Alive in Faith raises £5.3m for projects and priests

The Alive in Faith (AiF) programme to raise donations for social action projects, parish projects, training seminarians and retired priests within the Diocese of East Anglia has now topped an impressive £5.3m.

AiF Chair, Dcn James Hurst, wrote in the latest newsletter: “It has been nine years since the first donations were made in the six parishes that began a five-year cycle of pledges and the last parish completed its cycle in January of this year. During this time diocesan parishioners have raised over £5.3 million to finance vital projects enabling us to deliver our mission of providing Catholic worship throughout East Anglia. Some donors have kindly continued their pledges, so the total continues to grow, we received just over £100,000 this year so far.

“Each parish had its own fundraising target, and once this was achieved most of the funds were returned to the parishes for their own projects. This has amounted to £2.5 million, most of which has been drawn down for the sort of projects that you can read about below. About £400k of these funds are still to be spent. At the heart of the diocesan project was the life blood of our Faith; the priests of the diocese. While priests are in ministry within a parish, their financial needs are met by that parish, but the diocese is responsible for paying for our priests in retirement and in formation, and that is where the bulk of the diocesan share of the money raised has gone.”

£1.1 million for Retired Priests.

Over the nine years of the project 13 priests have retired from active ministry and during the next ten years 13 further priests will reach the retirement age of 75. AiF funds have been used  to purchase or refurbish four retirement properties, as well as to fund, the post of Clergy Welfare Officer. £1.1 million has been spent, and this fund will be fully used up this year.

£1.2 million for Seminarians:

Diocesan vocations director, Fr Pat Cleary, writes: “We have several priests whose whole priestly preparation was paid for by donations to AiF.

“It costs over £30,000 a year to train our priests. The diocese has just about used up the funds set aside for seminary training, we have four in seminaries as I write, and so we are challenged to find new ways of funding our present and future priests.”

£500k for Social Outreach/Corporal Works of Mercy:

Dr Claire Daunton writes: “Although funding has been directed to a number of different types of projects, there has been a focus on the marginalised in our society and particularly the homeless and women in distress. The SVP continues to receive support for its tireless work with the homeless. AiF has also continued to support projects aimed at helping women in danger of exploitation and or of domestic abuse and rape, including for Talitha Koum, an Ipswich based charity providing support for vulnerable women. 

£2.5 million for Parish Projects

Peter Ledger writes: “Despite the programme approaching its natural conclusion AiF projects continue to be started while others come to fruition.

“In some parishes the availability of Alive in Faith funds has made possible improvements that otherwise would have been unachievable, such as replacing the church heating system in the East Dereham church, installing solar panels on the Swaffham church roof and renovating the wonderful stained glass east window at the Grade II listed church of St Felix, Felixstowe.

Click here to read the latest Alive in Faith newsletter.

Find out more at: https://www.rcdea.org.uk/alive-in-faith/

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