This diocesan campaign focuses on making Catholic education more On-mission, Affordable, and Accessible, and it gives back to our parishes through the Local Initiatives goal, which returns a portion of the funds each parish raises (and collects) back to the parish to address its unique needs. 

For some parishes, the diocesan campaign is an opportunity to undertake larger-scale projects by running a combined campaign. In such an effort, a parish receives individualized support from a dedicated campaign manager, conducts its own campaign-planning study and pursues ambitious but attainable local goals alongside the diocesan goals. 

St. Martha Church and School in Okemos is one of a handful of parishes in the Diocese of Lansing running a combined campaign. St. Martha is a thriving community committed to faith, education and service. The school and faith formation program are ministries of the church — they’re all one united community. 

“St. Martha Parish is amazing. The people here are just an awesome place to be,” said Father Ryan Riley, the pastor. “Everybody feels like this parish is theirs. … It feels like a home.”

While the parish culture is inviting and welcoming, the school can feel a bit cramped. The building doesn’t have enough space for its students, with preschool programs limited by space, and academic interventionists working out of makeshift areas like the teacher’s lounge. 

The space issues are only expected to grow. A recent enrollment study projected a significant increase in the population of school-age children in the surrounding community within the next five years. Without more space, the school risks having to turn away prospective students and limiting its ability to fully serve the community.

With this in mind, St. Martha Parish embraced the chance to run a combined campaign aimed at adding six classrooms and an atrium for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, while supporting the diocesan efforts. 

“I think our parishioners here in St. Martha saw the ‘Stewardship for Saints and Scholars’ campaign as a really good idea and very advantageous,” Father Riley said. “And our initiative of building the classrooms certainly tied into that initiative because it’s all about the Catholic school … At St. Martha’s, we are making a conscious decision and effort to keep Catholic education accessible, available and affordable — and that fits right into the bishop’s primary initiatives.”

Each parish — regardless of whether it is running a combined campaign or not — has a fundraising target set by the diocese. The parish will keep 20% of the funds it raises up to that goal, and then will keep 100 percent of the funds raised (and collected) over that goal. 

In its combined campaign, St. Martha’s raised enough to fulfill its diocesan parish target and likely to fully fund its school expansion. The parish also experienced a surge of engagement and involvement that Father Riley attributes to the campaign and its focus on Catholic education.

“I think bringing people together with a common goal has certainly helped galvanize the people,” he said. “I think you’re seeing more people at Mass. We’re seeing more people get involved in our volunteer activities.”

Other parishes across the diocese report similar boosts in engagement, as well as a feeling of cohesion that has fostered a sense of shared purpose and awareness. 

“Every parish is praying the campaign prayer, and parishioners are hearing consistent messages from every pulpit,” said Ben Giles, the campaign manager for St. Martha’s effort. “This awareness probably gets donors thinking more about the campaign’s impact across the diocese and their parish.”