On behalf of our staff at Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens, I would like to provide you with an update on our response. The effects of the COVID-19 health crisis have been devastating on our Brooklyn and Queens Catholic communities, just as they have been across the country and globe. We are saddened to hear of the latest news of our churches’ full closure in the ongoing efforts to stop the spread of the virus.
In any correspondence we send, we wish to remind our faithful donors that our parish priests are here for you. You may reach out to any of them directly or call us and we will help to direct you. Please call (718) 985-7375 and email info@cfbq.org. Please think of close neighbors, friends and family members who are elderly or have underlying conditions. They need our outreach and support. And, we all need prayers. We encourage you to leave your prayer intentions at this link: www.cfbq.org/Intentions.
You may be aware that the Foundation is tasked with the administration of the Annual Catholic Appeal, Generations of Faith and promotion of Parish Stewardship. We are responsible to ensure the ministries of the Diocese and our parishes and schools have the resources they need to carry out the mission of the Catholic Church in Brooklyn and Queens.
Our immediate action has been constant outreach to our pastors and lay volunteers. Parish Field Representatives have shared with parishes their database lists with phone numbers and email addresses in easy to use formats to enable them to more easily reach out to parishioners. We have worked with pastors to sign up for or increase participation of e-giving to allow for continued participation in weekly offertory. We changed the frequency of disbursements from Generations of Faith pledge payments we send to parishes from quarterly to monthly to allow for a much-needed improvement in cash flow.
There is much more to do, and we plan to work closely with Diocese of Brooklyn leadership and our pastors to understand their ongoing needs and how we can best support them during these challenging times.
I thank you for your generosity in furthering the mission of the Catholic Church in Brooklyn and Queens and remind you again to not hesitate to reach out for assistance. We will continue to share new information with you. Follow us on Facebook or at www.cfbq.org for updates.
You remain in our prayers.
Sincerely,
John Notaro
Executive Director