By Sarah Hanley • Posted January 6, 2022

For the second year in a row, the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia (CFGP) partnered with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to bring #iGiveCatholic to our archdiocese. We are very pleased that more than 9,000 generous donors contributed to #iGiveCatholic, raising $1,771,471 for 124 parishes, schools and nonprofit ministries across the archdiocese.

The support of this important Catholic initiative is truly inspiring. As we celebrated the birth of our Lord during the Christmas season, we spent time reflecting on our blessings and how we can best share them generously with others. The #iGiveCatholic initiative was a wonderful vehicle for all of us to do just that.

For those unfamiliar with this growing initiative, #iGiveCatholic is nationally recognized as the official Catholic Giving Day, celebrating all aspects of our Catholic faith. It inspires faithful stewards to “Give Catholic” on #GivingTuesday, the global day of giving following Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

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The mission of #iGiveCatholic is to unite Catholic communities and donors throughout the country to give back in support of the organizations that have always inspired them: parishes, schools and nonprofit ministries.

At CFGP, we were honored to work closely with Archbishop Nelson Pérez to bring this important Catholic cause to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to promote a shared culture of Catholic philanthropy. This year’s participating organizations shared the tremendous impact that #iGiveCatholic had on their ministries:

“I am so deeply appreciative of those who participated in this #iGiveCatholic initiative. As always, our parishioners are so generous in giving of their time, talent, and treasure to not only our own parish but to so many other charitable causes as well. Their sacrifices are so evident and help us to realize our mission and to be ‘a welcoming parish family dedicated to growing disciples and making Church matter.’ It is the Our Lady of Guadalupe Difference!” — Msgr. Joseph Gentili, pastor, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Doylestown.

The #iGiveCatholic campaign has truly been a blessing to St. Aloysius Parish School. The amount of money raised in 24 hours in both 2020 and 2021 was astounding! We are extremely thankful for the love and support of our wonderful community, the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia, and the #iGiveCatholic platform that allows us to participate in this incredible initiative!” — Luisa DeSimone, advancement director, St. Aloysius Parish School, Pottstown.

“Thanks in large part to the #iGiveCatholic campaign and the generosity of our donors, the Vocation Office is better positioned to continue our outreach programs and serve the men who are discerning the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.” — Father David Friel, director, Vocation Office for the Diocesan Priesthood.

I am also pleased that two of our CFGP partners have placed first and second — raising the most dollars nationally and locally: St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Appeal and the Catholic Charities Appeal of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

“We are so grateful to see our donors fully embrace Giving Tuesday through #iGiveCatholic. Last year was our first year to participate in the initiative and the faithful outdid themselves this year by donating roughly $100,000 more than last year on this day. These monies go directly to underwrite our work of formation for our future priests. It means so much to have this kind of support for the mission of the seminary.” — Bishop Timothy C. Senior, rector, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.

Nationally, #iGiveCatholic raised a grand total of $16,536,685 with support from 44,149 donors for 1,620 organizations. I am grateful that CFGP could assist the archdiocese in being a part of this monumental day of giving.

In this new year, we can take a moment to reflect on the incredible generosity of many who support the church’s important work on this day of giving – and all throughout the year. Our parishes, schools and nonprofit ministries rely on all of us to help provide the resources needed to share the Gospel message.

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Sarah Hanley is the president and CEO of the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia.