The Catholic community in northwest Pennsylvania continues to unite in the faith-filled day of generosity known globally as #iGiveCatholic. On December 3, Catholics across northwest Pennsylvania were invited to join in and give to the ministries that shape their hearts and souls, and they responded by well surpassing 2023's totals. Across the 13-county Diocese of Erie, 1,943 individuals donated $561,531 in support of 91 Catholic organizations including parishes, schools, and ministries. This brings the total raised through #iGiveCatholic over the six years of diocesan participation to over $2 million!
With the theme Give Catholic on Giving Tuesday, #iGiveCatholic is an annual 24-hour online giving event uniting Catholics across the nation to raise as many charitable dollars as possible for Catholic organizations. In the Diocese of Erie, donors from 24 states outside of Pennsylvania as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia contributed, showing how far-reaching online giving can be. Nationally, over $23.4 million was raised for over 1,800 Catholic organizations through #iGiveCatholic.
Many organizations found great success in reaching their fundraising goals for a variety of projects. Two parishes in particular went above and beyond in their campaigns, raising more than their original goal for projects important to their parish communities.
Saint Mary Parish in St. Marys, ranked #63 on the national leaderboard, participated for the first time in 2024. Their campaign raised funds for the Walburga Grotto. “The Walburga Grotto on our former Benedictine Sisters' Convent property is a treasured part of our Benedictine Heritage and this money will help us beautify this sacred space so that it will remain a cherished landmark for future generations,” Bonnie Pearson, the parish’s #iGiveCatholic coordinator, shared. “We are so excited to have done so well in our first year fundraising with #iGiveCatholic. We secured a matching donor and exceeded our goals thanks to the dedication of our Catholic community.”
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Mercer, ranked #75 on the national leaderboard, ran a campaign to support updates to the parish social hall, Gallagher Hall. Father Andy Boyd, pastor, was appreciative of how his parish community came together. “Thanks to the generosity of donors and the support of a matching donor, we have taken meaningful steps to enhance this resource for future service, with improvements that will benefit the parish in multiple ways, including reducing costs over time. This campaign encouraged donors by showing how their contributions would directly fund necessary updates, ensuring every dollar raised stayed within the parish to benefit our shared mission and community.”
The Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania has facilitated #iGiveCatholic since 2019, when a total of $96,643 was raised for 68 Catholic organizations. Reacting to this year’s growth, Lisa Louis, Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation, said, “We are excited about the response to the 2024 #iGiveCatholic campaign. The exponential increase in dollars raised to support these Catholic organizations is inspiring. It shows us Catholics can make a difference when they come together to support the causes that mean the most to them.”
To offer incentive for the giving day, participating ministries were eligible to win cash prizes by attaining predetermined goals on the day of the event and during the advanced giving period. A $25,000 cash prize pool was available thanks to event sponsors and a generous anonymous donor dedicated to supporting the Catholic community. In all 36 prizes were awarded to 31 organizations.
Thank you to our 2024 #iGiveCatholic northwest Pennsylvania sponsors!
