"Capital Campaign" Coercion in the Pews.

"Coercion (pronounced /koʊˈɜrʃən/) is the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner (whether through action or inaction) by use of threats,or rewards intimidation or some other form of pressure or force. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in the desired way. Coercion may involve the actual infliction of physical pain/injury or psychological harm in order to enhance the credibility of a threat. The threat of further harm may lead to the cooperation or obedience of the person being coerced." Wikipedia

Dear Advocates for Life,

Now, the $50,000,000.00 five-year Archdiocese of Portland Capital Campaign...in addition as well as 10% our regular Sunday collection and all the other ways we give during mass including the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) .

The coercion:

1.  Changing the Liturgy of the Mass to raise funds through prayers and spiels during Mass, which is against the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM)

2.  Using psychological pressure to force funding this Campaign.

3.  Secular value on human beings according to the amount they give to the Archdiocese Capital Campaign.

4.  Invasion of privacy.

5.  What could be seen as "veiled threat" regarding campaign visit to every Catholic household to assure giving.

6.  Threat of penalizing priests who don't produce 120% above regular funds from their pews.

7.  Hiring people to do this for approximately 10% of the total of $50,000,000. or $5,000,000.

8.  Using parishioners collection plate to refill the coffers from the Sex scandal where the homosexual "climate" continues.

The Real Reason? Bottom Line.
Archbishop Vlazny's Catholic Sentinel Article on Capital Campaign 
"We’re doing it because the need is now and, frankly, I don’t have much time left. I certainly want my successor to be able to come in here and actively challenge all of us to work together to evangelize all the people of western Oregon, beginning with ourselves.  It will take a new bishop time to get to know all of you and I hope and pray that he will be able to focus on our number one priority, namely, growing in holiness.  During my tenure, the needs have been more mundane and our resources required for mission were diminished and need to be replenished."

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Click on "Sharing Our Faith" - Manual on Capital Campaign   (Sixty pages so takes a while to download.) 


Page 2
 "The aim of the campaign is to further educate the parishioners
to the concept of giving back—of sharing with the Lord the gifts He has provided—and to
incorporate this philosophy of giving in the archdiocese. In addition, the campaign will
address archdiocesan and individual parish needs"

Page 3 "The Archdiocese of Portland retained the services of the Steier Group, a Catholic fund raising and development firm, to help manage the campaign." 
Steier Group says:  "We assign a team of professionals to each client. Your campaign manager will be dedicated to your project – and only your project – throughout the effort and will handle the day-to-day campaign activities. Your campaign manager will be directly supervised by a campaign services director, as well as our CEO, Jim Steier. Your campaign manager will be supported by a staff of public relations and media specialists, full-time graphic designers, full-time grant writers and experts in planned giving, direct mail appeals, online fundraising, stewardship programs, major gift solicitations and event planning."

Page 4
"120% of collections are goal or parish will be penalized without a good reason.
+75% collected to Archdiocese and 25% for parish
Parishes will be asked to make every effort to achieve their goal. A parish
seeking to adjust its target must provide the archdiocese with justification
for the adjustment in order to be approved by the Archbishop.
     Plans to raise funds for new construction or renovation must be approved by
the Archbishop in writing........"
"If a parish follows the recommended campaign procedures, the parish will not be assessed any financial penalty if it does not reach its campaign target."  Any Funds Over Targeted Amount are Divided 50/50 Archdiocese and parish.
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Apparently removed....

Page 4.  Annual Archbishop Catholic Appeal   The Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal (ACA) will be conducted during the Capital Campaign. Ministries and programs remain in need of the funds generated by
the ACA. The ACA and the capital campaign may fund similar needs.
Extensive communications and marketing is planned to clearly explain the need for
such levels of funding."

VOCAL - Maybe the "extensive communications and marketing cannot be clearly explained.

Remember:

The Archbishop's Annual Appeal spends almost $400,000 to oversee the yearly $3,600,000.00 (that includes one million dollars from Oregon Catholic Press as a grant.
We can only imagine what it costs for $50,000,000.00 overseen for five years.  It will assure those involved a hefty salary for five years. Funded by us.
Who's on this payroll and committees from the Archdiocese and laity?
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Page 7
Parishioners are judged on giving abilities.  Large Donors are "courted".
VI. Donor Evaluation
· All parishioners will be evaluated and assigned to a specific campaign phase
and section based on their gift request for the five-year campaign.
· Whereas the evaluation needs to include local knowledge regarding the
donors’ ability to give, each family’s current annual adult envelope giving will
provide a starting point for the evaluation.
· To assist in the evaluation of donors, the following matrix will be employed at
the parish-level (and the Steier Group will train parish administrative
assistants and secretaries in the use of the matrix):
INDIVIDUAL
ANNUAL OFFERTORY
CAMPAIGN CODING
GIFT REQUEST AMOUNT
(per year/total five-year pledge)

May the new Archbishop care for all of us equally without judging us on how much we give financially.

You of little faith! 31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:31-33