Below is the announcement given after mass this past weekend regarding the matching gift opportunity.

Thank you Father for allowing me a few moments to talk on behalf of our Capital Campaign Committee. For those of you who may not know me, I am Liz Gerads, and I have been a member of Immaculate Conception for my whole life.

What will my legacy be? It’s question that I have been thinking about a lot lately. In the past few months, I’ve been spending time with my dying aunt, reflecting on the life that she has built and the legacy she will leave behind. A beloved pediatrician, caring mother, grandmother, aunt and sister and a devoted Catholic and philanthropist. Although it saddens all of us that her time on this earth is coming to an end, the footprints that she has left will remain.

 

If you look around this church, you’ll see many footprints that have been left by past parishioners. The statue of Joseph that was donated by my grandfather, Joseph Neaton, and his sister, the stained-glass windows that were created by the Diethelms using glass from the old church, the bells that have new life in memory of Pat Lynch and the grand piano that was funded by many of you sitting here today. Philanthropy is all around us in our church community.

We have an exciting opportunity to leave our own footprints on the parish we call home through our current capital campaign. Many of you have already generously given and we deeply thank you for your gifts. Today, I am excited to announce that we have an amazing opportunity to double your giving through a generous $25,000 matching donation. That means, any gift that is given starting today through August 31 will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $25,000! If you were considering a gift of $50, it is now a gift of $100, your gift of $1,000 is now $2,000 and soon that gift of $25,000 will be $50,000. As Catholics we are called to give. This incredible matching gift allows each of us to maximize our impact to the capital campaign. Thank you to the donor who has made this matching opportunity possible.

 

While there are many important facets of our Capital Campaign, one of the most important projects is the beautification of our sanctuary, how better to show love and devotion to our Blessed Mother and our Catholic faith. Art brings us closer to God and is a vivid reflection of our faith. Pope Benedict observed that when people stand before a sculpture or painting, read a few verses poetry or even listen to a song, everyone has “experienced deep within us an intimate emotion, a sense of joy.” This sensation, he said, is an interior recognition that says that was is being seen or heard is “not only mere matter” but “something bigger, something that speaks, capable of touching the heart, of communicating a message; of elevating the soul,” and leading people, ultimately, to God.

Although the sanctuary project may be the most prominent project of our capital campaign, there are so many others that are necessary to ensure that our Church and its buildings serve every person who enters through its doors. That means repairing the elevator, ADA compliant bathrooms, asbestos removal, security cameras and new siding. Each and every one of you sitting here today have a chance to leave your footprints on our parish through this campaign. A legacy for your children, for their children and for generations of Saints to come that will call Immaculate Conception their home.

 

It is our turn, it is our time, to leave a legacy at Immaculate Conception, and today you have the opportunity to leave double the legacy through this matching gift. I never got to meet my grandfather, but I know of his devotion to his faith and this Church through his donation of the statue of Joseph. Just think, years from now as future generations and their families fill these pews that you sit in today, their eyes will focus on the beauty of our Blessed Mother, our patron. And I hope, as I sit by my grown children one day, I can remind them of the many generous parishioners of this church who left a lasting legacy, and footprints on the church that we call home. Thank you.