The future of the church is in your hands!
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Firstly let me thank you for your continued support and commitment to the Church. I want you to know that your personal sacrifice makes a difference and helps the Church to minister to the Catholic population in Southern Africa.
I know that you appreciate the presence of the priest in your parish, and the sisters and the great work they do for you. But there are others working for you in the Church that you don’t see, those who provide support
assistance to the priest and the sisters. This support comes from the people working for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) in Pretoria and throughout Southern Africa.
The SACBC was set up and is run by your bishops and supports a range of activities and services including Evangelisation and Catechetics, HIV/AIDS work, Justice and Peace, Liturgy, Youth work, Communication and Media, the training of priests, Catholic healthcare and education.
All these people work for you, to support your priests, to train future priests and encourage the growth and development of our Church in Southern Africa. But in order to continue and grow our Church, the SACBC now calls for a special commitment from you.
We want to raise a minimum of 50 million Rand to maintain and grow the Church. It sounds like a lot of money, but if only half a million Catholics (500 000) give just R100 each, or if 100 000 give R500 each we will have achieved our goal.
Why should you commit to this campaign? Because the money will be placed in a special Foundation to ensure that your children and grandchildren are able to receive the same benefits of our Church in the future! Only the interest earned on this money will be used to assist with the running of the Catholic Church and your diocese.
I urge you to join this campaign by contributing generously in any of the following ways:
- Cash contribution of R100 or more
- By cheque, made payable to the SACBC Foundation
- By an online payment or bank transfer
- Leave the Foundation some money as a bequest in your will as a lasting gift to the Church
In appreciation of your contribution, on the 15th August every year your bishop will celebrate a Mass for your special intentions. I also undertake to let you know when the target has been reached and report, each year, what interest the Foundation has generated and where these funds have been allocated.
Give to the SACBC Foundation
Why should I make a donation to my Church?
he Catholic Church in Southern Africa used to get most of its funding from Europe. The financial crisis in Europe and the desperate needs of other countries have meant that we now need to support our local Church ourselves.
Rather than make continuous appeals for support, the Church would like to set up a capital fund to provide a regular income for the years ahead, making us less reliant on overseas funding. It is looking to us, who benefit most, to support its work.How much do we need to raise?
We want to raise a minimum of R50 million to maintain and grow the Church. It sounds like a lot of money, but if only half a million Catholics (500 000) give R100 each, or if 100 000 give R500 each, we will achieve our goal.What will happen to my donation?
It will go into a special fund established for this purpose, in the name of the SACBC Foundation. All money received will be invested in a long-term interest account.Will the Church then draw on this money?
The Church will use only the interest generated from these funds for the various ministries and services it offers. The capital will not be used. That is why such a large sum of money is needed.How will I know what happens to the money raised?
An external auditor will prepare an audited financial report every year on the SACBC Foundation. You will be able to access this on the SACBC website (www.sacbc.org.za), as well as a narrative report on how much has been raised and how the money is being used to run the Church.How will the money be spent?
The Catholic Church will use the money to support your priests and sisters, to train future priests and to promote the growth and development of our Church in Southern Africa. The SACBC supports your bishop and your diocese by coordinating a range of church activities and services including evangelisation and catechetics, HIV and AIDS work, Justice and Peace, liturgy, youth work, communication and media, the training of priests, Catholic healthcare and education.
Is my donation really important to the Church? It is your support that ensures the Church will be there for you and your family – now and in the future.
What is the SACBC Foundation? It is a legally-registered body set up by the SACBC with a properly constituted board of trustees to manage the money donated through this fundraising campaign to the Catholic Church. The Foundation has applied for registration as a nonprofit organisation (NPO) with the Department of Social Development and with the Tax Exemption Unit of SARS as a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO).
Who are the trustees?
The trustees of the SACBC Foundation are the five Metropolitan Archbishops of Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Durban.
You will be contributing to the work of the Church in:
- Training priests for the future
- Promoting the growth and development of our Church in Southern Africa
- Coordinating a range of church activities and services including:
- Evangelisation and catechetics
- HIV and AIDS work
- Justice and Peace
- Liturgy
- Youth work
- Communication and Media
- Healthcare and education
Contact Details:
Bank Details:
Fr Barney McAleer
Tel: +27 (12) 323 6458
Fax: +27 (12) 326 6218
E-mail: foundation@sacbc.org.za
Address: P O Box 941,
Pretoria,
0001
Physical address: 129 Main Street, Waterkloof – Pretoria
Banking Details
Name of account: SACBC Foundation
Name of bank: Nedbank
Address: cnr. Andries and Church
Street, Pretoria
Branch number: 160445
Account number: 1604879564
Swift Code: NEDSZAJJ