Support for appeal helps Church, faithful ‘Go and Make Disciples’
Marcie and Tom Renken of Our Lady of the Greenwood Parish in Greenwood share a laugh with Archbishop Charles C. Thompson during a gathering of Miter Society members at the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis on Oct. 10. (Photo by Natalie Hoefer)
By Natalie Hoefer
When reflecting to a group recently on the connection between stewardship and Christ’s call to “go and make disciples” by spreading the good news, Archbishop Charles C. Thompson began with an unexpected point.
“Bishop Robert Barron wrote a small book titled Letter to a Suffering Church: A Bishop Speaks on the Sexual Abuse Crisis,” he said.
In the book, the bishop addressed the question: “Why should people stay in the Church?” Archbishop Thompson had an answer.
“It’s important to stay and make a difference rather than walk away,” he said. “Bishop Barron talks about working through our anger, our hurts and pains, our being scandalized, and remaining in the Church to make a difference, continuing on this mission of sharing the good news.”
Archbishop Thompson thus made the connection between stewardship and the theme of this year’s archdiocesan United Catholic Appeal: “Go and Make Disciples.”
(Related: Nov. 9-10 is the annual United Catholic Appeal intention weekend in archdiocesan parishes)
He was speaking to members of the Miter Society during a meal at the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis on Oct. 10. Members of the society are those who contribute $1,500 or more to the archdiocesan annual United Catholic Appeal.
Prior to the meal, the group worshiped at a Mass celebrated by the archbishop at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral.
“God warns of afflicting those who have become too comfortable apart from God,” Archbishop Thompson said during his homily.
“As we gather here, that is ultimately the task of our mission and the goal of our United Catholic Appeal: to bring comfort to those who are afflicted, to provide those ministries and services that bring comfort, teaching, good news, healing, peace and life to those in need—and to challenge those who get too comfortable apart from God and the people we’re called to serve.”
The archbishop noted that by spending more time in prayer, “we become more deeply immersed in the will of the Father, the mission of the Son and the ways of the Spirit so that we can be that much more intentional, credible and effective in our ministries and services that are made possible through the United Catholic Appeal, to transform the world not according to our vision but the one that God has for the kingdom at hand.”
Later, during the dinner, a video was shown. It featured people and agencies who benefit from United Catholic Appeal donations—100 percent of which go directly to archdiocesan ministries and services throughout central and southern Indiana that offer help no single parish or deanery could provide.
The gratitude of those featured in the video was obvious.
“In the video [someone] stated that, ‘Your gift allows us to be here to make those connections [with those in need] that maybe you are not face to face with, but it is your assistance going to them,’ ” observed Jolinda Moore, director of the archdiocesan Office of Stewardship and Development.
“How powerful is that? We as Church are the connecting point for people. We are a bridge that is connecting those in need with the resources that make help and support possible.”
Phyllis McNamara has witnessed the gratitude felt by recipients of such help. The member of Christ the King Parish in Indianapolis volunteers at a food pantry.
“I see how thankful they are,” she said. “A donation can make all the difference in the world to them.”
McNamara donates to the appeal despite being “retired and [living] on a very fixed income. But you know, I never have a lot, but I always have enough. I think this is part of that first fruits thing, where you give and then God will take care of the rest.”
On the other side of seasons in life, Marcy and Tom Renken of Our Lady of the Greenwood Parish in Greenwood have five children ranging in age from 14 to 9 months old.
Tom admitted that he’d never heard of the Miter Society until a few years ago.
“I found out all we needed to give was $60 more a year, so we just added on $5 a month,” he said. “We didn’t miss it.”
“We’re not so much excited about giving to one specific cause or another,” said Marcy of her and her husband’s choice not to designate their United Catholic Appeal donation to one specific ministry. “It’s more excitement about being involved in discipleship, like the archbishop said.”
One ministry the Renkens could have specified on their pledge card is clergy care, including seminarian and deacon formation and support for retired priests—like Father Gerald “Jerry” Kirkhoff.
“In retirement, like me, that [help] really comes in handy,” said the priest, who celebrated his 50th anniversary of priestly ordination this year. “Our Social Security isn’t much because we didn’t make much money.”
Like many other retired priests, Father Kirkhoff continues to minister. He serves as director for the archdiocesan Mission Office and Society for the Propagation of the Faith, and as vicar for advocacy for priests.
“When I get a prescription filled, a couple of times the pharmacist has said, ‘Sir, you really have great insurance,’ ” he commented. “That’s a testament to our insurance” provided by the archdiocese and funded in part by United Catholic Appeal donations. “That is so significant. I hope everyone knows that.”
Archbishop Thompson noted other ways appeal donations provide help throughout central and southern Indiana, including “caring for the poor and vulnerable; protecting and educating our children, teaching them to be strong and safe in the faith of Jesus; helping lead others to Christ; supporting our 24 seminarians—I’d like to see that number double, but I like the quality that we have.”
When it comes to Christ’s call to go and make disciples, he said, “God doesn’t use just one person to be a missionary. God uses all of us. … We’re all called to make that difference.
“When we support the United Catholic Appeal we truly become the eyes, ears, hands, feet and heart of Jesus.”
(For more information about supporting the United Catholic Appeal or the Catholic Community Foundation, contact Jolinda Moore at 317-236-1462, 800-382-9836, ext. 1462, or e-mail jmoore@archindy.org. Online resources for the United Catholic Appeal can be found at www.archindy.org/UCA; Catholic Community Foundation resources are available at www.archindy.org/CCF.) †
