Catholic Services Appeal 2014

The Catholic Services Appeal Foundation of the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Area (CSA) was recently established as an independent tax-exempt non-profit corporation to receive and distribute all CSA donor dollars.

Timothy Healy, president of the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation, was one of the officers who signed the paperwork filed with Minnesota’s secretary of state.

“Donors can be sure that through this foundation, which will have its own separate bank account, and through ongoing outside auditing of receipts, that every ­single dollar goes to the identified beneficiaries and only the identified beneficiaries,” said Healy, who with his wife Helen are serving as the 2014 CSA chair couple.

The foundation’s two other officers are Bill Mohrman and John Norris (see sidebar below).

All dollars collected by the CSA will be used only for the benefit of the designated ministries of the CSA.

Timothy Healy said the recent media reports about clergy sexual abuse have been frustrating and disappointing. He stressed that these failures do not define what it means to be Catholic.

“There are so many people in need, and we can’t not help them,” he said. “We need to do what God has called us to do. We are the instruments to help these people.”

Essential ministries

Many people throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and beyond benefit from the appeal: Funds are used for parish out-reach, Catholic school tuition aid, the Rediscover: initiative, seminarian support and the work of Cath­olic Charities, and other essential Church ministries. The fund­raising goal is $9.3 million.

Mohrman said the CSA gives people in the archdiocese the opportunity to pool their resources to help a number of ministries and charities, many of which don’t have the means and ability to do their own fundraising.

“Because of the CSA, these groups can focus on their mission and continue to do the good work they’re known for,” Mohrman said.

In upcoming issues, The Catholic Spirit will fea­ture stories about how the Catholic Services Appeal has helped tens of thousands of people over the years. The 2014 CSA officially launches at parish Masses throughout the archdiocese on the weekend of Feb. 22-23, with the theme “Seek First the Kingdom of God,” from Matthew 6:24-34.

The foundation’s website — csafspm.org — is scheduled to go live at the end of January. To learn more about the 2014 CSA, visit the website or call (651) 291-4448.