We are here.
- for our students
- for our parishes
- for our communities
- for the church
- for hope
- for peace
- for joy
- for love
Every week, schools, parishes and campus ministries open their doors because someone made sure they could. Your year-end gift to The Catholic Initiative supports the work that keeps them open, cared for and full — this Advent and for generations to come.
Here for our students
In classrooms, in the halls and on the field, Catholic schools form young people in faith and excellence. This week we hear from the principal, teachers and students of The Jo.
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Here for our parishes
A parish is where faith is handed on: baptisms, weddings, Sunday Mass, a place to come home to. Aging buildings and steady costs make that harder every year. Your gift supports the work that carries both.
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Here for our communities
One campus, the whole neighborhood. Food pantries, athletics, summer programs, parish meetings: what happens in these buildings reaches far beyond Sunday.
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Here for the Church
The Catholic Church is the world’s largest charitable network, and it depends on healthy parishes and schools to form the next generation of priests and leaders. This Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for you.
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Here for hope
“Be watchful! Be alert!” — First Sunday of Advent
The first candle is lit. Giving Tuesday, December 1, falls this week — our biggest day of the year. Hope for the future looks like students, parishes and neighborhoods with doors wide open.
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Here for peace
“Prepare the way of the Lord.” — Second Sunday of Advent
The second candle, the Bethlehem candle. Peace is something kept up month after month, which is why this week we invite you to make your gift monthly.
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Here for joy
Gaudete — Rejoice! — Third Sunday of Advent
The rose candle. Joy is a school full of girls who get to stay, a basilica full of baptisms and weddings, a church that didn’t close. Look what we’ve done together.
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Here for love
The Angel’s candle — Fourth Sunday of Advent
The families, the baptisms, the people these places hold. God loves us, and God wants His family back. Thank you for helping keep the doors open for them.
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The final days
The year is almost over, and so is our campaign. Gifts made by 11:59 pm on December 31 count toward your 2026 taxes, and toward our goal.
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The work behind every open door
Behind every story this season is The Catholic Initiative’s team: restoring buildings, building endowments and strengthening ministry at each partnership. Your annual gift funds that work, so we can do it exceptionally well and keep looking for the next community ready to thrive.
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Restoration
We plan, manage and see through the projects that keep historic churches and schools safe and sound, so pastors and principals don’t have to become construction managers.
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Endowment
We help each partner build lasting financial security, so they never again depend on a single year’s fundraising.
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Program
We walk with each partner’s leaders on programs, planning and growth, for the long haul.
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The next partnership
Every year we look for communities with strong leadership and a clear path to sustainability. Your gift lets us say yes when we find one.
A Catholic school or parish is never just a building
Figures from CI’s 2026 campaign research. Confirm citations before launch.
Four communities. One mission.
Each CI partner was chosen for strong leadership, a vibrant community and a clear path to lasting sustainability. Your gift to CI’s annual fund supports the work we do alongside every one of them.
Josephinum Academy
Chicago's oldest Catholic high school for young women, forming leaders through a Sacred Heart education rooted in faith and academic excellence.
Ste. Anne de Detroit
America's second-oldest continuously operating parish, and the social anchor of Southwest Detroit, from its food pantry to the July Novena.
bulldogCatholic
Fr. Mike Schmitz's campus ministry at UMD, where students find their faith and a global audience finds Bible in a Year.
Sts. Casimir & Adalbert
Two historic churches built by Polish immigrants, now home to a young, growing Latino community and St. Adalbert School on South Bend's West Side.
What your generosity could do
Monthly
Could help keep CI’s team walking alongside a partner’s pastor or principal, every month
Could help fund the planning and oversight that keep a restoration project safe and on schedule, every month
Could help strengthen a partner’s ministry and programs for the long haul, every month
One-Time
Could help CI’s team meet with a partner’s leaders to plan programs and growth
Could help fund a site visit to check on a historic church or school’s restoration
Could help assess a historic building so repairs are planned before they become emergencies
Could help fund the planning behind a partner’s endowment, so its future never rests on a single year
Could help manage a restoration project, so a pastor or principal doesn’t have to become a construction manager
Could help CI find and prepare the next community ready to grow
Examples show what gifts of each size could help make possible. Gifts to the annual fund support The Catholic Initiative’s operations: the restoration, endowment and program work we carry out with every partner, and the search for new ones.
Considering a larger or legacy gift? Talk with our team.
Why they’re here
It's more than a building. It's what happens in a building.
It's my considered opinion that without this Initiative, the Basilica de Sainte Anne would come to ruin.
We will continue to uplift students — particularly young women from under-resourced neighborhoods — through a Sacred Heart education rooted in academic excellence and spiritual growth.
New messenger videos are released every week of the campaign. See this week's →
More ways to give before Dec 31
However you give, gifts made by the deadline count toward your 2026 taxes and toward our year-end goal.
- Online giftsBy 11:59 pm, Dec 31
- Mailed checksPostmarked by Dec 31
- Stock & DAF giftsStart early — allow a few days
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Give now
Give online
Card, bank or digital wallet — the fastest way to give, one-time or monthly, through our secure Givebutter form.
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Ask for our details
Donor-Advised Fund
Recommend a grant from your DAF to The Catholic Initiative. Allow several business days before Dec 31.
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Get transfer instructions
Stock & securities
Give appreciated stock for a tax-efficient gift. Contact us early for transfer instructions.
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Talk with our team
IRA charitable rollover
Age 70½ or older? A Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA can go directly to CI.
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Employer matching
Many employers match charitable gifts, doubling your year-end impact. Check with your HR team.
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Email info@
Check or wire
Email us for mailing and wire details. Mailed checks should be postmarked by December 31.
The Catholic Initiative does not provide tax or legal advice. Please consult your advisor about your situation.
Before you give
Yes. The Catholic Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law. You’ll receive an emailed receipt right away, and year-end tax receipts go out by January 31.
To The Catholic Initiative’s annual fund, which supports our operations: the team and expertise that lead restoration projects, build endowments and strengthen programs at each partner community, and that identify and prepare new partnerships.
Project gifts fund one roof or one program. Annual gifts fund the people who make sure every project, endowment and program is done well, across every partnership. It’s the most flexible and far-reaching gift you can make.
Yes, and it’s one of the most helpful ways to give. Choose “Monthly” on the giving form. You can change or cancel your recurring gift at any time.
Gifts are processed by Givebutter, a secure, PCI-compliant giving platform used by thousands of nonprofits. CI never sees or stores your full card details.
We’d be glad to talk with you about endowment, named gifts and planned giving. Reach out to Michael McLaughlin or Susan Lynch below.
We’re here for you, too
Questions about a gift, a stock transfer, or a legacy commitment? Our team is ready to help.
This Advent, be the reason
the doors stay open.
Students, parishes, communities and the Church: they're here because people like you made sure of it.
Make a Year-End Gift →