by Lisa McKelvey
Special to The Leaven
You are making the 2026 Archdiocesan Call to Share a success! As I have spoken about over the last few months, the name change from Archbishop’s Call to Share to Archdiocesan Call to Share was purposeful to highlight how it takes all of our collective efforts to support so many vital ministries.
While this last year has been filled with change, your gifts are hard at work on behalf of ACTS ministries. As we are midway through the year, thusfar over 11,500 families have supported the annual appeal with gifts totaling over $6.6 million. While that is an outstanding amount, our ministries will still need a little over $1 million to be fully funded. If you have not made a gift this year, I ask you to consider a gift at this time to help ensure these ministries can continue serving those who rely on them each day.
As Archbishop McKnight has shared in previous articles, the archdiocese has looked at how the ministries are structured so that we can ensure we serve our communities with aligned goals and responsible stewardship. Following consultation with outside experts and listening sessions with staff, clergy, and key stakeholders, it became clear that the current structure must evolve to enable the archdiocese to effectively advance the mission of the church in northeast Kansas. The goal is to increase the capacity and strength of our parishes, schools and ministries.
Included with this article is an updated list of the ministries your gifts are financially supporting (see sidebar to the right); both the ministry as it was listed in the 2026 ACTS marketing materials along with the new ministry placement and its new name if applicable. I want you to know that ALL ACTS ministries that we asked you to support over the past few months are continuing; they may just have a new name and a new office location.
The following ministry stories offer a glimpse of the meaningful impact your generosity has made across ministries in recent months.
Prairie Star Ranch: Prairie Star Ranch has helped young people encounter Christ and grow in their faith for over 25 years, thanks to your support through Call to Share. On July 1, they will become a separate, self-governed, Catholic nonprofit corporation, funded in part by your gifts to the Archdiocesan Call to Share.
The behind-the-scenes preparation has been happening for months as Prairie Star Ranch prepares for nearly 2,000 campers, staff and families this summer. From the young people spending a week at camp, to families attending camp together in multiple languages, to the young adults dedicating weeks, months, or even their entire summer serving and working at Camp Tekakwitha, all are coming to Prairie Star Ranch to grow as disciples of Jesus. In addition to everyone who visits Prairie Star Ranch for Camp Tekakwitha each summer and throughout the year, youth and young adults from across the archdiocese visit Prairie Star Ranch for their confirmation retreats, high school retreats, vocations retreats and many other opportunities. Your support makes this possible!
Parish Evangelization Services: In mid-May, two Beatitudes from the Heartland listening sessions were hosted for those in our archdiocese in the deaf community. We remain committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity for their voice to be heard. A team from the Culture Project will be again serving in the schools and campus ministry centers next school year. This past year they gave 162 presentations across the archdiocese to students of all ages. These impactful presentations reached over 7,700 people.
Walking with Moms support groups for single moms are growing in parishes across the archdiocese. Five support groups are up and running with several parishes in the formation process. A team of pro-life leaders are trained and formed by the Parish Evangelization Services team to start and launch the program in their communities.
Parish Evangelization Services supports parishes preparing members of their congregation to join the church or be received into full communion with the church at Easter. This year, there were over 280 catechumens joining the church and over 310 candidates being received into full communion in the church. We welcome our new brothers and sisters in Christ with open arms!
It is with great joy that I share the amazing work of these ministries. If you have not yet joined in support of these shared ministries, I ask you to prayerfully consider a gift to the Archdiocesan Call to Share. You can go online and give today at: call.archkck.org. A recurring gift is a fantastic way to start adding the Archdiocesan Call to Share into your regular giving. If you have any questions or if I can be of any assistance, you can contact me at: LmcKelvey@archkck.org or (913) 647-3071.
Lisa McKelvey is the director of stewardship and development for the archdiocese.
