Campaign Update!

The active phase of the One Family, Fully Alive in Christ! Campaign has concluded. Thank you to everyone who has supported this effort!  As of September 11, our parish has raised $5,043,440 toward our $5,445,000 goal! Thank you to our parish staff, our dedicated campaign volunteer team, and all who have contributed so generously. Your commitment to St.Thomas Aquinas and our diocese is truly inspiring. Together, we’ve answered the call to live as one family, fully alive in Christ.

If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to make a pledge, there’s still time to be included. You can give online HERE or return your pledge card by mail or to the Church Office—every gift makes a difference! Again, thank you for your generosity!

Our parish goal of $5,445,000 supports five key priorities across the diocese. For every dollar raised:

• 20% will return directly to St. Thomas Aquinas—a potential $1,089,000 for our parish endowment if we reach our goal.
• An additional $304,942 will seed a new endowment for our parish school to support teacher salary enhancements.

Thank you for helping build a stronger future for our parish and school community and our diocese!

More Campaign Details

This is an exciting time for our parish and other parishes throughout the diocese as we kick off the One Family, Fully Alive in Christ! Campaign. Through Bishop Kemme’s leadership, this historic effort will have a tremendous impact on the needs of our parish while also enabling our diocese to embrace the call of missionary discipleship, moving us from maintenance to mission.

With a diocesan campaign goal of $50 million, everyone in the Diocese of Wichita is asked to make a meaningful, sacrificial gift to help fund five key priorities:

• $15 million for Catholic School Teacher Salary Enhancements
• $12 million for Restoration of the Cathedral Domes and Windows
• $10 million for Individual Parish Needs
• $8 million for The Father Emil J. Kapaun Family and Youth Camp
• $5 million for the In Love of God and Neighbor Fund

Every parish in the diocese will participate in the campaign, and each will receive 20% of the funds raised at that parish for local projects and priorities they identify. As our parish priority, Fr. Matt and our parish staff have chosen to use our share of the funds raised to further invest in our existing parish endowment, thereby helping to ensure the long-term financial stability of St. Thomas Aquinas. 

Our parish goal: $5,445,000

With our parish goal of raising $5,445,000, all gifts to this campaign will support the five key priorities outlined above. St. Thomas Aquinas will, in turn, receive 20% of the funds we raise. If we reach our parish goal, we will receive an incredible $1,089,000 to invest in our existing parish endowment. Additionally, the diocese will establish a new endowment specifically for our parish school to supplement teacher salaries, with an initial investment of $304,942.

We will officially kick off the One Family, Fully Alive in Christ! Campaign at all Masses on March 29-30. St.Thomas Aquinas is part of Wave 3, which is the final wave of the diocesan campaign. Our campaign at STA is supported by a dedicated team of parish campaign volunteers who have been preparing for the success of this campaign over the past months. Please look for information in the mail from the diocese and Bishop Kemme, as well as further communication from the parish!

For more information on the diocesan campaign, click HERE. To watch a special message from Bishop Kemme about the Wave 3 Kick Off of the campaign, click HERE.

Frequently asked questions:

Why is the diocese conducting a campaign now? 
Under the dynamic leadership of Bishop Kemme, the diocese now has the foundation in place for revitalization, renewal, and substantial growth. Our growth as a faith community is truly a blessing. However, extensive investment is needed to continue to build and grow our parishes, family and youth camps, and schools, as well as to support our neighbors in need. After years of listening, planning, and the positive results of a feasibility study, Bishop Kemme and his leadership team have determined that now is the time to inspire greater generosity from God’s people, to move our local Church from maintenance to mission. 

What is the goal of the One Family, Fully Alive in Christ! Campaign? 
The $50 million campaign will fund a variety of important projects and pastoral needs to extend and advance the mission of the Diocese of Wichita and to support its parishes, schools, and ministries. Each parish will have its own aspirational fundraising goal, and with the percentage of funds directed to each parish, will be able to address its own local projects. In order for a campaign of this scale to be successful, strong participation at every level is critical, and parishioners will be invited to consider a sacrificial pledge over a three-year period. 

Will every parish participate in the campaign? 
Yes, every parish across the diocese will participate in the One Family, Fully Alive in Christ! Campaign in one of three parish waves between January 2024 and July 2025. 

How are the parish goals set, and how much is my parish going to receive? 
The campaign goal for each parish is established based on the average parish offertory for the last three fiscal years. Parishes will receive 20% of all undesignated donations from their parishioners. Once a parish has reached its goal, it will receive 80% of all funds raised over the goal for its local projects. 

If the parish does not reach its monetary goal, is it responsible for the difference? 
Parishes will not be penalized if they do not reach their fundraising goal. The expectation is that parishes put forth a good faith effort and follow the recommendations of the diocese and the Steier Group in conducting the campaign. 

Will funds for the One Family, Fully Alive in Christ! Campaign reduce offertory support for the parish?  
It is important to emphasize that all gifts to this campaign should not reduce other giving commitments to the Church, especially stewardship of treasure at the parish level. A gift to the campaign is an extraordinary gift made freely and faithfully to address the challenges and opportunities presented through this campaign.

Is the diocese financially sound? 
Yes, the Diocese of Wichita is financially sound, and that stability is allowing the diocese to conduct a campaign that focuses on the needs of parishes, while also enhancing some diocesan ministries. The campaign is part of the long-term vision for the diocese, a vision of a thriving diocese supporting expanding parishes working to draw more people closer to Christ. The campaign has the potential to renew struggling parishes and to make strong parishes stronger. 

How much will I be expected to give to the campaign? 
You will be invited to consider a specific sacrificial pledge to the campaign prayerfully. How much you end up pledging is, of course, your own faith-guided decision. We know that all we have is a gift from God. We give out of gratitude for our blessings and are asked to return to God in proportion to the blessings we have received. In this way, our gift takes on spiritual significance and contributes to our sanctification. 

What kind of financial transparency can we expect during the campaign and beyond?  
Transparency is a top priority for the Diocese of Wichita. Summaries of diocesan financial reports from past years are on the diocesan website, and copies of the full reports are available from the diocese’s financial office. Regular updates on campaign goals, projects, and fundraising will be shared during the campaign through several channels, including parish bulletins, emails, social media, The Catholic Advance, and the diocesan website. 

All parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas will receive a letter from Bishop Kemme near the Kickoff Weekend of March 29-30. This letter contains a specific amount for you to consider prayerfully. Please review the material and pray about your response. Thank you for your continued generosity and support of our diocese and parish!

If you are ready to make a pledge, please click HERE.