Happy Thanksgiving!

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FFHL Logo November 25, 2013
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Happy Thanksgiving! The Thanksgiving holiday is an opportunity for all of us to think of the blessings we have received from God and the true meaning of sacrifice in our personal lives. We are grateful for those who have made a gift to Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love and we appreciate the many volunteers who have joined with their pastors to share the message of this important initiative and the impact we can have as a community on the future of our Church.May the holy season of Advent be a time for each of us to draw closer to our Lord as we wait in eager anticipation of His birth on Christmas Day.

The newsletter will resume on Monday, December 9.

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Campaign Statistics
This week the campaign received an additional 389 gifts. The Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love effort now has 3,189 donors. Thank you to all who have contributed time, talent, or treasure to this initiative.
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* Retired, but pastor when campaign was conducted.249.png
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Good News
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Block OneFr. Vince Smith at Immaculate Heart of Mary in High Point shared the parish’s combined campaign with more than sixty families at a special reception. Immaculate Heart of Mary has a challenge goal that will assist in completing the second floor of the Parish Life and Education Center that will nearly double the school’s capacity for students. When sharing Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love, Fr. Vince, General Chair Matt Thiel, and CEC Ambassador Anne Carr encouraged all the families in attendance to join the effort to ensure the vibrancy of our faith for our children and grandchildren.Christ the King in High Point held its first Commitment Weekend. Fr. Ghanapragasam Mariasoosai and the parish families raised $47,042 from just 28 gifts. Families understood the necessity of the broader ministries, specifically the funds designated towards the multicultural ministry.

Fr. Jack Timlin at St. Mary’s (Greensboro) welcomed his campaign leadership during a special training session. St. Mary’s celebrates a diverse parish population and looks forward to the campaign as an opportunity to join together to create a bright future for generations to come. The parish plans to create a maintenance fund for future building needs.

Fr. Paul Dechant and the team of Ambassadors at Holy Cross in Kernersville continue to educate the parish family on this historic initiative. At a recent phone-a-thon, more than 150 families who received literature in the mail were contacted. Families welcomed the opportunity to speak with Ambassadors and learn more about the campaign.

An Ambassador at Our Lady of Lourdes in Monroe shared with Fr. Benjamin Roberts and the parish community her passion for supporting this effort. She shared, “my Catholic faith has given so much to me, that it is only natural that I would want my children and my grandchildren to have the opportunity to continue worshipping in the Catholic tradition. Our Lady of Lourdes has offered my family a place to worship our Lord Jesus Christ, a place to meet new friends of similar faith, and the ability to share joys and sorrows with my Church family.”

Friar Bill at Our Lady of Mercy in Winston-Salem hosted a successful campaign announcement this past week announcing the effort has raised 373% of the campaign target already. In the next two weeks, the parish will host small receptions after Mass to invite families to make a commitment to their campaign to help retire their parish debt.

During the first commitment weekend, Our Lady of the Highways in Thomasville received 75 additional gifts to the campaign, totaling more than $170,000. Fr. Jim Turner wanted to make sure he took the time to explain the details of Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love to all parishioners who had not yet heard about this important initiative, especially those who attend the Spanish Masses. Families were very responsive with more than $140,000 of what was raised coming from the two Spanish Masses that were held.

St. Francis of Assisi in Lenoir received 45 gifts to the campaign this week, more than doubling the previous amount they had received during the campaign up to this point. Fr. Julio Dominguez is humbled by the support his parishioners have demonstrated towards Forward inFaith, Hope, and Love. Many of his parishioners benefit from Multicultural Ministries and they are glad to be able to give other Catholics more of an opportunity to do the same.

Fr. Christopher Roux and Fr. Lucas Rossi welcomed three new Ambassadors to their team this week at St. Patrick’s in Charlotte. One committed volunteer said that this will be an “amazing opportunity to meet with fellow parishioners who may not be as involved in the parish as they could be, and invite them to join one of our many parish ministries”.

In Hickory, Fr. Bob Ferris and his team of Ambassadors at St. Aloysius continue to invite fellow parishioners participation through personal visits prior to entering the public phase of their campaign. Many parishioners understand the need for the parish share of funds, and are especially interested in repairing the roof of the Church in the very near future.

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Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love
1123 South Church StreetCharlotte, NC 28203704-370-6299 ext. 2200

www.forwardfaithhopelove.org

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