It is once again time for the annual Catholic Services Appeal (CSA) for the Archdiocese of Louisville.  As in previous years, the campaign begins in October and finishes in June.  Every registered Catholic household has received a letter from Archbishop Shelton, a CSA brochure, and a contribution card.  Also, it is very easy to go to www.archlou.org and give to the CSA.

The CSA is the only “free will offering” for the Archdiocese.  While each parish has a goal for the number of contributors and the amount for contributions, each household is asked to consider a free will offering to support the pastoral services of the Archdiocese of Louisville.

In any given year, income from the Archdiocese comes from three primary sources:  assessments on parish income, interest from investments, and the CSA. CSA funds over one hundred pastoral services throughout our Archdiocese.  These groups include, but are not limited to, seminarians preparing for priestly ministry, men preparing for diaconal ministry, continuing education and formation for parish leaders, catechetical and leadership programs for young adults, the many initiatives of Catholic Charities, and support for the operational expenses of the Southern Kentucky missions. 

CSA is effective because it combines small and large contributions (much like the Crusade for Children) to fund ministries throughout the Archdiocese.  One hundred percent of the contributions go to the various ministries.  There are no administrative expenses and no overhead.  CSA funds the initiatives that are too large for individual parishes and enables all Catholics to support those initiatives.

This year, I challenged myself to significantly increase my previous gift.  My gift was 20% more than last year and was split between our two parishes.  I hope you will join me in supporting the CSA which enriches and improves the lives of all of us, especially those less fortunate than us.                                       Fr. Gary