The Church of St. Mary is one of 14 pilot parishes in Cook and Lake County participating in the Generation to Generation: Answer the Call capital campaign. We have been preparing for the last six months to bring the Campaign to our entire parish. Our parish’s participation in the campaign, along with all parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago, will meet the needs of our parish and support Catholic ministries in Cook and Lake counties.
We are grateful that 50 generous parishioners of the Church of St. Mary have pledged 52% of our Campaign goal of $4,425,000. During the remainder of the campaign, for each gift pledged, 80% of the funds will be allocated directly to our parish initiatives: Church Interior Revitalization, Parish Center Improvements, and the creation of a Charitable Endowment. Funds raised across the Archdiocese will go towards spiritually renewing our local parishes, supporting our priests, and assisting vulnerable communities.
In the coming weeks, more information will be provided. Join together with the other pilot parishes in praying for the success of the Generation to Generation capital campaign.
Generation to Generation: Answer the Call
Today, St. Mary’s, your parish, stands as a pillar of faith, compassion, and charity in Lake Forest, continually evolving to meet the needs of its parishioners. As we prepare to celebrate our 150th anniversary as a faith community, we invite your participation in this campaign to invest in our parish. Together, we can enhance our sacred space, Parish Center, and invest in the heart of our parish for the next generation of families.
It has been more than 25 years since the interior of the church has been redecorated. With your support, we plan to beautify the interior to inspire a sense of the sacred and create a reverential place for the celebration of the sacraments: our Sunday Mass, baptisms, weddings, reconciliation, funerals.
For the generation to come, we have the opportunity to enhance the space in which they grow in faith and experience God’s love and mercy.
The Parish Center is often the first part of our parish seen by visitors, candidates for OCIA, or new parish families. The Parish Center houses offices for our dedicated parish staff and serves as a meeting space for groups such as the Parish Council, Parish Finance Council, staff meetings, men’s club, youth group, Bible study, funeral luncheons, guild activities, and more. The building is in need of vital updates and improvements in order to serve the next generation of our parish.
Priority of work and expenditure will be dependent on structural and financial considerations, and progress of the campaign to support these projects.
For 150 years, our church has lived the gospel in charitable support for needs within our parish, our archdiocese, and around the world. With your support, we plan to establish an endowment to provide a reliable source of funding to serve our brothers and sisters in need within our parish and beyond the borders of St. Mary’s. With the support of the endowment fund, we will enable the next generation to continue the charitable initiatives of the parish.
Gifts to Generation to Generation will be held in separate, unrestricted accounts and used solely for the specific priorities set forth in the Generation to Generation campaign case statement as well as this parish case statement. The campaign goals are approximate and based on anticipated needs and contributions.
Please contact Rebecca Quackenbush, Church and School Operations Director, with questions or to make your pledge.
Direct: 847-582-2502 | rquackenbush@churchofstmary.org