Fruitful Harvest

The History of Fruitful Harvest…

When Bishop Higi began his episcopate, his ministry and all of the pastoral offices and services of this Local Church were funded just as they still are in most dioceses across the U.S.—by means of an assessment (a “cathedraticum” or “cathedral tax”) -- on parish income.  In 1983, a task force established by the late Bishop Fulcher had begun to search for alternative funding which would not be so draining on parish finances.  Shortly after Bishop Higi’s installation in 1984, the task force recommended, and the Presbyteral Council approved, the institution of a biennial appeal to be called “Fruitful Harvest.”

The first Fruitful Harvest Appeal was launched in the fall of 1984, and its success led, as promised, to the abolition of diocesan assessments on parish revenues.  Since 1986, a major share of diocesan revenue has been raised through Fruitful Harvest—this direct appeal to the people of the Local Church—with the balance made up primarily of investment income and miscellaneous fees.  Each appeal seeks both to educate about the roles and functions of the Local Church and to solicit the revenue necessary to fund its operation.  All of the previous appeals have gone over goal and have raised over $45 million to support diocesan ministries and services.  In addition, close to $6 million has been returned to parishes in rebates and overage sharing, with a little over $900,000 going into the school trust.  This fall, as a Church Family, we will be “Living our Faith, Sharing our Gifts” together as we begin the twelfth Fruitful Harvest Appeal.

Fruitful Harvest and Stewardship

There is—and is not—a difference between stewardship and Fruitful Harvest.  There is an apparent difference because stewardship is based on our “need to give” and Fruitful Harvest asks us to “give to need”—the needs of the diocese.  On the other hand, giving to Fruitful Harvest is good stewardship.

All giving is a conversion process.  We cannot make givers out of non-givers—only God can do that!  But we can provide the encouragement and tools and then trust the Lord to supply His grace to those we reach through our various forms of communication.  Stewardship asks the person who already gives to give proportionally; it invites the person for whom there is no record of giving to begin giving.

Fruitful Harvest is essentially an appeal for stewardship at the diocesan level.  And it asks the same things of the believer:  Will you give your time and talent to help with the campaign—to communicate the need?  And will you give of your treasure to the diocesan church—to help meet the monetary goal?  Some parish stewardship programs talk of proportional giving and then urge good stewards to divide that proportion in half—half to the parish and half to other charities of one’s choice (called in some programs “the world’s poor”).  It is into that market basket of “other charities” that Fruitful Harvest falls.  Parishes that talk of stewardship, as grateful giving that is planned, proportionate, and sacrificial will find that proportional giving is built into Fruitful Harvest from the beginning.  The parish goals for Fruitful Harvest, for example, are figured proportionally—parishes with more people and/or more offertory income are asked to take on a larger (but proportional) share of the total.

Fruitful Harvest is a natural fit with the stewardship efforts of a parish.  Indeed, the US Catholic bishops cautioned that stewardship should not be confined to the parish, but must be extended to embrace the Church at every level.  Here is what they had to say about it in their pastoral on stewardship, Stewardship, A Disciple’s Response:

“At the same time, stewardship in and for the parish should not be narrowly parochial.  For the diocese is not merely an administrative structure but instead joins communities called parishes into a “local church” and unites its people in faith, worship, and service.  The same spirit of personal responsibility in which a Catholic approaches his or her parish should extend to the diocese and be expressed in essentially the same ways: generous material support and self-giving.  As in the case of the parish, too, lay Catholics ought to have an active role in the oversight of the stewardship of pastoral leaders and administrators at the diocesan level.  At the present time, it seems clear that many Catholics need to develop a better understanding of the financial needs of the Church at the diocesan level.  Indeed, the spirit and practice of stewardship should extend to other local churches and to the Universal Church — to the Christian community and to one’s sisters and brothers in Christ everywhere — and be expressed in deeds of service and mutual support.  For some, this will mean direct personal participation in evangelization and mission work, for others generous giving to the collections established for these purposes and other worthy programs.”

The campaign prayer, the suggested inserts for the Prayers of the Faithful, and many of the bulletin announcements for Fruitful Harvest have been written with stewardship in mind.

