Campaign Plan and Timeline
We are excited to announce that the campaign is now officially underway! Preparations for this historic initiative began in the spring of 2023. (Click here to view the Feasibility Study Results) We have been blessed with a strong, positive response from many across the diocese during the silent phase of this campaign. As of summer 2024, the campaign has commenced in the second wave of parishes across the diocese. Every parish in the diocese will participate in the campaign in one of three waves.
Wave 1: January – June 2024 (Recap)
Wave 2: July – December 2024 (Recap)
Wave 3: January – June 2025
As we embark on this endeavor, every Catholic household in each parish will be invited to participate. Broad participation at every level will serve as a sign of our unity and strength and a witness to our stewardship way of life. Please join Bishop Kemme in praying for the success of this historic effort as together we embrace the call to live as One Family, Fully Alive in Christ!
Campaign Goals and Funding Breakdown
This ambitious campaign seeks support to fund the five priorities outlined below. These ministries and projects are central to the Church’s mission: strengthening our Catholic schools, forming young people in the faith, serving neighbors in need, caring for our mother church, and enlivening our parishes. In so many ways, your support of this historic campaign will enliven our Catholic Church locally and regionally, as together we embrace the call to live as missionary disciples.
*Note: The chancery is covering all campaign expenses which means 100% of individual gifts and pledges will directly support the five campaign priorities
Catholic School Teacher Salary Enhancements
$15 million
As a community of faith, our commitment to strong and vibrant Catholic schools starts with a renewed commitment to our Catholic educators. To assist with recruiting and retaining the best candidates for our Catholic schools, 38 new school-based endowments will be established to supplement teachers’ salaries in every school across the diocese.
Restoration of the Cathedral Domes and Windows
$12 million
Time and the elements have taken their toll on our Cathedral. As a result, the stained glass windows need to be re-leaded and extensive repairs are needed on the church’s iconic copper domes. This important restoration work will ensure that our diocese has a fitting spiritual home that will serve as an inspiration and a beacon of hope for many years to come.
Individual Parish Needs
$10 million
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 that they identify. Pastors, along with their parish leaders, will be asked to plan and dream for the future. Parish projects may include campus improvements and renovations, deferred maintenance projects, debt reduction, church beautification and more. The goal is to energize support and ensure that every parish sees a direct, immediate impact through their participation in the campaign.
The Father Emil J. Kapaun Family and Youth Camp
$8 million
The Diocese of Wichita has long desired to own and operate a family and youth camp. That vision is one step closer to becoming a reality. When a former camp facility in Reno County became available, the diocese took steps to evaluate and purchase the property. Featuring more than 150 acres of beautiful, wooded land, 12 existing buildings, and a spring-fed lake. Camp Kapaun will be home to Camp Totus Tuus and other camp retreat experiences for our parishes, schools, and ministries. Funds from this campaign will cover the cost to purchase and redevelop the camp, as well as establish an operations endowment to offset maintenance costs and provide scholarships for families in need.
In Love of God and Neighbor Fund
$5 million
Serving our brothers and sisters in need is a core component of our mission, and one of the best ways to do that is on the local level: neighbors serving neighbors. This campaign will establish the In Love of God and Neighbor Fund to provide additional support for outreach to those in need in communities across our region. The fund will provide grants to bolster local ministries while also enabling the diocese to make more significant investments to address the challenges of mental health, hunger, and homelessness in our communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Preparations for the campaign began in spring of 2023. The active campaign is taking place in three parish waves beginning in January of 2024 and concluding in June of 2025. Active appeals in the parish will begin mid-wave, allowing for parish leadership and volunteers to complete necessary preparation work. To find your parish’s wave assignment, please click here.
Wave 1: January – June 2024
Wave 2: July – December 2024
Wave 3: January – June 2025
With 90 churches in the diocese, it will be more effective to break up the campaign into smaller segments over time. This ensures that each parish receives as much support and guidance as possible from the diocese and the parishes’ campaign partner, the Steier Group. It also provides options as parishes are assigned to waves. For some parishes, conducting the campaign in an early wave will allow them to get started on their local projects sooner. Other parishes may need more time to identify their parish projects and prepare for the campaign.
Over the course of the campaign, every Catholic household in each parish in the diocese will be asked to consider making a gift. Broad participation at every level will serve as a sign of our unity and strength and a witness to our stewardship way of life. Every gift, no matter the amount, will make a difference!
When all 90 parishes participate in their respective wave of the campaign, every registered parishioner and household will receive an appeal packet with a specific request amount for prayerful consideration. Mailed appeal packets will include a letter from Bishop Kemme, a campaign case statement for support, information regarding your parish’s local project, and instructions on how to make a campaign commitment. As your parish participates in the Fully Alive! Campaign, please contact your parish office for more details. If you are interested in making a gift or pledge before your parish wave, please call 316-269-3917 for more information.
Gifts to the campaign can be made in a variety of ways including cash, check, credit card, gifts of securities, or planned legacy gifts. A multi-year pledge is the most common way to support the One Family, Fully Alive in Christ! Campaign, with options to give through monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual installments.
Our diocese is at a pivotal time in its rich history. Under the leadership of Bishop Carl A. Kemme, the diocese has laid a foundation for the revitalization, renewal, and expansion of our mission and ministries. For several years, Bishop Kemme and diocesan leadership, along with clergy and lay leaders, have been discerning and planning the future of our local Church. This campaign is the fruit of that planning work and an opportunity for us to join together to address immediate needs and extend the impact of our mission while also strengthening all 90 parishes and 38 schools in our diocese, now and for many years to come.
Stewardship of treasure is, and always will be, the primary source of funding for our parishes and schools. This campaign is seeking extraordinary gifts to address the projects and priorities outlined in this case for support. Families will be encouraged to consider a sacrificial gift above and beyond their regular ongoing support of their parish, school and other causes. The campaign seeks to complement and enhance the ongoing work of cultivating stewardship at the parish level while also addressing significant needs and opportunities that go well beyond what one individual or parish could accomplish on their own.
The campaign will direct 20% of funds collected by each parish to that parish for projects or priorities that they have identified. This Individual Parish Needs funding should aim to bring vitality to the parish, promote participation in parish life, and evangelize and serve the faithful and the surrounding community. Parishes may choose to address building projects, renovations of existing facilities, deferred maintenance, debt reduction, or expanding ministries. Parishes may also choose to direct their 20% of funds to their newly established teacher salary parish-based endowment or provide additional support to a neighboring parish in need.
Questions? Contact us!
If you have any questions or would like more details about the One Family, Fully Alive in Christ! Campaign, please contact the Office of Development and Planned Giving.
Office of Development and Planned Giving
Catholic Diocese of Wichita
424 N. Broadway, Wichita, KS 67202
(316) 269-3917