A Message from Fr. Tyler:
Since the launch of our We All Saints in the Making Capital Campaign in the Fall of 2023 we have had an amazing response from so many parishioners and community members. I want to thank each and every one of you for your prayerful support. In a matter of a few months, we have raised $2,281,128 in gifts and pledges! What an amazing testament of our commitment to Catholic Evangelization and Charitable outreach for decades to come.
The Finance Council and I are pleased to announce that we are more than 75% through many of the required projects to make the Center of Evangelization and the Center of Charity a reality. That being said, we’ve realized some cost savings throughout the projects from our original projections. I want to thank Jason Pemberton our Operations Manager and the Finance Council for their due diligence in helping us save on project costs. I am pleased to announce that our adjusted financial goal is $2.8 million which is a savings of $500,000. That puts us at 82% of our new goal.
At the Center of Charity, we have secured some grant funding as well as a $75,000 matching grant (more about that later!) from a local Alpena foundation to complete the bare necessities of capital repairs. We are happy to announce that the daytime Community Center is opening very soon for operations as a continuation of our parish ministry already happening at our soup kitchen – Friendship Room. We have realized some savings on these projects, and it has made an impact on our new goal.
I want to explain a little bit how we managed to secure savings in costs. The original scope of the project included adding an additional classroom onto the existing structure at the former St. John campus. We realized additional square footage wasn’t necessary. We instead converted the maintenance garage into a new classroom adding the 9th classroom we needed. The new classroom has an industrial feel, but it truly fits the character of the whole building. We have been able to reuse, recycle, and repurpose some of the materials in the renovation process. The new Evangelization Center will have nine classrooms versus the eight classrooms we currently have. We are doubling the size of the building from 22,000 square feet to 53,000 square feet. We will have several small breakout rooms where small groups of students can receive individualized education. With your help if we reach our goal, we will be able to have a brand-new playground facility which will include a soccer field, kick ball field, fencing for safety and security, totally enclosed pre-school playground, and a new jungle gym. We are reusing the swing set from the old school. We also moved all the rocks from the gardens to make a nature education path through the woods. This outdoor classroom space will be used by the students to learn more about the flora and fauna of northern Michigan.
Lent is a time of alms giving. What better way for us to enter the spirit of Lent with a gift to secure the future of Evangelization and Charity in our parish? I want to ask you each to consider an additional gift or a first-time gift to our We are All Saints in the Making Capital Campaign during the Lenten season. Enclosed is a gift envelope and gift card which you can drop in our regular offertory or mail into the parish office. Please prayerfully consider a one-time gift of $1,000 which will help us reach our goal before Easter.
Thank you again for all your support. I have been so amazed by our community engagement, positive attitude, and prayerful spirit throughout the strategic planning process, feasibility study, and capital campaign. Together we can reach our goal and truly pass onto our children and our children’s children a legacy of faith and hope that will endure.
God bless,
Fr. Tyler Bischoff
Pastor
Campaign Update:
As of April 22, 2024
Total Pledges and Gifts: $2,506,376
Original Goal: $2,825,000.00
Adjusted Goal: $2,825,000
Percentage of Goal: 94%
Payment Options:
Cash Gifts / Pledges:
Complete the pledge form. Please indicate the length of your pledge and your preferred form of payment. Checks should be made out to All Saints of Alpena with “Capital Campaign” in the memo line and mailed to 817 Sable Street, Alpena, MI 49707.
Credit Card:
To give by credit card, set up your one-time or recurring gift online here:
Commitment Form:
Download and fill out the Commitment Form here. Mail to 817 Sable Street, Alpena, MI 49707 or email to kadams@alpenacatholics.org
Our Vision:
We are embarking on a capital campaign to secure the future of our Catholic Community in Alpena. A successful capital campaign will provide a dynamic faith home for Alpena Catholics that will draw us into the future. Renewed physical spaces will enable us to better serve our mission at All Saints Catholic Parish.
Individually, each of us make a significant impact on the spiritual quality of life at All Saints. By working together, we have the privilege and opportunity to make an even greater impact in the world.
