by Joe Bollig
joe.bollig@theleaven.org
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — When you’re a struggling Catholic school or parish, and the roof falls in or the furnace falls apart, who ya gonna call?
The Cavalry? The Marines? The Ghostbusters?
Why not call the CAC — the Clergy Advisory Committee.
Three parishes and a school have benefited from an emergency fund of Archbishop’s Call to Share donations allocated by the Clergy Advisory Committee, which assists the archdiocesan office of stewardship and development.
“Something that was started last year, upon recommendation of the archbishop, was the establishment of an emergency fund from Call to Share monies to help parishes and schools facing financial emergencies,” said Father Jerry Volz, committee chairman. “Money was budgeted for that, and this year we had our first four distributions.”
Those distributions were $35,000 to Blessed Sacrament Parish in Kansas City, Kan., for roof repair; $15,000 to St. Peter Cathedral Parish in Kansas City, Kan., for boiler repair; $14,000 to St. Columbkille Parish in Blaine, for roof repair; and $20,000 to Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kan., for roof repair.
The committee, which has had a complete turnover of members, is comprised of seven pastors and four archdiocesan staff members.
“The Clergy Advisory Committee assists the office of stewardship and development in implementing Archbishop’s Call to Share,” said Father Volz, pastor of St. Matthew Parish in Topeka, who was appointed chairman in May.
“Besides the practical parts of the campaign itself — the publications and helping all the parishes in the archdiocese to promote Call to Share — we’re also trying to continue to emphasize the concept of stewardship,” he explained.
The committee also works with different regions to recommend parish Call to Share goals to the archbishop.
The Archbishop’s Call to Share, an archdiocesan-wide appeal for funds to support archdiocesan ministries and services, occurs over a five-week period beginning each January.
The committee will also establish a “visioning” task force to explore how Call to Share might be developed and altered to continue to be successful, he said.
