The Archdiocese of Chicago’s “Generation to Generation” campaign has almost reached its goal of raising $300 million to strengthen local parishes, spiritually renew parishes, support priests and assist vulnerable communities.
The campaign also supports seminarians and scholarships for Catholic school students.
“Generation to Generation” began on July 1, 2024, and is in its fourth wave.
“Cardinal Cupich has raised nearly $90 million, and the work continues,” said Brendan Keating, chief development officer for the archdiocese.
The last time the archdiocese did a major fundraising campaign was in 2016 with the “To Teach Who Christ Is” campaign, which raised $350 million for scholarships to Catholic schools and religious education efforts.
Parishes have responded positively to the “Generations to Generation” campaign, Keating said.
“The average gift size has increased significantly from ‘To Teach Who Christ Is,’ so people are being very generous. About 80% of the parishes that have participated so far have made their goals. That’s increased from ‘To Teach Who Christ Is.’ It was 50%,” Keating said.
Several lower income parishes have far surpassed their goals, he added.
“Every parish has their own case statement, so they’re fundraising for their local parish needs and also the campaign,” Keating said.
If a parish meets its fundraising goal, it keeps 50% of the funds raised. If the parish goes over its goal it keeps 80% and, “if they hit 200%, then they keep everything,” Keating said.
He pointed to renewal in the archdiocese as one of the reasons for the campaign’s success.
“People are really responding to the case statement or, particularly, they are very happy to see that spiritual renewal efforts are sort of the lead initiative as part of ‘Generation to Generation,” he said.
Two of the fruits of the campaign are increased participation in the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, which saw a 50% increase in people joining the church at the Easter Vigil this year, and increased numbers of people attending Mass when the archdiocese does its annual count in October.
“It feels like we’re at a really unique moment in the life of the church, both globally and locally. So it’s been really well received from the vast majority of parishioners, pastors and donors,” Keating said. “We’re super grateful for all their support.”
One of the parishes that exceeded its fundraising goal is St. Simon of Cyrene Parish on the city’s West Side. The parish, which includes St. Agatha Church in North Lawndale and St. Martin de Porres Church in Austin, had a goal of $345,000 and ended up raising $520,980.
“It’s definitely amazing, given the community and obviously the wealth isn’t the same there as it is in other places,” said Callie O’Neill, associate director of CCS Fundraising and the parish campaign director who worked with Simon of Cyrene on the campaign.
“I really think it was a moment of unity for the parish,” she said. “They merged in 2022, and I think the unity message was really resonating with everyone.”
In the parish’s case statement, parishioners identified parking as the issue they wanted to focus on — establishing a new parking lot for St. Martin de Porres and repairing the parking lot at St. Agatha.
For Father Thadeo Mgimba, pastor of the combined parish, the campaign was about keeping the church alive for future generations.
“It’s about whether the light that our parents and grandparents passed down will continue to shine through us,” he told parishioners in a testimony. “For too long, we have been in what I call ‘maintenance mode.’ We have been surviving, mending what we have holding on to year by year. We have watched pews grow emptier and wondered quietly, ‘Is this how our story ends?’”
The campaign gave the parish the opportunity to remember their roots.
“Our forefathers and foremothers built this parish with their hands, their hearts and their prayers. They built our churches, schools and halls not because it was easy, but because they loved Jesus,” he said. “Now it is our turn to build it for those who will come after us.”
At St. Gerald Parish in Oak Lawn, the campaign has resulted in a new approach to fundraising.
St. Gerald had been trying to fill a stewardship and development position on its staff for over a year, but couldn’t find someone who was a good fit.
“During a finance council meeting, one of our members who had been involved in the ‘Generation to Generation’ campaign suggested forming a fundraising committee. I immediately loved the idea,” said Father Robert Pajor, the pastor. “We invited several parishioners who had helped lead the campaign, and they all agreed to serve. Because they already have experience and a deep love for the parish, they provide a strong foundation for this new effort.”
The parish is using Henri Nouwen’s book, “A Spirituality of Fundraising,” to guide the committee.
“Nouwen proposes that fundraising is not simply about raising money; it is a ministry of invitation. Rather than asking people to support a budget, we invite them to participate in the mission God is accomplishing through the parish,” Pajor said. “Our hope is that this spiritual approach will help parishioners see giving not as an obligation, but as an opportunity to share in the work of evangelization, service and community building.”
The book also reminds everyone that fundraising at its core is about relationship, gratitude, stewardship and trust in God’s providence, he said.
“In that sense, both the parish and the donor benefit, because generosity becomes a way of growing in faith and participating more deeply in the life and mission of the church,” Pajor said.