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Faith
In Our Future
Archdiocesan Site
St.
Francis Borgia
What is the Faith In Our Future Campaign?
Why is Saint Francis Borgia participating?
Why didn’t we begin the Campaign earlier, like other
parishes?
How will SFB donations to Faith In Our Future be used?
What is the Faith In Our Future Trust and what initiatives
will it fund?
Does the Archdiocese own the Trust?
Will the money in the Trust be used to settle abuse claims?
Turning back to SFB, how much money did we collect from
our first campaign – In the Spirit of the Future?
Did the parish use the money from the Spirit Campaign
to build a garage and renovate the parish offices?
How much money do we hope to raise through Faith
In Our Future?
How much of this will remain with the parish?
Can I donate directly to the building project and not
Faith In Our Future (I don’t want the Trust to receive any of my
money)?
How much will the new Education and Activity Center cost?
If we have $3 million from the Spirit Campaign and
hope to raise another $3 million from the Faith In Our Future Campaign,
where will the remaining $2 million come from?
If we sell the existing school, will we also sell the
south church with it?
What happens to our building project if we do not
raise the full $4.2 million in the Faith In Our Future Campaign?
Why don’t we renovate the existing school?
When will we break ground on construction?
Who is leading the Building Project?
What is the Faith In Our Future Campaign?
The Faith in our Future Campaign is a comprehensive, archdiocesan-wide
capital stewardship initiative to support and promote Catholic education and
faith formation programs at both the archdiocesan and parish levels. The overall
mission of the Campaign is to strengthen Catholic education and faith formation
for the future of the Church. Begun by Archbishop Timothy Dolan in 2007, the
Campaign established an independent Trust, which will apportion all Faith
In Our Future funding to meet a variety of Catholic educational program needs.
All parishes will retain most funds they raise to address their own education
and faith formation needs, which they formally identified prior to the start
of their respective Faith In Our Future campaigns. More information regarding
the purposes and objectives of the Campaign can be found at www.faithinourfuture.org.
Why is Saint Francis Borgia participating?
All 211 parishes in the Archdiocese are participating. Most parishes
have already completed their campaigns. Saint Francis Borgia is one
of the last five parishes to participate.
Why didn’t we begin the Campaign earlier, like other
parishes?
Before Archbishop Dolan announced Faith In Our Future, our parish
had begun a campaign called “In the Spirit of the Future” (Spirit Campaign)
to raise money to build an Education and Activity Center on the north
campus. Our parish received special permission to delay the new Faith
In Our Future Campaign so that pledges already already made to the Spirit Campaign
could be collected before the official launch of the Faith In Our
Future Campaign at St. Francis Borgia.
How will SFB donations to Faith In Our Future be
used?
Donations will be used in two ways. First, a portion of the donations
will be placed in the Faith In Our Future Trust. Second, the majority
of the donations will go to support building our new Education and Activity
Center. This center will be the new home to St. Francis Borgia Grade
School and our Christian Formation program; it will also include space
for a wide range of other parish activities. A small portion will also
replenish reserve money that was recently used to expand the rectory
to provide living quarters for our new associate pastor, add parish center
office space and add a maintenance garage.
What is the Faith In Our Future Trust and what initiatives
will it fund?
The Faith In Our Future Trust is a separate legal entity (separate
and apart from the Archdiocese itself) formed to administer and distribute
donations for the purposes outlined in its charter documents – i.e.,
initiatives to support Catholic education and faith formation. More information
about the Trust can be found at trust.faithinourfuture.org.
Does the Archdiocese own the Trust?
No. The Trust is controlled and governed by a Board of Trustees, rather
than by the Archdiocese. More information about the Trust and its objectives
can be found at trust.faithinourfuture.org.
Will the money in the Trust be used to settle abuse
claims?
No. Legally, the money can be used only to support the Catholic education
and faith formation initiatives described in the Trust’s governing documents.
The money will not, and cannot, be used to settle or defend abuse cases.
Turning back to SFB, how much money did we collect
from our first campaign – In the Spirit of the Future?
The parish received pledges for $5.2 million from the Spirit Campaign.
Approximately $3.7 million of those pledges have been collected. Some
funds have been used to pay off the mortgage on the land where the Education
and Activity Center will be built and to pay the consultant who guided
the parish through the campaign. Taking those expenditures into account,
the parish has approximately $3 million from the first campaign left
and is holding it in a restricted account for use toward the Education
and Activity Center. We believe that we have a chance to collect approximately
$1.2 million of the remaining pledges outstanding.
