We are excited to officially announce that Saint Agnes Parish has undertaken a major fundraising campaign to fully fund the repair work to our church ceiling, replenish parish reserves needed to sustain the parish, and increase evangelization outreach and social justice work in Reading and beyond.
 
Through this effort, we can work together to support our parish’s critical needs and help create a more vibrant and sustainable future for our wider Church and its ministries. We invite you to learn more about our campaign and how we need everyone’s support to achieve success!
 
Our Campaign Priorities:
 
As we look forward to the future of our parish, we envision a thriving community with active ministries, and a parish that is well maintained and prepared to serve our community for years to come. Emboldened by our love of this parish and our wider Church, we are embarking on a campaign in partnership with Inspiring Hope. This campaign allows us to invest in the immediate and long-term health of our parish, as well as invest in the future of our wider Church’s most critical ministries.
 
By conducting our campaign through Inspiring Hope, we retain the majority of what is raised (75%), and we will allocate one-quarter (25%) of the funds we raise toward a critical ministry of the Church of our choosing. We also receive campaign management and pledge redemption services over the next five years that will help us raise the funds needed.
 
 

Saint Agnes Parish Campaign Priorities   Our main priority is fully funding the recently completed repair work to our church ceiling.   To ensure we were able to complete the repair work over the summer and bring parishioners back into their worship space, we moved quickly and efficiently. To date, we have: Identified the cause and extent of the of the ceiling damage Repaired and restored the entire ceiling in the upper church Repainted the entire ceiling, cleaned the sanctuary, and reopened the church   We are now providing a safer church with a restored ceiling that will last us another 100-years!   To complete the repairs, the parish utilized its limited reserve funds that were earmarked for other parish needs. The funds we raise through this campaign will fully pay for the completed repairs and replenish our parish reserves.

Inspiring Hope Campaign Priorities   Based on a campaign feasibility study conducted this spring, which captured dozens of opinions and voices, we chose to designate our support to two ministries that our parish values greatly and has a history of supporting: evangelization and social justice.   The funds raised through our Inspiring Hope campaign will support two endowments that will: Provide grants for evangelization and outreach programs to parishes with limited resources Grow and sustain social justice programs that are managed by Catholic Charities   We hope that you will see supporting these specific ministries through this campaign as a worthy cause and as an extension of our parish values.   Please know, these funds are legally restricted to these two endowments and cannot not be repurposed for any reason.

Our Campaign Goal and Progress to Date
 
After careful planning and a campaign feasibility study, we have set an aspiring goal of $900,000 to be raised over the next five years.  
 
The majority (75%) of funds we raise will directly support Saint Agnes by fully funding our ceiling repair and replenishing parish reserves. A portion (25%) of what we raise up to our goal will be invested in increasing evangelization efforts and social justice work in communities throughout the Archdiocese of Boston.
 
Any funds collected above our Inspiring Hope goal will stay right here at Saint Agnes.
 
Through early campaign conversations and the sacrifices of 41 families, we have already raised over $694,500, or 69% of our total goal! We are inspired by this generosity and are encouraged by the momentum generated so far.
 
Saint Agnes Parish Needs Your Help!
 
While we have a long way to go, we are confident that if we can come together as a parish, we can achieve success together. If you have already been invited to support the campaign by Father Steve or have attended one of our recent events, we encourage you to continue praying about making a sacrificial five-year pledge that is relative to your means. If you were not able to attend one of our events, you should be receiving campaign materials in the mail for your review and consideration.
 
Spreading the Word
 
We want to give as many parishioners as possible an opportunity to personally learn about the effort and ask questions, but we need your help.

If you are available and interested in helping spread the word, we have a volunteer night scheduled for Wednesday, October 2 and Wednesday, October 9 from 6-8pm in the parish hall. At these meetings, we will be reaching out by phone to confirm whether people have received materials, to answer questions, and to encourage support and prayers. 

Ways Parishioners Can Give

1. Multi-Year Pledges
2. Credit Card
3. Stock Transfer
4. Electronic Funds Transfer
5. Donor Advised Funds
6. IRA Transfer
7. Bequests & Annuities

  Campaign Commitment Weekend
Every parishioner attending Mass at Saint Agnes on the weekend of October 13 will have an opportunity to support this campaign through an in-pew campaign appeal. During this appeal, we will pass out and collect campaign pledge cards where you can indicate your decision. Please pray about how you may be able to support this effort, and if possible, come prepared to make your decision.
 
We hope you will consider making a pledge and/or volunteering your time to this effort for Saint Agnes.
 
If you have any questions about the campaign or about making a pledge, or if you have not yet received materials, please contact the parish office at (781) 944-0490, or our campaign director, Jared Melville at (978) 697-5077.