Thank You!

For the last two years, the Diocese of Fargo has been carrying out a capital campaign, called “Living Our Faith, Building Our Future.” As you know, this is the first diocesan capital campaign that we have conducted in over 30 years, so it was a significant undertaking for all of us. I am happy to tell you that we have met and even surpassed our collective financial goal for the campaign! To date, you the faithful of the diocese, have pledged more than $22 million dollars over a four year period, and I am eternally grateful for your generosity. I am also hopeful that the total pledge will go even higher, because at least one of our large parishes has not yet run the campaign. The prospects for the campaign are looking very positive. 

You might recall that one key component of the campaign was priest retirement. We hoped to raise additional funds for our priest retirement plan, so that the priests of our diocese would have a secure pension to support them when they retire from active ministry. With the funds that have already come in, we already have been able to add money to the priest pension fund and to the retirement benefit that our priests will receive this year and in the years to come. Your contributions are already making a difference for our priests. 

Another element of the campaign was to construct a retirement residence for priests. All through their ministry in our parishes, we provide a place for our priests to live, but once they retire, they have been on their own to find a new home, perhaps a parish rectory or a private apartment, or somewhere outside of the diocese. A retirement residence will provide another option for our priests, a place where they can have their independence while also living in the company of other priests. This will allow the diocese to provide the assistance that a priest might need in his retirement years, and give him the opportunity to still be of assistance in parishes around the diocese. Because of your generosity, we hope to start construction on the retirement residence later this year. Your support for the campaign is making this residence for our elder Fathers a reality. 

The second key component of our campaign was Maryvale Retreat Center. I’m sure you remember that the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation gave their motherhouse in Valley City—Maryvale—to the Diocese of Fargo for continued retreat ministry. Their incredibly generous gift included a large contribution to an endowed fund that would assist in the operation of Maryvale. This has allowed us to expand the retreat ministry at Maryvale, and to offer even more opportunities for spiritual growth to the people of our diocese. The number of people participating in these retreats has already increased significantly. Our capital campaign will make it possible for us to carry out some needed improvements at Maryvale, updating the facility so that it will serve our needs long into the future. We have already begun some of these projects, and plans are coming along for more significant renovations. We are also able to add to the endowment that the Sisters established for Maryvale’s future. Your pledges to the campaign, and to Maryvale, are already a huge spiritual blessing for our entire diocese. 

And finally, each parish has had the opportunity to benefit from our diocesan campaign. As I told you when we launched the campaign, if we want to have a strong diocese, we need to have strong parishes. Every parish will receive a percentage of the funds that they raise for the campaign, funds that they can use for their own needs and dreams. Some of our parishes have already put their pledged funds to good use, doing necessary building repairs, increasing staff salaries, improving their facilities, creating new ministries, and so on. Most of our parishes are relatively small, so this campaign gave a hand to parishes that might have struggled to run a campaign on their own. Once again, your generosity is already making a difference in the health of our parishes and our diocese. 

So, is the campaign completed? Yes and no. Nearly all of our parishes have run the active phase of the campaign, and the pledges have been made. The pledge redemption period is four years, and many of you will therefore be making your pledge payments over the next several years. And it’s not too late to make a pledge if you haven’t already done so. Perhaps your situation has changed, and you are now able to make a pledge that wasn’t possible before. Any gift that you can make, large or small, will make a difference for your parish, for our priests, and for our entire diocese. 

There were some who wondered if this campaign was necessary or even possible. As your bishop, I can tell you that the campaign was certainly needed and perhaps a bit overdue. And you, the faithful of the diocese, have proven that it could be done. I am profoundly grateful for the sacrificial gifts you made, and those you will still make. I am grateful to God for each one of you. Your love for our Lord and for the Church is an inspiration and gives me great hope for the future of our diocese. With God’s grace, together we can do much to build up his Kingdom. Thank you, and God bless you!