Campaign Update:
As of April 22, 2024
Total Pledges and Gifts: $2,506,376
Original Goal: $2,825,000.00
Adjusted Goal: $2,825,000
Percentage of Goal: 94%
Campaign Prayer:
Heavenly Father, for many years you have blessed our community with countless graces and a deep faith. We thank you for the faith we’ve received from our ancestors who came to Thunder Bay seeking a harbor of refuge from the storms of life. Bestow on us, we pray, an abundance of your peace through the prayers of so many intercessors of all the Saints in heaven. Give us the courage to continue the work of evangelization, worship and charity so that through the merits of your Son’s death and resurrection we, too, may be all saints in the making. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Center for Evangelization:
Encounter the Risen Lord
The Former St. John campus is to become the Center of Catholic Evangelization, including All Saints Catholic School and St. John Church.
We will develop and maintain programs aimed at Evangelization in the heart of the Gospel for all the people of God, but especially young people.
This will include:
- Relocating the school from its current location to the Center for Evangelization.
- Making significant investment to upgrade classrooms and create better learning and recreational spaces, such as new gym flooring and playground equipment, so that children can receive the best care and education in faith.
- Investing in resources to create more opportunities for faith formation and evangelization for the community.
Center of Worship
Being Transformed by God’s Grace
The former St. Anne campus is to become the Center of Catholic Worship, including the parish offices and community center.
We will bring all generations together around the altar of the Lord.
This will include:
- Increasing participation in the sacred liturgy, especially in music ministry with a new director of sacred music.
- Continuing to encourage participation in Perpetual Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
- Repairing the bell at St. Anne Church.
- Emphasizing evangelization by calling all to worship through marketing communications.
Center of Catholic Charity
Responding as Disciples of Christ
The former St. Bernard Campus is to become the Center of Catholic Charity, including programs and the church building.
We will create a space where all are welcome to respond as disciples by serving Christ in each other. The Center of Charity will house the Friendship Room, Children’s Closet, Alcoholics Anonymous, Madonna House, Baby Pantry, and St. Bernard Church.
This will include:
- Making significant investment in capital improvements to the Center, such as a new roof and kitchen.
- Starting an Emergency Warming Center by winter 2023.
- Forming a Charity Council to coordinate all charitable outreach.
How to Make a Donation:
All sizes and types of gifts are meaningful and important for All Saints to successfully complete the $3.33 million campaign goal. Structured and well-planned gifts from total wealth can dramatically elevate the ability to make a more generous gift.
The most common and simplest method of funding is a cash gift from your income stream. To achieve our goal, we encourage financial commitments over a one year or multiple years, up to a five year pledge. Pledges can be paid through monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual gifts.
There are also other methods of giving that allow donors to contribute larger gifts at lower costs. Theses include transfer of stock or securities or a qualified charitable distribution through your IRA.
You can share your intentions to give through a “Commitment to Give” pledge form. Thank you for your generosity for the future of our faith community!
As with all legal and financial matters, we recommend you consult with your personal legal, tax, and/or financial advisors before funding your gift.
Stock and Securities:
To transfer stock or securities, contact Angie King (aking@alpenaallsaints.org) with questions and for the information you need to give your stockbroker.
IRA Mandatory Distribution:
You will need to contact your IRA to make this gift and give them All Saints FEIN (#81-2077276). Contact the parish office for more information. Please also let us know when your gift is on the way – not all IRAs include the donors name when mailing the gift.
Payment Options:
Cash Gifts / Pledges:
Complete the pledge form. Please indicate the length of your pledge and your preferred form of payment. Checks should be made out to All Saints of Alpena with “Capital Campaign” in the memo line and mailed to 817 Sable Street, Alpena, MI 49707.
Credit Card:
To give by credit card, set up your one-time or recurring gift online here:
View the Case for Support
Click on the link/download button below in order to view the full Case for Support document.
The Case for Support contains:
- Details and images for projects
- Pricing breakdown
- Donation information