This year marks the 50th Anniversary of this annual appeal that funds many important ministries of the Archdiocese. Our Archdiocese is made up of 21 counties and includes 107 parishes and 181,000 Catholics – ACTS supports 43 ministries and programs that we could not do alone as a single parish. These programs benefit our parish and thousands of others in our Archdiocese!
Thank you to all who participated in the 2024 Call to Share. We reached 98% of our goal with 22% participation. This resulted in generous gifts of $344,600. Our 2025 ACTS goal is $335,000 with a participation goal of 27%. My goal is always that as many people as possible participate. If just 700 parishioners are able to support the Call to Share, we will meet our participation goal and support the many ministries funded by the Archbishop’s Call to Share.
50 years of your generosity has supported the Archdiocese in the areas of Education, Outreach, Evangelization, Conversion and Stewardship. I have listed below a few of the ways our Parish and community benefits from ministries funded by ACTS. I hope you agree on how valuable these things are and are worth supporting for the mission of the Church.
- Youth Programming and Prairie Star Ranch (PSR). Large youth events are funded, along with support for PSR where many of our youth go to Catholic summer camp. Also, youth TEC retreats and high school retreats are often held at PSR among other things.
- Evangelization. The Archdiocesan Evangelization Office is helping us share the Gospel.
- Villa St. Francis. We are blessed to have Villa St. Francis in our parish boundaries and it helps care for our seniors including many who cannot afford much.
- Liturgy, Family Life & Marriage, Pro-Life, Social Justice, Special Needs Ministry, and more. We really do benefit from all the Archdiocesan offices as they educate, put on events/workshops/programming, answer questions from me and staff, and do the things we can’t do alone as a parish.
- Deaf Ministry. I know there are many persons who receive benefit from this in Olathe.
- Savior Pastoral Center & Christ’s Peace House of Prayer. Many events and retreats are held at these places. Do we benefit? If you choose to go. Please consider attending!
- Hispanic Ministry. Did you know we have people who speak only Spanish in our parish boundaries? We need help to care for them, and ACTS contributes.
- Catholic Charities. This is funded several ways, including by ACTS. The need is great, let me assure you.
- Catholic Schools Office. ACTS supports our superintendent and high level Catholic school programming.
- Catholic College Campus Centers. The colleges in our Archdiocese have these centers to help college students keep the faith. ACTS helps fund them since the students themselves are unable. Benefit? Yours truly. I wouldn’t be a priest today if the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at KU didn’t exist.
- Catholic School Scholarships for students who cannot afford to attend Catholic school.
- Formation of Seminarians, vocations programing, formation of deacons. All funded by ACTS. We need more priests and deacons!
- Retired Priest Medical Fund. We have to take care of our own!
My list does not cover everything, but I hope it’s enough to prove ACTS does benefit us immensely, and it helps many others in our area. So again, please consider participating. I do so personally, because I believe in it. Each year we strive to meet our goal —I am confident we can meet our goal this year! Thank you for your generosity!