Diocese raising $42.5M

The Diocese of Lafayette plans to raise $42.5 million during its Centennial Campaign: Building Our Future Together, a multifaceted fundraising initiative aimed to meet the needs of the Diocese.
The diocese observes its 100th anniversary in 2018.
The campaign will be conducted in all 121 parishes and 28 missions throughout the Diocese, inviting the participation of more than 100,000 Catholic families. To date, the campaign has already succeeded in raising more than $18 million. The goal is to raise the remainder by the summer of 2017.
The Centennial Campaign focuses on five main goals:
— To strengthen parishes through local projects (30 percent);
— Aid seminarian education (25 percent);
— Provide for retired priests (23 percent);
— Support Catholic college students through two local Catholic Student Centers (12 percent); and
— Assist the disadvantaged in the area (10 percent).
The fund to support Catholic college students includes renovations at LSUE’s Catholic student center, the Acadiana Advocate reported.
Lafayette Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel said, “We have seen great leadership and stewardship from the first parishes that implemented the campaign. The outpouring of support from pastors, leadership, and parishioners serves as a testament to the goals of this campaign and the sacrificial, loving spirit of our people.”
Dishotel added, “The pastors and leaders of these parishes have set an excellent example for the remaining parishes. I offer my admiration and gratitude to all who have offered their support already. In my experience, campaigns of this nature are successful thanks to the dedication and sacrifices of the people, who are the lifeblood of our diocese.”
The Rev. William Blanda, pastor of St. Peter Catholic Church in New Iberia and chairman of the Priests’ Advisory Council for the Centennial Campaign, said, “I am humbled by the success we have seen thus far in the Centennial Campaign. It is a sign of the commitment our parishioners’ hold for the longevity of our mission and faith.”
The Diocese of Lafayette was established in Louisiana in 1918 from the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The Diocese serves the parishes of Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, and Vermillion in South Central Louisiana. The combined population of the Diocese totals more than 600,000 residents, of which 300,000 identify themselves as Catholic.
More information about the Centennial Campaign: Building Our Future Together can be found at http://diolaf.org/centennial-campaign.