The Case for Fruitful Harvest

In 1984 Bishop Higi began Fruitful Harvest in this Local Church.  This was done in an effort to end parish assessments on offertory income—the standard way in which most dioceses in the country finance their participation in the bishop’s ministry.  Since its inception sixteen years ago, Fruitful Harvest has provided the major share of diocesan revenue, with other portfolio investments and alternate fees making up the difference.  Each previous appeal has been a major success.  Close to $6 million in rebates and overage sharing has been returned to parishes of the Local Church.

It is important for each of us to recall that as Catholics, we do not simply belong to a given parish.  Each has membership in a diocese and, ultimately, in the Universal Church by virtue of our baptism into the Body of Christ.  No one parish stands alone.  As members of Christ’s Body we are responsible for one another.  Together we enable each parish community to reach its full potential as a vibrant community and to meet the needs and challenges that life brings to us.  Saint Paul expressed this so well for us in the letter to the Corinthian church which teaches us that just as any one part of the physical body cannot function on its own, so are we interdependent on the shared gifts of each other to attain the fullness of Life in God’s Spirit.

An examination of our diocesan logo also indicates what we are about as a community of faith.  The dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit, Who imparts to each of us encircled in God’s life, the gifts of His creation.  From the fields of our lived experience the cross of faith is our guidepost and reminder of the constant presence of God in our midst. 

The poster of Fruitful Harvest 2006 reminds us that as Catholics we are called to “live our faith and share our gifts” as we gather together in worship and thanksgiving, and we proclaim to others the importance of following Christ’s example.

Helping others to understand the importance of our diocesan mission and to share in the necessary funds that fulfill that mission is the heart of Fruitful Harvest.  As the Local Church of Northcentral Indiana, the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana comprises twenty-four counties in nearly 10,000 square miles.  There are 63 faith communities (parishes) that provide ministry to over 100,000 Catholics.  Our parishes range from one with only 24 families to one that is over 2500 families.  They are found in rural areas and suburban communities.  Members are both young and old, single and married, skilled laborers and folksy individuals, fervent attendees and infrequent participants, native Hoosiers and persons from far away lands.  But we form one family whom hand in hand and heart to heart bring among us our one faith in Jesus Christ.

Fruitful Harvest also reminds us that each of us also belongs to the diocese and, ultimately, to the Universal Church by virtue of our baptism into the body of Christ. By sharing our resources in this way, we are truly doing what Jesus asked us to do!

Once every two years the Bishop asks every family in the diocese to help support the important work that gets done for all of us at the diocesan level. Our diocese covers nearly 10,000 square miles, and serves 63 parishes that minister to more than 100,000 Catholics!

The diocese provides the administrative support, training, and resources that would be impossible to maintain at the parish level, and make it possible for all of our parishes to do quality ministry.

• Answers to Commonly Asked Questions about Fruitful Harvest

• Parish Goals for Fruitful Harvest 2006

• How You Can Help

Because every family is asked to contribute a portion, we all benefit from a litany of important services

The Bishop’s Office: The heartbeat of the Diocese and our Mission is monitored through the Bishop’s Office.  It is here that the day-to-day management and coordination of diocesan activities occurs.  Every attempt is made through collaboration with the diocesan pastoral offices to make certain that persons and events within the Diocese receive the Bishop’s care and attention.

The Vocations Office. The vocations director promotes awareness of vocations, identifies potential candidates for diocesan priesthood and assists them in their discernment process, and oversees their formation as seminarians. This fall we have more than 20 men who will be studying for the priesthood!

The Pastoral Office for Adult Catechesis. This newly created office provides services, resources, and training for formation of adults in our Diocese. This includes the Ecclesial Lay Ministry Program, which prepares and educates individuals who are in leadership positions or who aspire to leadership positions in parishes.

The Pastoral Office for Education and Youth Catechesis.  This office provides services, training and resources for those working in Catholic schools and the Parish Religious Education programs for children K-12th grades. They also work with Directors of Religious Education and parents who are providing home schooling for their children.

The Pastoral Office for Parish Ministries. Several areas of ministry are served by this office.  They provide liturgical materials and resources, provide worship and liturgical training throughout the diocese, direct diocesan liturgical celebrations, and coordinate RCIA. They also provide formation, training, and continuing education for all ministers of marriage preparation, divorce support, consolations and bereavement, marriage enrichment, Natural Family Planning, Pro-Life issues and post-abortion trauma. Evangelization programs, Pre-Cana Workshops, Hispanic Ministries, and Youth activities such as World Youth Day, the Right to Life March, and Diocesan Youth Council are also coordinated through this office.

