St. Mikes begins road to a million

St. Michaels is on a mission to raise $1,000,000 over the next 5 years.  Yesterday morning after mass the thermometer that will gauge fundraising progress was unveiled, and a bbq was held to begin putting some money in the bank. A few months agao when the project was announced, MO))) ran a story about, and we are adding the same information again today in hopes of helping St. Mikes raise the money they need to preserve the basilica which is a Miramichi landmark.

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BUILDING OUR FUTURE

St. Michael’s Basilica to Launch Capital Fund-Raising Campaign

(by John Lordon)

The pastor, Father John Fraser, the Parish Council, and the Finance Committee of St. Michael’s Basilica Parish have announced the establishment of a Capital Fund-Raising Campaign Committee, consisting of eleven (11) parishioners to oversee an ambitious capital projects fund-raising endeavor over the next five (5) years.

The objective of the campaign is to raise 1 million dollars to pay off the debt from recent capital improvements projects, such as repairs to the roof and the re-paving and upgrading of streets and parking areas surrounding the basilica, and to provide necessary funding for new capital projects projected for the future. The necessary groundwork has been completed for a solar-heating installation at the basilica, but funding is required for the erection of forty-eight (48) solar panels needed to complete the project. To meet the needs of an aging congregation, and of all participants in parish social and liturgical events, the installation of an elevator, estimated to cost approximately $350,000, is urgently required.

Couple these demands with the routine needs of maintenance and repairs to a century-old landmark in our community, and with the need to ensure a viable future of the basilica for the generations of worshippers yet to come, and the need for this new campaign is both obvious and urgent.

Recent campaigns, such as the “Lifting The Stone” project, and endowments, and trust funds, such as that established by the Losier family, are helping, but even these, without the additional efforts, will fall far short of meeting the enormous demands of a parish community and infrastructure whose ordinary operation budget approximates $500,000 a year.

The Basilica of St. Michael is an important asset to the Miramichi community. Its’ imposing Gothic structure and architectural features are a major tourist attraction and draw hundreds of visitors each year. The building’s dominance of the skyline of Chatham has been a community characteristic for more than a hundred years, and is often the first welcoming sight on the skyline to those returning home, and to visitors to our community.

Such an architectural, cultural, historical edifice has great importance, not only to the Catholic community, but to the other Christian and non-denominational populations of the Miramichi, no matter what their faith, or spiritual preferences, or practices, may be.

For this reason, the committee will not only be appealing to the active parishioners of St. Michael’s Parish, but also to occasional visitors to the parish, to families nominally Catholic who may not be regular participants, to interested Christians from other congregations, and to the public at large, who have an interest in preserving this magnificent community asset for future generations of Miramichiers.

The St. Michael’s Capital Campaign will be entitled “Building Our Future”. The committee will be asking for commitments and pledges from the families who are already active participants in parish life. Various other campaigns, such as the current lottery will be ongoing features of the fund-raising initiative.

But the committee also hopes to appeal to all Catholic families and extended families, from here and beyond, to participate in the campaign by pledges, endowments, or by generous gifts; and to corporations, industry, and business to support the campaign, for the good of our ecumenical Miramichi community.

In 1988, Pope John Paul 2 designated St. Michael’s Cathedral as a Basilica. This is a singular honor for St. Michael’s and the larger community. If St. Michael’s is to continue to play a leading role in the region, a massive infusion of funds to meet the needs outlined herein will be necessary. This new committee is confident that, with the help and cooperation on an entire community, the goals can and will be met, so that another hundred years of faith, worship, and community contributions will be assured for St. Michael’s Parish, the Basilica, and for future generations of Miramichi Christians and citizens.