Since our founding in 1826, the Archdiocese of St. Louis has flourished into a vast community committed to serving the needs of our parish families. We are called upon by God to continue the great traditions set forth by our predecessors by creating an even more dynamic and inclusive environment for the ministry of the Catholic faith and tradition.
Our commitment to Catholic education, in fidelity to our call to discipleship, is integral to this mission and to Archbishop Carlson’s vision of our Catholic schools serving as “centers of faith, learning, and service.” The Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri was established in 2013 to assist those wishing to support Catholic causes, and one of the Foundation’s initial endeavors is to enhance our Catholic schools’ ability to provide an affordable and quality Catholic education for all students.
As a result, the Roman Catholic Foundation has launched an Archdiocesan-wide initiative called
Beyond Sunday. Through this campaign, we seek to raise an overall total of more than $100 million to address vitally important needs in Catholic education as well as the needs of our own parish that cannot be met through our ordinary sources of income.
To surpass this collective goal, every parish in the Archdiocese will participate in this campaign. Epiphany of Our Lord Parish is one of 50 parishes that are actively participating in the campaign over the next several months. We are part of Block 1; our parish will help to lead the way by conducting our campaign first. And while we have a substantial goal of $395,000, I am confident that our local participation in this campaign will make it successful.
The purpose of my message today is to make everyone aware of this historic endeavor. More details of
Beyond Sunday will be presented over the coming weeks and months, when we will share information with our entire parish family and request each member’s
participation. I am hopeful that you will respond prayerfully and with a pledge of financial support that will help strengthen both our parish and Catholic education throughout the Archdiocese.
As we remember the goodness of those who have gone before us in faith, we seek to secure what has been passed to us and expand the works of the Church. I ask that you join me in prayer for the success of
Beyond Sunday, our parish, Epiphany of Our Lord, as well as those parishes that will follow us in this effort.