Did the parish use the money from the Spirit Campaign
to build a garage and renovate the parish offices?
No. Money for this work came from a separate parish reserve account.
We hope to replenish this reserve account with a relatively small portion
of the proceeds the parish receives from Faith In Our Future,
in accordance with the formal case our parish made, and approval it received,
for its use of funds collected from that campaign.
How much money do we hope to raise through Faith
In Our Future?
We hope to raise a total of $4.2 million through the Faith In Our
Future Campaign.
How much of this will remain with the parish?
The more we raise, the greater percentage we keep at the parish. For
the first $1.875 million raised, the parish will keep 60%. For amounts
between approximately $1.875 million and $3 million, the parish will
keep a greater percentage based upon a sliding scale established by
the Trust. For amounts over $3 million, the parish will keep 100% of
the donations. If we raise the full $4.2 million, then the parish will
receive approximately $3 million based on the sliding scale as described.
($2.7 million to building fund, $0.3 million to replenish reserves).
Can I donate directly to the building project and
not Faith In Our Future (I don’t want the Trust to receive any of
my money)?
As baptized members of the Catholic Faith, our calling extends beyond
the boundaries of our local parish. Shared ministries, by their nature,
are larger and more complex than any one parish can accomplish on its
own. Shared ministries encompass those services that are most effectively
and efficiently provided when we share resources from all parishes. Providing
archdiocesan support services that benefit 134 Catholic schools; formation
of deacons, catechists and parish leaders through the John Paul II Center;
and, supporting our seminarians through Saint Francis de Sales Seminary
are examples of shared ministries. Faith In Our Future supports
Catholic education and faith formation throughout the ten counties of
the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. As Father Tom said in his October 11, 2009
bulletin article, “It is our joy and honor to be able to help them as
we help ourselves.” To read Father Tom’s article, click
here.
How much will the new Education and Activity Center
cost?
The Building and Leadership Committee believes the project can be completed
for approximately $8 million, based on current economic conditions and
material prices. This is still an estimate. Final construction drawings
will need to be prepared and placed out to bid.
If we have $3 million from the Spirit Campaign and
hope to raise another $3 million from the Faith In Our Future Campaign,
where will the remaining $2 million come from?
We seek to raise at least $1 million from the sale of the existing school
building. We also hope to collect another $1 million in outstanding pledges
from the Spirit Campaign. The numbers are estimates, we cannot
know with certainty whether either of these will transpire given current
economic conditions, but we are using the most reliable information available.
If we sell the existing school, will we also sell the south church
with it?
We are not selling the south church. The plan is to retain the south
church and provide for revised, safe parking for those attending Mass
and other functions at the church.
What happens to our building project if we do not
raise the full $4.2 million in the Faith In Our Future Campaign?
The money raised that is allocated for the parish building fund will
be placed in a restricted account together with the nest egg we have
from the Spirit Campaign. The money will be held in this restricted
account until the parish is able to make up the funding gap to move forward
with construction activities.
Why don’t we renovate the existing school?
The parish prepared a Master Plan calling for a unified parish on one
campus at the north location. To achieve our Master Plan, we are focusing
new investment on the north campus. Furthermore, the costs associated
with renovating and adding to the existing school are disproportionately
large per square foot and would leave us with a 50-year-old, land-locked
building with limited ability to expand or remodel in the future. Also,
it is not clear that the City of Cedarburg will permit much more than
repair of the existing building. At the north campus, the additional
land provides room to grow for decades to come, with ball fields for
our children and adequate, safe parking for parishioners.
When will we break ground on construction?
The amount of money we receive, and when we receive it, will dictate
the start date. If we meet our fundraising goal for Faith In Our Future,
we will have taken a significant step toward breaking ground. We will
then need to close the remaining funding gap by collecting outstanding
pledges from the Spirit Campaign and realize funds from sale of
the existing school. On a parallel track, the Building Leadership Team
will work to finalize construction drawings, bids, and contracts. These
variables will influence the start and completion dates. We continue
to work diligently on all fronts.
Who is leading the Building Project?
The parish’s Building Leadership Committee, comprising various members
of the parish council, trustees, and other parishioners, is working in
concert with Fr. Tom and the parish council as a whole.