St. Leo and St. Mary are having an Amazing Week!

The Upon This Rock campaign saw an exciting week, as two parishes – St. Leo the Great in Amherst and St. Mary in Bolivar – surpassed their goals! Pastors Msgr. Robert Zapfel and Dcn. Francis Pasquale, Jr. are both eager to marshal in new eras at their churches, thanks to the projects that are now financially possible thanks to overwhelming parishioner support.

We were able to reach Msgr. Zapfel of St. Leo the Great on Monday to speak about the wonderful kindness within his parish and the excitement that surpassing their goal will bring to the parish. “I am very grateful to our parish family for their generosity to the Church of Western New York and St. Leo the Great Church.  As our parish enters the next chapter in its history, we are thankful to the Lord for our many blessings.” He said.

St. Leo the Great has raised $10,645 this past week, pushing past their $1,217,000 goal with 117 gifts totaling $1,222,805. Since St. Leo is now over goal, 55% of any additional funds raised will go directly to the parish community.  Msgr. Zapfel is especially excited now that funds can be used to provide much needed space for religious education, parish events, and meeting rooms that the new Parish Ministry Center will offer. Additionally, the parish will put a new roof on the parish rectory and increase efforts to reach out to Catholics who no longer practice our faith. With their parish share, St. Leo will be able to support for their community for many years to come. 

In Bolivar, Dcn. Pasquale, Jr. was equally enthusiastic about his parish’s progress with Upon This Rock. He is overwhelmed and overjoyed the generosity at the parish that surpassed its goal. The parish is now at 104% of its goal, or $62,200. Ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the parish grounds will now be possible and with the additional funds, any work that is needed in the future on both the Church and parish hall will be funded with the help of all the generous members of the St. Mary’s parish.
Congratulations to Msgr. Robert Zapfel and Dcn. Francis Pasquale, Jr., and everyone involved with Upon This Rock at these parishes!



Read more below for even more good news from the Upon This Rock initiative!
 

A Prayer for Upon This Rock

Loving God, we come to You,
standing together in faith,
ready to realize the freshness of a bold endeavor,
as we look to the future of our Church.

Building up the Kingdom of God on earth is Your will and our privilege.
Bless our efforts with the energy and enthusiasm we need. 

Jesus, our Redeemer,
encourage and guide us.
Open our hearts to be good stewards because of our love for You.

Holy Spirit, our Sanctifier,
empower us to carry out Your will for the Upon This Rock campaign.

May Your Goodness be upon us,
And give us success to the work of our hands and hearts.

We ask Your blessing now and always 
through Christ Our Lord.

Amen!