Sharing the Goodness of God through the one by One Campaign

“The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that He, in His goodness, sends to us day after day.” – St. Gianna Molla

Moment by moment, we see the abundant blessings God has given us. Our children discover Jesus in our Catholic schools and faith formation programs. Essential diocesan ministries form disciples to share Jesus’ love with all they meet. We see this happening in all corners of our Diocese, especially in our parishes.

Because of your incredible generosity and your gift to the one by One campaign at your parish, so many blessings have become realities. From Oshkosh, to Green Bay, to Shawano, to Laona, so many parishes across northeastern Wisconsin are being strengthened and are experiencing God’s goodness.

Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Hortonville renovated their bathroom and helped fund a hospitality room. Sacred Heart Parish in Manawa updated their roof at their Church. St. John Nepomucene Catholic Community in Little Chute developed plans for a new parish center and completed some demolition to make way for the center. St. Philip the Apostle in Green Bay established an endowment fund with the Catholic Foundation to support the parish’s future for years to come.

These projects and so many more are helping our parishes bring Jesus to others. Thank you for helping us share the goodness of God throughout the Diocese of Green Bay! Campaign distributions are helping even more people experience Jesus’ love each day.

At the start of the campaign, it was anticipated that 50% of funds in parish campaigns would benefit the local case. Your generosity has made it possible for 65% of funds to stay in our parishes. Thank you for sharing your gifts to help our parishes!

After the pandemic, Bishop Ricken made the strategic decision to adjust the sharing allocation for parishes that reached 150% or more of their goal would receive 100% of the proceeds above 150%. He also committed 100% of gifts from the communities of Brillion, Oshkosh, and Manitowoc to building three brand new Catholic schools. These Catholic school will change the lives of thousands of children for generations to come. This is just one of the many ways members of our Diocese are witnessing God’s goodness!

In addition to these new schools, we are seeing even more blessings in our parishes. For parishes that exceeded their campaign goal by 150%, 100% of gifts over the 150% stayed local to support parish needs.

Several parish projects have been started and completed. This includes installing new altars, replacing flooring, supporting parish outreach, and much more. As of July 23, 2023, we had 35 parishes requesting campaign proceeds to build capital needs funds. Another 34 parishes had church interior projects.

In addition to strengthening our parishes, your abundant generosity is supporting the future of the Church here in northeastern Wisconsin. Through the diocesan portion, we are seeing multiple projects sharing the goodness of God.

One of the ways we are doing this is through the construction of a recording studio on the Diocese campus. This will allow us to create a variety of recording projects, such as audio and video messages by Bishop Ricken, to reach thousands of members of the Diocese of Green Bay.

As these projects are developed in the studio, more people will be inspired to live out the Gospel and welcome Jesus into their hearts. We can teach others about the faith and evangelize to so many people.

We are also reaching our young people as they explore God’s playground at Camp Tekakwitha and find shelter at the Thunderdome. The Thunderdome shelters campers from severe weather and provides a gathering space for campers to connect with one another. So many children can encounter God thanks to your gift!

We are also reaching out and serving more people through the creation of new funds and endowments. These funds will serve our Catholic schools, campus ministry, and so much more.

Because of your support of the one by One campaign, funds and endowments are being established to support Catholic education, causes, and more. This is supporting the work of the work of the Church for years to come and future leaders of our Catholic faith.

As students grow their relationship with Jesus in Catholic schools and faith formation programs, they can prepare to become advocates for their faith. This will help our Church support our Catholic leaders of tomorrow. The Catholic School Facility Fund and the Tuition Assistance Fund help achieve this goal.

The Catholic School Facility Fund will provide partial grants to Catholic schools. This fund supports building repairs, maintenance, and upgrades. This support will give our children the best environment to learn and discover Jesus in.

The Tuition Assistance Fund will help more children attend our Catholic schools. This endowed scholarship program will offer tuition support for students in Catholic elementary and high schools. Your gifts are bringing more children to Jesus!

Your gifts are also helping college students discover Jesus and hear God’s call for them through campus ministry. Campus ministry forms intentional disciples and encourages vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and married life. Improving facilities and programs at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh helps empower students in their faith during these formative years.

In addition to children and college students, we are seeing more adults encountering Jesus. Because of your support of the one by One campaign, Catholic Charities. Catholic Charities is transitioning to a new service model. This will help the organization better serve others in our community. Through mental health, adoption, financial health, immigration and refugee services, more people will experience Jesus’ love when they need it most. The goodness of God is everywhere thanks to generous families like yours supporting the one by One campaign.

Thank you for helping more of God’s goodness reach more people every single day. Your one by One gift has helped so many more people discover Jesus and experience His everlasting love. We are so grateful for all the blessings God has given us–including you! May God bless you, your family, your parish, and our Diocese abundantly.