Family of Faith

The Family of Faith campaign is a historic effort that will raise at least $105 million to support the mission of the Pastoral Plan of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Many elements of the pastoral plan require no funding, but some key elements require financial resources. The Family of Faith campaign will help provide those resources. In 2014, some parishes launched their local campaigns, and in 2015, the remainder of the parishes will follow suit. Pastors will invite their parishioners to participate in their campaigns at the appropriate time.

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Update

Click here to see our most recent donor newsletter.

For questions regarding a change to a payment schedule, method of payment, new card information or processing errors, please email our Donations Processing Centre or phone: 416-934-3400, ext. 555 or 536.  If you have other questions about the campaign, please email: John Ecker, Director, Family of Faith Campaign and Special Projects or phone: 416-934-3400, ext. 805.

2018 Tax Receipts

The Family of Faith campaign will be issuing 2018 tax receipts for Family of Faith donations by the end of February 2019. Most gifts to the campaign have been in the form of pledges, payable over five years. Tax receipts will be issued for the value of gift amounts received in 2018, through December 31, 2018. Please note that contributions sent by mail that were postmarked on or before December 31, 2018 will be eligible for a 2018 tax receipt.

Many donors prefer to receive their tax receipts via email. They appreciate the convenience and the ability to print multiple or misplaced copies. It’s also very cost efficient. We encourage all donors to receive tax receipts via email. If you’d like to receive future tax receipts from the Family of Faith campaign via email, please email our Donations Processing Centre.

Parish Campaigns

*Figures are correct as of June 2017 and do not reflect any changes since that time. Amounts may fluctuate for many reasons including, movement from a parish, pledge adjustments or cancellations.

For Pastors and Parish Staff

• Please note that the fax number for the campaign office has changed. Please do not send faxes to 416-642-1277. The Donations Processing Centre prefers email rather than faxes, but if a parish must send reports via fax, please use: 416-934-3412. 
  

• When donations to your parish's Family of Faith campaign are credited to the parish's offertory in error, it creates confusion for donors and the Donations Processing Centre. Once again, please remind those who count your parish offertory to be on the lookout for campaign donations—either noted as such on the cheque/ envelope or because of donation amounts that are not in sync with the parishioner's usual pattern of weekly giving.

• Please note that parish campaign totals will vary from one report to another. This is due to many factors, including new, amended or cancelled pledges and donations.

• Donors appreciate the timely processing of their gifts or payments on pledges. Timely processing demonstrates to the donor that the gift is appreciated and also confirms its receipt at the campaign. When parishes receive pledges or payments, they should send them to the Donations Processing Centre as quickly as possible. In the course of their campaigns, all parishes received Record of Subscription Forms for this purpose. If you need a copy of the Adobe fillable form version, contact John Ecker, Director, Campaign Communications, at 416-934-3400, ext. 805 and jecker@archtoronto.org. 
  

• Parishes that are proceeding with implementation of their parish case priorities should promote this in bulletin announcements and parish announcements. In addition, campaign signage is available for on-site recognition. Donors need to know that their contributions are being put to use in implementing the priorities they supported when they made their pledge to the campaign. Contact John Ecker for assistance.

Has your Parish Applied?

Youth Ministry: The Archdiocese of Toronto's Pastoral Plan urges all parishes to identify leadership roles for youth, to form youth councils and to consider hiring youth ministers. The Family of Faith campaign is funding such initiatives through an investment of $5 million over ten years. Annual subsidies of up to $25,000 per parish are available. To learn more about eligibility and the application process, please contact Fr. Frank Portelli, Director of the archdiocese's Office for Catholic Youth. You can reach him at 416-599-7676 x227 or frfrank@ocytoronto.org.

Campaign support for parishes: The Family of Faith campaign plan noted that some parishes face daunting expenditures to maintain facilities that are safe and secure. Some parishes do not have the financial capacity to preserve their historic sacred spaces. Places of worship need to be fully accessible to those with special needs. That is why $10 million will be dedicated to assist with capital improvements. Funds are available to support capital expenditures for churches, parish halls, and offices, especially where there are accessibility and heritage needs that must be addressed. Parishes with limited financial resources, including their reserves, will be given priority for the loans.

Funds are available through 5-year interest-free loans after which interest will begin to accrue as with other loans to parishes. To apply, parishes must submit the standard Request for Approval (RFA) document for capital expenditures along with a cover memo explaining why the parish should receive a loan. Parishes that are using funds from the parish share of their Family of Faith campaign are eligible for this loan. For more information about how your parish can benefit from this program, contact David Finnegan at 416-934-340, ext. 604 or planning@archtoronto.org.