Incarnation is participating in an Archdiocesan-wide capital campaign entitled Called to Renew. This Campaign was started prior to the pandemic; every parish must participate, and now, it is our turn! Our parish is scheduled to participate as of today until early December 2022. Through this effort we will strengthen parishes. In fact, 75% of all the funds collected will go to parishes to address maintenance needs, as well as, other local needs.
The remaining funds will be used for:
Serving the Vulnerable – through our ministries to the Sick and Dying and Restorative justice program.
Supporting Priestly Vocations – by providing additional support to our three priestly centers: Queen of Angels Center for Priestly Formation, St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, and Cardinal Manning House of Prayer.
Investing in the Faith of Future Generations – our youth and young adults are our future. By providing scholarships so more families can attend Catholic Schools, and investing additional resources in parish religious education programs, and our Campus Ministry, we hope to stem the tide of young people leaving the church.
The financial goal of Called to Renew is to raise $500 million. Through the efforts of Archbishop Gomez and his leadership cabinet we have already secured more than $420 million. That is over 84% of the campaign goal!
Each parish has been given a target goal for the campaign. The goal for our parish is $1,105,000. Fifty percent (50%) of all funds raised here at Incarnation will remain with our parish to address the following needs:
Refurbish Flooring and Paint Church - The beauty of our church is an essential part of Catholic liturgy. After 20 years of minimal upgrades, it is time to restore some of the beauty and luster of our church by refurbishing the terrazzo flooring and repainting.
Altar-Ambo & Baptismal Font Renovation - The altar and ambo need to be elevated to reflect the Body, Blood, and Word of God as being in our midst. The existing ambo is made from varnished white oak. More like a movable lectern, the ambo is unstable, so worn that it creeks. The existing altar matches the current ambo (as they go together, a complementary pair—as the Altar of the Word of God (ambo) and the Altar of the Body & Blood of Christ (Eucharistic Table). Hence, both need to be replaced in scale and correlation. A new ambo should harmonize with a new altar. The original Baptismal Font in the Baptistry has considerable history with our community. By relocating it to the transept would allow the community to continue to utilize the Baptismal Font for the next generation and restore the significance it has had in our parish.
Refurbish Pews - After significant use over the years, the pews have lost its beauty, and many are cracking. We will refurbish the pews and fix the kneelers to provide a more comfortable worship space for all.
Enhance Lighting - The lighting system in our church needs to be upgraded to current standards. We will upgrade our lighting to LED lights and/or other environmentally friendly, and efficient, light fixtures which will more efficiently highlight the beauty of our church.
Over the past few weeks, I have been working with a group of parish leaders, who have agreed to serve as Ambassadors for this campaign and we have already received pledges totaling $303,500, or 27.5% of our goal! So, we are off to a good start.
I am confident we will be successful in reaching our goal, but we need everyone’s help. In the coming weeks, our ambassadors will be calling parish families to share the good news about our campaign and how it will benefit our parish. When our Ambassadors call I hope you will greet their call with an open heart and accept their invitation to meet on my behalf.
Thank you once again for your willingness to share your time, talent, and treasure with our parish community through all stages of life. I am very grateful for all that you do.