Case For Support
Capital Campaign
Catholic Education and Formation - $14,000,000
Religious Education and Youth Ministry - $4,000,000
Religious education and ministry to our youth are responsibilities we all share, and ones that never end. Beginning with parents and extending to all members of our community, the call to make known the love of Christ and his holy Church is one that challenges and invigorates us.
Families, parishes, innumerous volunteers and the diocese all work together to ensure that religious education is a high priority in our hurried world. Programs for children and adults are critical in building the Kingdom of God. Not all students can attend Catholic schools, nor can all adults dedicate unlimited time to the study and discussion of Catholic teaching. It is all the more essential then that our religious education and youth ministry programs are strong, focused, engaging and transforming. In the Diocese of Austin, more than 65,000 children are involved in a religious education program! Additionally, 5,000 adults attend Catholic adult faith formation programs. In order to ensure that the education these participants are receiving is of the highest quality and authentically Catholic, we must recommit ourselves to the importance of religious education and invest in the generous volunteers and parish staff members teaching our families.
One way we will create a new energy and commitment to proclaim the Gospel is by encouraging those who share in the ministry of catechesis to obtain a master’s degree in theology. Through our master’s degree program, we are creating an invaluable pool of caring, talented and educated adults who are willing to serve the people of our diocese for a minimum of five years. Fifty-eight participants are already active in this successful program, but limited funding means eager, qualified candidates are being turned away! Our campaign will allow us to establish a Master’s Program Fund to provide tuition assistance to Directors of Religious Education, Catholic schoolteachers and parish volunteers and help strengthen parish religious education programs for children and adults throughout the diocese. When fully funded, we will be able to provide tuition assistance for more than 20 students each year! The diocese’s goal is to have one person in every parish with this advanced degree.
Nearly two-thirds of our parishes are unable to participate in leadership conferences and retreats for young people. We must make these important spiritual experiences available to our youth. Through our campaign, we will reinvigorate youth ministry programs, offering assistance to parishes for young people to participate in youth ministry activities such as retreats. In addition, we will meet pressing needs such as:
- New distance learning centers in areas such as Waco and San Marcos to bring educational opportunities to all areas of the diocese. Current centers include Marble Falls, Temple, College Station, and Austin which are used for continuing and diaconate education, Spanish classes, and catechesis formation classes.
- Assisting parishes in need by helping them obtain religious education texts and resources such as audio-visual equipment, dvds, tvs, which are especially important in rural areas.
- Providing materials in Spanish, which includes a Catholic adult formation program and the creation of a Spanish marriage prep program. This is vital because there are more than 300 bi-lingual catechesis in formation, as well as priests and deacons learning to speak Spanish.
- Assisting parishes in assessing the effectiveness of their programs to ensure quality control through a national test by Assessment of Catholic Religious Education (ACRE).
Catholic Schools
Catholic schools in the Diocese of Austin are committed not only to the academic achievement of students, but also to the spiritual and religious heritage which makes us uniquely Catholic. Changing demographics and a growing population have increased the demand for quality Catholic schools in Central Texas. In order to meet this growing need, now is the appropriate time to challenge the entire Catholic community of the diocese to join together in this critical endeavor.
Our diocese will take a two-pronged approach to renewing our commitment to Catholic schools. First, we will strengthen our existing schools by focusing on their Catholic identity, raising the bar in academic excellence, increasing enrollment, investing in our teachers and ensuring accessibility and affordability to a diverse population. Second, we will meet the demand for new schools in our growing diocese by carefully planning for the construction of additional elementary, middle and high schools in the near future.
Strengthening our Catholic Schools - $3,500,000
A Catholic education is unique because it seamlessly blends faith formation through a doctrinally sound and academically rigorous program of education. Especially important today, as families struggle with changing and challenging cultural and moral contexts, Catholic schools offer a clear path in developing the whole person—mind, body and soul.
Catholic schools across the nation and in central Texas have much to celebrate, yet are also faced with significant challenges. The Church in our area is larger than ever before, and many of our people are more financially successful. However, increasing costs such as salaries and benefits for teachers and administrators, as well as facilities, are challenging schools more each year. We must find innovative and effective ways to reinforce Catholic education in Central Texas.
In order to attract and retain outstanding teachers and other personnel, we must make a larger investment in our greatest resource—human beings willing and able to shepherd our young people in their scholastic careers. It is important that we provide just salaries and benefits to those in whom we place our trust. In some parts of the diocese, Catholic school personnel receive only 62% of the salary offered by local public school districts. Health insurance and retirement benefits must also be just and comparable.
Catholic schools are often the Church’s most effective contribution to those families who are poor and disadvantaged. Cultivating healthy interaction among the increasingly diverse populations of our society, the Church and its schools are among the few institutions providing immigrants and newcomers a sense of welcome, dignity, community and connection with their spiritual roots. At the same time, rising costs of education make it more difficult every year for many families to afford Catholic education. Making Catholic education available to families in all economic brackets is a goal from which we cannot waiver.
Given the tremendous growth in our diocese, we must find ways to maintain a strong commitment to faith formation and high academic standards while keeping Catholic education affordable for a growing population. Through the campaign, we will conduct an assessment of our schools’ needs in areas such as tuition assistance, increased enrollment, teacher’s salaries, ongoing professional development and capital improvements, then allocate funds accordingly.
Future Schools Fund - $3,500,000
While strengthening our existing schools is the first step in guiding Catholic education in the Diocese of Austin to new heights, it is only one part of our task. New students from other parts of the country and abroad join us daily. This growing population requires a greater investment in new Catholic schools in our diocese. Our campaign will allow us to fund a comprehensive planning effort to begin building new schools in an organized and fiscally responsible way. Before embarking on the construction of a new school, we must take the time to determine the best location, affordable tuition, realistic enrollment projections, adequate extracurricular activities and a broad-based curriculum that meets or exceeds our expectations for faith formation and academic excellence. A portion of the funds raised now will be reserved for the construction of future schools.
Catholic Campus Ministry - $3,000,000
Catholic college students number a staggering 50,000 on 16 campuses in our diocese! The university is a place where culture is created through research, literature, politics, athletics, language, and international exchange. Where culture is being created, the Church must have a strong presence. We need to be at the center of campus life; in the hearts and lives of students, faculty and staff; and in dialogue with non-believers and members of other faiths.
In order for the next generation of leaders to accept roles as well-formed professionals, parents and parishioners, they must have a solid formation in the Catholic worldview. College is a critical time in their lives, when knowledge is sought, limits are tested and opportunities abound. We must build dynamic campus ministry programs for these students, or they will graduate with advanced degrees in various disciplines while their education in the Catholic faith and tradition will remain on an elementary level.
The diocese is committed to Catholic campus ministry for all students and annually funds programming through the generosity of benefactors to the Catholic Services Appeal. Still, a great number of needs go unmet each year. Through our campaign, we will endow the position of diocesan Campus Ministry Coordinator to work with local parishes and existing student centers to engage Catholic students on campuses large and small. In addition, our campaign will provide challenge grants to each of the four major student centers at the University of Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, and Baylor to meet varying needs such as debt reduction, student outreach, theological education and capital improvements.