Annual Catholic Appeal

Your ongoing generosity and faithful commitment to the Annual Catholic Appeal means so much to those who benefit from your gift. You are among those who are instrumental in sustaining our parishes, schools and ministries in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. 

Stewards of the Annual Catholic Appeal are individuals and families who make a monthly commitment through an automatic, recurring transfer from their credit/debit card or bank account. Regular monthly contributions allow you to spread your giving out with 12 equal payments. 

Indicate your monthly commitment and to provide the information needed to set up the automatic payments. It’s that simple. Plus, it can be a regular reminder to pray each month for those who will benefit from your gift. You will touch the lives of many with your gift and with your prayers! 

Since 1988, the Associates of the Archbishop have graciously responded to the invitation to participate directly in the mission of the archbishop. The Associates have given over $191,000,000 to support the needs of the Church since 1988. Their prayerful support and charitable giving helps bring daily works of hope and love to our parishes, schools, ministries, and neighbors throughout the region.  

Each individual Associate helps provide essential support for so many, and together they serve as a beacon of God’s love. With the help of their leadership, our Church provides hope and healing to countless lives, lifting up those in need with compassion and joy.

The Perpetual Light Society provides Catholics in the Archdiocese of St. Louis the opportunity to support the Annual Catholic Appeal with a gift that will become a legacy for your families. I invite you to consider a bequest or other type of planned gift, and continue your personal or family tradition of faithful stewardship beyond your lifetime. Your witness demonstrates your selfless support for the ministries of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

— Most Reverend Mitchell T. Rozanski. Archbishop of St. Louis 

Our Mission

The Annual Catholic Appeal supports the programs and ministries of the Archdiocese of St. Louis in order to reach out to those who are suffering and in need, the weak and the abandoned, in every neighborhood and community our archdiocese.

Annual Catholic Appeal Endowment Fund

Established with the goal of securing the long-term financial future of the Annual Catholic Appeal, this fund ensures that our mission can be carried on for generations. Our permanent fund is invested in accordance with the social teaching of the Catholic Church. Your gift will provide perpetual annual distributions that will support the Annual Catholic Appeal long into the future.

Who Can Give

Membership in the Perpetual Light Society is open to anyone – regardless of income or age – who includes the Annual Catholic Appeal or the Endowment in their estate planning.

Benefits of Giving

Your planned gift, made from assets rather than income, can make a tremendous impact on the Annual Catholic Appeal, likely at no cost to your during your lifetime. Special recognition includes:

• Members are remembered for generations to come. Each name or family name is inscribed in the hand-painted archdiocesan “Book of Life” on display at the Cardinal Rigali Center.
• Members are invited to an annual appreciation event.
• Members are remembered in the prayers of our retired priests at Regina Cleri.
• Members receive a recognition of membership from the archbishop.
• Greetings are sent to members throughout the year from the archbishop.

Ways to Give

Give Later*

Leave a gift through a bequest in your will or trust or designate our fund as beneficiary of your life insurance or retirement accounts.

Give Now

Make an outright gift of cash, stock, retirement assets or real estate.

Give and Receive

Make a gift and receive income for life or a term of years with a charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder unitrust. The Annual Catholic Appeal partners with the Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri to assist our donors with planned giving needs.

For more details on these and other ways you can support our fund with a planned gift, please visit rcfstl.org or call 314.918.2890.

*When leaving a gift to the Annual Catholic Appeal Endowment Fund through your will or trust or by naming the fund as beneficiary of a retirement account or life insurance policy, please use the following language: Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri (EIN 46-3309222)/Annual Catholic Appeal Endowment Fund.

If you work for an employer with a matching gift program, you may be able to double or even triple the value of your gift to the Annual Catholic Appeal! Some companies will also match gifts made by retirees. To find out if your employer has a matching gift program, contact your company’s Human Resources office. 

Steps to Obtain a Matching Gift from Your Company

Companies typically have guidelines that must be met before your gift can be matched. Please check with your employer to determine if your company will match gifts to the organizations supported by the Annual Catholic Appeal.

Eligible Organizations

• Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, also known as the St. Louis Roman Catholic Theological Seminary.
• St. Louis University-Glennon Education Fund (for college seminarians, deacons and lay ministers who take classes at St. Louis University under the sponsorship of the Archdiocese of St. Louis)
• Any one of the archdiocesan or parochial high schools listed below:
  • Bishop DuBourg High School
  • Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School
  • Duchesne High School
  • St. Dominic High School
  • St. Francis Borgia High School
  • St. Pius X Catholic High School
  • St. Vincent de Paul High School
  • Valle Catholic High School
• Some companies may also match directly to the Annual Catholic Appeal.

How to Complete the Matching Gift Process

1. Obtain a matching gift form from your employer or submit a request online.
2. For paper forms, complete the donor section, enter the name of school and SIGN THE FORM. If paying in the future, DO NOT DATE the form.
3. If making an online request, please email a copy of your company’s confirmation to the ACA Office at matching_gifts@archstl.org.
4. If you prefer to mail a copy of your confirmation, please write your name on it and send to: ACA Office, 20 Archbishop May Drive, St. Louis, MO 63119.
5. During parish appeal weekends, return the pledge card, matching gift form, and payment or installment instructions to your parish coordinator.

DO NOT MAIL THE CHECK OR MATCHING GIFT FORM TO THE SCHOOL.

For more information, please contact the Annual Catholic Appeal Office at 314.792.7680.

DONOR-ADVISED FUND

If you have a donor-advised fund, you can recommend a grant to the Annual Catholic Appeal. Contact your financial advisor or fund administrator for details.

To ensure proper credit to your account, please ask your fund administrator to include your name and address when sending your grant check. 

Make grant checks payable to:
Annual Catholic Appeal
20 Archbishop May Dr
Saint Louis, MO 63119-5738
Federal Tax ID/EIN: 43-0653244

IRA

For those at least 70-½ years old, you can give from your IRA directly to the Annual Catholic Appeal without having to pay income taxes on the money. Check with your tax adviser for limits and eligibility. Your disbursement must come directly from the administrator of your IRA to the Annual Catholic Appeal—you cannot receive the funds first. Contact your IRA administrator for details.

To ensure proper credit to your account, please be sure to include your name and address with your IRA check:

Make checks payable to:
Annual Catholic Appeal
20 Archbishop May Dr
Saint Louis, MO 63119-5738
Federal Tax ID/EIN: 43-0653244

GIFT OF STOCK

When making a gift of stock, please include the following information with the transfer order:

Donor name and address
Gift amount: Number of shares
Account name: Archdiocese of St. Louis
Parish/Organization/Campaign name: Annual Catholic Appeal

DTC: Smith Moore, RBC
DTC Participant #0235
Credit account #89103740
 

QUESTIONS?

Contact the ACA Office at 314.792.7680 or acaoffice@archstl.org