No Catholic parish can survive in today’s world without aggressive fundraising activities. Those parishes with elementary schools feel this need even more acutely than others.
At St. Jude, our four major sources of funding are our weekly bingo, the annual festival, Saturday and Sunday Mass collections and tuition. We also have our Capital Campaign, “Building for Today and Tomorrow.” This campaign is designated for meeting the costs of our new Parish Center. Anyone who has not been a part of the original program and would like to help meet our needs may make a pledge or contributions to this fund. Any new parishioners are encouraged to help meet our financial goals for this program. New parishioners can call the office for more information about our Capital Campaign.
Bingo - The weekly Friday night bingo at St. Jude is a tradition as old as the parish itself. It has been the source of much success in paying off the bills of the parish. Without it we would be in dire circumstances. For example, parents of elementary school students today are required to pay a part of the total tuition costs, with the balance covered at least in part by bingo proceeds.
Activities begin at 7:00 p.m. every Friday, and last until about 10:00 p.m. in the undercroft of the church. We offer the newest in bingo equipment to ensure that when a “bingo” occurs we have it without a doubt. Monitors and electronic recall allows for accurate winners. Refreshments are available at very minimal costs. We also sell $.25, $.50 and $1.00 “instant winner” tickets, some of which provide some very attractive payoffs. Our facility is nonsmoking. State law mandates no one under 18 may attend or play bingo.
We encourage you to come join us on Friday night, help the parish and enjoy some recreation at the same time. We can also use all the volunteers we can get to handle the refreshment area, sell “instant winners,” and generally assist our regular bingo teams. If you would like to volunteer some of your time, don’t call ahead. Just come to the back of the undercroft and see any of the workers in the kitchen. They will be glad to find you something to do.
Festival - We have one festival annually, the first full weekend in June. Our festival is well known for its diversity, special children’s booths, our outstanding Bid and Buy and good food. We have the undercroft for regular Poker and other “games of chance,” another for Jumbo Poker and a wide range of prize and food booths. A special dinner is available on Sunday evening that always gets rave reviews.
Many individual organizations host their own booths, but there is always a spot for another volunteer; someone to chair, or at least manage a booth for a few hours during the weekend.
Chairing a booth is a great way to meet and become acquainted with your fellow parishioners. Managing a booth for just a few hours can be lots of fun as well, with only a minimal investment of your time. You can be sure your time is well spent, helping St. Jude provide for the fiscal need of its parishioners. If you would like to learn more about the Festival, or would like to be involved in this activity, please call the parish office.