The Bishop’s Annual Appeal has been a unified effort in which all the faithful are asked by Bishop Bradley to provide critical financial support to the Diocese of Kalamazoo. A faith response means that we heed the call that God makes to all of us to advance the work of the Church in our diocese. Our response serves people in ways we may not realize. Gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal serve as the primary funding source for the ministries, services and programs conducted by the Diocesan ministry offices and supports the cost of seminarian tuition and formation for the future priests of the Diocese.

The appeal is always conducted in the weeks following Easter, traditionally in late April-early May and is scheduled to be completed in May or early June.

Every Appeal gift goes to support diocesan programs and ministries which in turn provide services that no one parish can offer on its own. Additionally, 100 percent of contributions received beyond a parish’s assigned goal are returned to the parish to support local ministry priorities. We returned $386,816.83 to our parishes for the 2024 Bishop’s Annual Appeal to support parish initiatives.

We are called to support good causes beyond our own parish, so we are called to support the diocese. Your gift assists in the following areas: parish and diocesan ministries such as marriage and family programs; faith formation and Catholic education such as the Office of Schools, Diocesan communications, clergy and religious support, vocations and seminarian formation and education, social services such as Catholic Charities, and other pastoral services to support parishes and schools.

Parish goals are determined by a formula based on the Sunday and holy day collections of the previous fiscal year from July 1, through June 30. That amount, relative to all other parishes is the percentage assigned as a parish target.
The formula for calculating the individual Goals for the Bishop’s Annual Appeal is as follows:

1. Sunday and Holy Day collections – a reduction of $600 for each student reported as attending one of our diocesan Catholic Schools = Adjusted Sunday and Holy day income.
2. Adjusted Sunday and Holy day income x 18.85% = Parish Goal before adjustment for the increase/decrease Cap

 
Parish Goal before Cap adjustment +/- Cap adjustment limiting decreases to no more than 15.0% or increases to no more than 7.5% = Bishop’s Annual Appeal Goal

Should your parish exceed its goal of gifts paid, 100% of the additional funds go back to your parish.

When the Bishop’s Annual Appeal was inaugurated in 2010, Bishop Bradley felt strongly to bring out of the former appeal total many of the second collections so that the parishioners may know and understand the various ministries outside of the Diocese of Kalamazoo that we support as a Church. Additionally, this allows each parishioner household to decide which of the second collections to support.

The simple answer is no. The appeal target calculation is based on Sunday and holy day collections only. Bishop’s Annual Appeal rebates and estate gifts to the parish are examples of income that is not included in the calculation.

All parishes are required to either meet their target through the appeal process or make up the difference from parish income or reserves.

Pledges provide parishioners with the opportunity to make a more significant and intentional gift to the mission of the Church. A contribution is easier to pay over a period of time rather than a one-time gift. A pledge is not legally binding but rather a statement of what the parishioner intends to do.

No. All funds go to the pastoral, educational, and social needs of our diocese.

To track the progress of your parish, please visit the diocesan website. In your web browser, type www.diokzoo.org. After the homepage appears, hover on “About” then click “Bishop’s Annual Appeal.”  Scroll down and click on the link for “(Year) Bishop’s Annual Appeal Tracking Report.”  You will find your parish listed there.

Charitable giving reflects our Christian stewardship of treasure. Giving back to God should require sacrifice while recognizing God’s generosity to us individually. Your gift should be made after prayerful reflection, recalling that your gift will support the mission of the Church here in our diocese and beyond.

Your gift to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal is tax deductible. A tax statement will be postmarked to you by January 31^st.

After all the gifts and pledge information is entered into the data system, the first run of pledge statements will be in early July and will continue through the month of April the following year until the close of the appeal calendar.

To make an online pledge, please visit the diocesan website. In your web browser, type www.diokzoo.org.  After the homepage appears, click on “Give”. Scroll down and click on Bishop’s Annual Appeal, you will then be re-directed to the online giving page. If you already have a login username and password, just enter that information. If you do not have a login username and password, you can create one on that page and then make your pledge. Or you can go directly go to our online giving site: https://www.osvhub.com/dioceseofkalamazooappeal/funds

Yes, you can use a credit card to pay on your pledge. This can only be done through our online giving site (https://www.osvhub.com/dioceseofkalamazooappeal/funds). For security reasons we cannot accept them over the phone or through the mail.

All checks should be made out to Bishop’s Annual Appeal. Please also include your parish name in the memo line and should you know it your Diocesan ID#.

All pledge cards and in-pew envelopes should be sent directly to the Diocese. You can utilize the preaddressed return envelope that came with your mailing and simply place a stamp on it before dropping it in the mail or you can add a stamp to the preaddressed in-pew envelope and drop it in the mail. All pledges and payments should be addressed to the Diocese:
                  Bishop’s Annual Appeal Office
                  215 N. Westnedge Avenue
                  Kalamazoo, MI 49007