An Invitation from Archbishop Nienstedt, but what of the CSA?

By Jennifer Haselberger
Canonical Consultation
May 04, 2015

http://canonicalconsultation.com/blog.html

Priests of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis (which I like to refer to as the Worst Diocese on Earth) recently received several notices from the Chancery that might be of interest to the lay faithful as well.

The first was to indicate that follow up solicitation letters would be sent out this week to those who have not yet donated to the 2015 Catholic Services Appeal. Curious, I attempted to determine where the CSA stands this year, both in terms of dollars received and pledged. Historically, the April editions of The Catholic Spirit have provided those numbers, along with a list of the parishes that have met or exceeded their goal. As far as I can tell, however, the current digital edition (April 23, 2015), does not contain any CSA information. Granted, the entire first page was dedicated to an announcement of the bar date set for victims of sexual abuse, so they were probably short of space. Still, the CSA, which has also pledged itself to transparency towards its donors, doesn't seem to be very transparent about its collections. 

But, they have done a good job of notifying people of their move. Pastors and others were notified that, as of April 27, 2015, the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation had moved out of the Chancery complex and into a suite in Plymouth. It is unclear if this move was undertaken to attempt to demonstrate a separation between the Foundation and the Archdiocese, or merely in anticipation of the eventual sale of the Chancery buildings as part of the reorganization.

The third and final communication was my favorite, as this came with the signature of the Archbishop himself. I will forego comment, and simply post the letter here for your edification and amusement.