Parishes and ministries from throughout the Archdiocese of Washington expressed gratitude for the overwhelming response to the inaugural #iGiveCatholic Giving Tuesday campaign which raised a total of $109,519 from 616 donors. Charitable groups have designated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving as Giving Tuesday to promote support for their outreach.

“It is exciting knowing that the faithful came together for the benefit of the community,” Jose Santa-Maria, development associate at the Archdiocese of Washington, said. 

With more than 70 ministries and parishes receiving donations on Dec. 3, the archdiocese exceeded its expectations for the campaign, Santa-Maria added. “We definitely expected success, because we believe in the #iGiveCatholic brand,” he said. 

The top-ranked recipient of #iGiveCatholic donations in the Archdiocese of Washington was the archdiocese’s Annual Appeal, which received $67,809 from a total of 243 donors.

Epiphany Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., was the parish to receive the most in monetary donations. Msgr. Godfrey Mosley, pastor at Epiphany, said he encouraged his parishioners to donate on Giving Tuesday as they would participate at the bazaar that the parish formerly held. 

“I told them that God is not going to be outdone in generosity,” Msgr. Mosley said. “...I’ve been looking for a platform like this for three years, so when this (opportunity) came about, I said this is what we’re doing…It was providential.” 

The Catholic Student Center at the University of Maryland had the third highest donations in the archdiocese that day, totaling more than $5,500. Ann Gradowski, development director and administrator at the Catholic Student Center, said that on Giving Tuesday, her group was “really caught off guard.” 

After meeting their first goal early in the morning with the help of several advance donors, the group continued to increase their goal and encourage participation among alumni and students throughout the day. A total of 67 people donated to the Catholic Student Center.

“It was really just a lot of fun,” Gradowski said, adding that she loved being able to “see the energy within the student and alumni community” and how they were “able to verbalize how the CSC has such an impact in their lives.” 

Gradowski also shared words of gratitude to the archdiocese for the ability to use the #iGiveCatholic platform for Giving Tuesday.

“We’ve been in this ministry here for over 50 years, and it's in the last few years that we’ve seen such an amazing direction of support for college campus ministries,” she said. “There is a beautiful and wonderful Christ-centered approach that I’m very grateful for.” 

The top 10 recipients of #iGiveCatholic donations in the Archdiocese of Washington were: (1) the archdiocese’s Annual Appeal, (2) Epiphany Catholic Church in Washington, (3) The Catholic Student Center at the University of Maryland, (4) St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, (5) St. Jane Frances de Chantal Parish in Bethesda, (6) St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in St. Inigoes, (7) St. Luke Institute, (8) The George Washington University Newman Catholic Student Center, (9) Cathedral Parish of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, and (10) St. Augustine Catholic School.

Santa-Maria said the archdiocese intends to continue participating in #iGiveCatholic campaigns on future Giving Tuesdays.

“We hope to create more exposure to ministries,” he said. “To show that they aren’t just a faceless entity.”