By Rebecca Harris, Diocesan Director of Stewardship & Development

Below are frequently asked questions about the annual diocesan Catholic Service Appeal. We hope that you find these “answers” helpful in discerning your gift to the CSA in support of 14 ministries throughout the diocese.

Question: What is the annual Catholic Service Appeal?
Answer: Since 1992, the annual Catholic Service Appeal has been a unified effort in which all parishioners in the Diocese of Jackson are asked to provide critical financial support to fourteen diocesan ministries. We are all united in our Catholic faith and are called to charity.

Question: Why should Catholics in the Diocese of Jackson support the annual Catholic Service Appeal?
Answer: The annual Catholic Service Appeal provides funding for ministries and program resources on which parishes reply and which no one parish could fund. As you review all the ministries that are supported by the annual Catholic Service Appeal you can see these are ministries that are important to our faith and to our diocese. With your support we can ensure these ministries thrive in our diocese. It takes each and every parishioner to accomplish this task.

Question: Does the Catholic Service Appeal support ministries outside of the Diocese of Jackson?
Answer: The donations given to the Catholic Service Appeal only supports ministries here in the Diocese of Jackson. There is a complete list of those ministries along with a brief description of what they do on the diocesan website: csa.jacksondiocese.org.

Question: Who benefits from the annual Catholic Service Appeal?
Answer: Currently we allocate monies raised by the annual Catholic Service Appeal to fourteen ministries of the Diocese of Jackson. Please go to csa.jacksondiocese.org. Scroll down and click on “Supported Ministries” to get a complete list of all fourteen ministries.

Question: Where do I go to donate to the annual Catholic Service Appeal.
Answer: We have made giving online simple and easy. Go to csa.jacksondiocese.org and click the giving button. You can always send a check to Catholic Service Appeal; PO Box 22723; Jackson, MS 39225-2273. If you have questions, you can call our office at (601) 960-8477.

Question: Can I make a gift to the CSA using stock, a donor advised fund or a qualified IRA distribution?
Answer: Yes you can make gift through stock, donor advised funds, or a qualified IRA distribution. We ask that you go to the Jackson Diocese website to get the stock form and email it into the CSA office so that we know who the donor is and the gift amount. This helps us alert our brokerage company. We also ask that you let us know if you are making a gift from a brokerage account or qualified IRA distribution. Often times we get checks from brokerage companies and we do not know the name of the donor. Brokerage companies are not allowed to give us your name, so we cannot credit you or your parish for the gift.

Question: Do you send out a report showing how the money raised was allocated?
Answer: Every year in November a brochure is mailed to all donors showing how much was allocated to each of the ministries supported by the Catholic Service Appeal. The report is also on the Jackson Diocese website. (jacksondiocese.org) In February each year prior to the Catholic Service Appeal second collection the annual report is in the Mississippi Catholic showing all the ministries and the amount that was allocated to each ministry.

Question: How much of my gift actually goes to support the ministries of the appeal?
Answer: 91 percent of your gift to the Catholic Service Appeal supports the ministries in the Diocese of Jackson. That is 91 cents of every $1.

Question: Is any of the CSA money spent on lawyers or diocesan lawsuits?
Answer: No money raised through the annual Catholic Service Appeal goes to lawyers or lawsuits. Please know that all the money that is raised is only allocated to the ministries supported by the Catholic Service Appeal. To be transparent an annual report is on the website.

Question: How is the Diocesan annual goal and the individual parish goals established?
Answer: The Bishop and the Catholic Service Appeal Office establish the annual Catholic Service Appeal goal taking into consideration the ministerial needs of our diocese. Parish goals are then calculated using the established diocesan goal. We then calculate a five-year offertory average multiplied by 5%.

To give a gift online, review the ministries supported by the annual Catholic Service Appeal, to review the 2022 Annual Report Allocations, and to see personal testimonies of people served by the appeal please scan the QR code. You can also go to csa.jacksondiocese.org.