The results of the Priesthood Sunday special collection to support the Diocese of Nashville’s efforts to promote vocations to the priesthood “are coming along well,” said Ashley Linville, director of development for the diocese.
The money raised from the Priesthood Sunday collection are added to the totals for the Bishop’s Annual Appeal for Ministries each year, Linville explained. The Appeal received more than $80,000 in the week after Priesthood Sunday, Nov. 8, he added.
“A big part of that was Priesthood Sunday,” Linville said, and he expects more gifts to arrive in the coming weeks. “The Priesthood Sunday gifts usually come in over a two-month period,” he said. “For the next several weeks, we’ll see gifts continue to come in.”
In the past, the special collection has raised about $300,000, Linville said. All of the money stays in the diocese to aid vocations efforts here.
“The money from the Priesthood Sunday collection supports our Vocations Office, our seminary education program, and our future priests,” Linville said.
“Our current seminarian program has 24 seminarians. We have a robust program,” Linville said. “We want to make sure we educate and support these young men as they discern their call.”
People can make an online gift to the Priesthood Sunday collection by visiting www.dioceseofnashville.com/priesthood-Sunday.
“November is a time we think about what we’re grateful for,” Linville said. “So many people are thankful and grateful for the priests they have in their parishes. This ministry helps us provide those leaders.”
Because the money raised through the Priesthood Sunday collection is included in the Bishop’s Annual Appeal for Ministries, it is applied to parishes’ goal for the Appeal, Linville said. Currently, the Bishop’s Annual Appeal for Ministries has raised $2.23 million, which is 74 percent of the $3 million goal, Linville said. The Appeal raises funds that support a variety of diocesan ministries, including vocations. The money raised through the Priesthood Sunday collection will be earmarked specifically to support vocations.
Many donors to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal prefer to make their gift at the end of the year for tax purposes, Linville said. This year, as part of the CARES Act, “there are some big tax benefits for those who make larger gifts,” he noted.
“If anyone has questions about that, I would be happy to talk with them about it,” Linville said.
He also is available to answer questions about making a gift of stocks, Linville said. Donors can also mail a check, payable to Bishop’s Annual Appeal for Ministries, to the Office of Stewardship and Development, 2800 McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN, 37214, or make a gift online at dioceseofnashville.com/appeal, Linville said. They can also make a gift by texting the word “bishop” to 31996, he added. “That will give them a link, and when they click on that link it takes them right to the giving page.”
The diocese will be accepting gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal for Ministries through the end of 2020.
#iGiveCatholic
Schools, ministries and other organizations in the diocese will once again be participating in the #iGiveCatholic campaign, which will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 1, as part of the national GivingTuesday initiative to support non-profits, held each year on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving.
“It’s a chance for people to support parishes, schools and ministries in the diocese,” Linville said.
The individual schools and ministries that have registered with #iGiveCatholic will identify what the funds raised will be used for and will promote the event among their own community and supporters, Linville explained.
To see which organizations in the diocese have registered and to donate, visit Nashville.igivecatholic.org. Early giving opens on Nov. 16.
This the second year the diocese has participated in the #iGiveCatholic campaign, Linville said. Last year, the various ministries raised a total of $60,000 to $70,000. “We’re hoping to build on last year’s efforts,” Linville said.
