In an effort to increase the quality of Catholic education and faith formation, the Archdioceses of Milwaukee has launched a five year, 105 million dollar capital stewardship campaign.

According to Debra Lethlean, the development director for the archdioceses, the 700,000 Milwaukee Catholics in the 211 diocesan parishes are being asked to raise one time their annual offertory over the next five years.,”In an effort to increase the quality of Catholic education and faith formation, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee launched a five-year, $105 million capital stewardship campaign called Faith in Our Future.

According to Debra Lethlean, development director for the archdiocese, the 700,000 Milwaukee Catholics in the 211 diocesan parishes are being asked to raise their annual offertory one time over the next five years.

"This is a very realistic and doable goal," she said.

Before joining the campaign, each parish has been asked to evaluate their parishes' personal goals and unique needs, Lethlean said.

According to the campaign's Web site, the parishes can allocate the money for building renovation, charitable outreach programs or even creating a school.

The individual parish campaigns are being launched in four separate waves. When the campaign launched in mid-October, 15 parishes were part of the initial group referred to as the pilot wave, Lethlean said.

Groups of 60 to 70 parishes will start their campaigns in January and July of 2008, and the final group of parishes will enter in January 2009, she said.

Rosemary Murphy, the stewardship counsel at St. Matthias parish, 9306 W. Beloit Rd., said the parish is off to a great start.

"We've already received a considerable donation, and we haven't even passed out the pledge cards yet," Murphy said.

Murphy said St. Matthias hopes to raise 1.4 million dollars with the Faith in Our Future campaign.

The campaign at St. Matthias is projecting individual households will be the main contributors instead of four of five large donations, she said.

"If everyone does what they can and realizes all of their blessing and makes a sacrificial donation we'll raise the money," Murphy said.

Ed and Diane Zore, campaign co-chairs and major financial contributors, said they hope the campaign will bring the Milwaukee religious community together.

"All the pieces are in place (to begin the launch)," Lethlean said.

She also said the Zores started the campaign fundraising off with a $2 million personal donation.

"We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't think it was an obtainable goal," said Ed Zore, president and chief executive officer of the Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Diane Zore said that as co-chairs, she and her husband are acting as a visible representation of the campaign to the community.

The Zores said they are optimistic the fundraising will not only meet the $105 million goal but that it would finish early and possibly exceed the projected financial goal.

"It's hard to say no when the Archbishop asked us (to be campaign chairs)," said Diane Zore.

Ed Zore said it was hard to find a perfect time to launch the campaign, but he thought now is a better time then ever. He also said one of the campaign's goals is to put the sexual abuse scandals behind the Church.

"We want to get back up and look at the positive side," he said.

Ed Zore said the money raised in the campaign would not be used to settle abuse cases.

Gesu Parish pastor the Rev. Peter Etzel, said the decision to launch this campaign is seen as both a good and a bad thing – it just depends who you ask.

"It is a time in our Church when people are still recovering from the last six years," he said.

Etzel said people cited the sexual abuse scandals as reason for and against the campaign launch.

"The Archbishop knows there are many challenges with fundraising but I think he feels that doing nothing is more damaging," Etzel said.

Etzel said Gesu, which will enter the campaign in the third wave, is facing its own set of campaign challenges.

"It's a bit more complicated for us since we serve the wider city. Most of our parishioners are located outside our boundaries," Etzel said.

Additionally, a primary goal of the campaign cannot be met at Gesu because they do not have a parish school.

"We have every intention of joining the campaign, we just need to figure out the right way to do it," he said.

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