings on the campaign are scheduled for the following days and places, starting at 7 p.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m.:

• Oct. 29, St. Margaret of Scotland, Glasgow — CANCELED DUE TO STORM

• Oct. 30, Ss. Peter and Paul, Easton, Md. — CANCELED DUE TO STORM

• Nov. 5, St. Joseph on the Brandywine, Greenville

• Nov. 7, Holy Cross Early Learning Center, Dover

• Nov. 13, Corpus Christi, Msgr. McGee Hall, Elsmere

• Nov. 14, St. Ann, Wilmington

• Nov. 27, Our Lady of Lourdes, parish hall, Seaford

For more information on the capital campaign go to Communications’ Corner at: dioceseofwilmington.steiergroup.net/

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