1. Why are we expanding our worship space?
Three of our four Masses are consistently crowded and parishioners often pull out folding chairs to attend in the gathering space.  This is not welcoming and discourages future attendance at Saint Kenneth.  Our registrations have grown by 700 families over the last dozen years yet our attendance has not grown at our 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM Masses.  There is simply not enough comfortable seating for additional parishioners wishing to worship with us.

2. Why not add a Mass?
When we had a 12:30 PM Mass, it was our least attended Mass.  It trailed significantly behind the 7:30 AM Mass.  Also, there are not enough priests in the Diocese to support a fifth Mass.  Our parish wants to celebrate the Eucharist with Fathers Tom and George & our musicians, not substitutes.  Adding a fifth Mass is not a practical solution for us.

3. Have we met our goal already?
No, we have not yet met our goals for our Let Us Rejoice campaign, which is focused on renovating and expanding our church building.  We have met our mandatory CSA target set by the Archdiocese for the next 3 years.  Now all pledges we receive will stay with Saint Kenneth and contribute to the building campaign without being subject to any archdiocesean tax.

4. What else are we doing besides expansion?
Our church building is 27 years old and nearly everything in it is original. The furnace, air conditioner and roof are beyond their expected lives and need to be replaced before we have an unexpected failure.  We also plan to modernize the lighting, update the pews and renovate behind the altar. Depending on the level of financial support we receive, a stained glass window behind the altar is being considered.
 
5. Why are we sharing 10% of our campaign funds with charitable causes? That's a lot of money we could use.
Yes, it is a lot but it pales in comparison to how God has blessed our parish.   Saint Kenneth has been following God's call to aBiblical tithe for a number of years and many local people in need are the grateful recipients of our steady generosity. Continuing this practice of sacrificial giving during our building campaign is simply a matter of being consistent with our financial priorities. As you share a portion of your blessings with Saint Kenneth, we in turn are sharing a portion with others.  Our goal is not to give until it hurts. Rather, we are focused on giving until it feels good.

6. Why is the parish asking for so much money from each of us?
Yes, we are. This is difficult for us.  We don't shake the basket in front of you every week.  We generally have not had to twist arms to meet our needs but now our church building is in need of renovation. We also have considerable evidence that more people want to worship with us than we can currently accommodate comfortably.  We are asking for each family to prayerfully look at their own blessings and see if they can do more for Saint Kenneth than they've done in the past.  This is an individual process and there is no "right amount".  Everybody's situation is different and we are hoping for equal sacrifices, not equal pledges.

7. What happened to my Changing Lives Together donation?
The results of the CLT campaign were not sufficient by themselves to finance a building program. As a result, those funds have been safeguarded in the parish savings account. Additionally, excess CSA contributions from the last several years and annual operating surpluses have also been saved in the same account. As of today, our parish savings account holds more than $2.5 Million. These savings will be combined with the results of the Let Us Rejoice campaign to pay for our building program. The parish has no debt currently and we are not planning to use long-term debt to finance the planned renovation and expansion. 

8. Why 3 one-year pledges? It's kind of confusing.
Yes, it is confusing.  We are using the CSA fundraising system from the archdiocese to save a considerable amount of administrative cost in the Let Us Rejoice campaign. By conducting the campaign through CSA, we don’t pay for collection costs or other fundraising costs that are common in a campaign of this size. While this approach will save us roughly $300,000 over the next three years, the CSA system runs on a strict yearly cycle so we need to break your 3-year pledge into 3 one-year pledges. Rather than assume an equal pledge for all three years, we are trying to give you as much control as possible over your payment schedule.

9. Can I make a pledge for only one year?
Yes, you may make a pledge for only one year or any combination of years.  Your pledge is what is right for you and is your decision.  We are asking for 3 years so we can properly plan the building program and to maximize what we tell the Diocese we can afford to do. 

10. What happens next year at CSA time?
Next year at CSA time, we will be sending out a letter confirming what each parishioner pledged for the second year of our Let Us Rejoice campaign.  Each parishioner may confirm, adjust their pledge or simply do nothing and we'll assume they intend to honor their original pledge for year 2. The same process will be conducted in 2019 for year 3 of our program. 

11. What happens if I overpay or underpay my first year pledge? Does the difference carryover?
No, there will be no carryover.  The Diocese is treating our Let Us Rejoice pledges as 3 independent annual pledges.  Over payments or shortfalls will not automatically carryover to the second year.  If a person wishes, they may adjust their second year pledge when they get their 2018 CSA letter next spring. 

12. What happens next?
Later this summer we are planning to seek approval from the Diocese to hire an architect for a detailed design of our church building renovation and expansion. Based on the results of the Let Us Rejoice campaign, we will direct the architect to fit the design elements within a construction budget that we can afford. We expect to break ground next spring after the building plans are finalized and approved by the Diocese.