The Office of the Permanent Diaconate. This office supports the academic, spiritual, and ministerial growth of the men who are training to become permanent deacons. They will serve our diocese through the ministry of the word, of the liturgy, and of charity.

The Diocesan Tribunal Office. The specially trained staff of this office is charged by Catholic Church law to examine whether or not a couple who apply for an annulment actually had a binding union. They assist hundreds of petitioners, former spouses, parish priests, family members, and witnesses in marriage cases every year. There is no fee for these services and the office is supported through the gifts to Fruitful Harvest.

The Human Resources Department. Having a centralized Human Resources Department saves each parish the expense of dealing with the legal, accounting, and insurance issues and paperwork.  They maintain a staff of trained professionals who deal with the needs of personnel throughout the diocese.

The Pastoral Office for Administration. This is the business office for all the Pastoral Offices and the Catholic Foundation of Northcentral Indiana, Inc. In addition to providing financial statements for each office, and processing accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll, they also maintain depreciation schedules and monitor investment performance. They also oversee and administer the property/liability insurance and health insurance programs for the offices and parishes in the diocese.

The Pastoral Office for Stewardship and Development. This office promotes and encourages Christian stewardship as a way of life. They serve as the main resource for stewardship and development, capital stewardship campaigns, Fruitful Harvest appeal, planned giving, and the Catholic Foundation of Northcentral Indiana, Inc.

Objectives:

Education – to raise awareness of the role and responsibilities of the Local Church

Economics – to raise $6.5 million in pledges to support its work

Participation - Primary to meeting both of these objectives is yet another objective ---participation by every household in every parish.  Some parishes may find it difficult to meet their financial goal, but if by one means or another every household in the Local Church is contacted about Fruitful Harvest, then the educational and financial goals will be met.
 

The funds from Fruitful Harvest are allotted as follows:

Projected Allocations

14.6 % VOCATIONS – seminarian tuition, stipends, books, chaplaincy education, medical insurance, recruitment, seminarian retreats

4.3 % ECCLESICAL LAY MINISTRY PROGRAM, ADULT FORMATION AND CATECHESIS

2.1 % PERMANENT DIACONATE

7.0 % TRIBUNAL – marriage cases, judicial concerns

2.2 % PLANNING & COMMUNICATIONS – (excluding the Catholic Moment) planning and communication coordination, public and media relations

4.0 % HISPANIC MINISTRY

12.5 % PARISH MINISTRIES -  evangelization, Liturgical Commission, RCIA, NFP, worship and liturgical training, Local Church Liturgies, Pre-Cana, Social Justice ministries, education for all ministers of marriage preparation, divorce support, consolation/bereavement, marriage enrichment, Pro-Life issues and post-abortion trauma

18.2% ADMINISTRATION – central administration financial management, human resources, property tax exemption, health insurance, Diocesan Finance Council, governmental compliance, retirement plan, investment oversight, property acquisition

1.0 % FRUITFUL HARVEST – Fruitful Harvest redemption & administration

24.0 % OUTREACH & CARE – Peter’s Pence, priest’s retreats, U.S.C.C., Papal assessment, Newman centers, Holy Land, priest retirement, prison ministry, Catholic Communications, Catholic University, Latin America, Bishop’s residence, Chaplain residence, American Missions, Indiana Catholic Conference, NCCW, Priestly life. Assistance to pregnant women, African-American Catholic ministry, Hispanic ministry, adoption referrals, Indiana Catholic Conference, ecumenical & inter religious cooperation, premarital evaluations

5.2% DEVELOPMENT – Fruitful Harvest Appeal, development, stewardship, planned giving, Catholic Foundation, Seminary Fund Appeal

4.9 % EDUCATION AND YOUTH CATECHESIS– provides leadership and support primarily to principals and pastors with schools; facilitating and arranging for ongoing development of Catholic School leadership; coordination of parish religion programs, total education ministry

Fruitful Harvest Allocations

The ministries of our diocese and this web site are made possible through the generosity of Fruitful Harvest donors. Thank you!

©2008 Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana