Group proves vital to the success of the DDD

Intermountain Catholic

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Michael and Carolyn Stransky present Bishop John C. Wester with the Bishop's Leadership Society Book of Gratitude at the dinner Sept. 5. See additional photos on Facebook.IC photos/Marie Mischel

SALT LAKE CITY — For the last nine years, a small group of Catholics has proved vital to the success of the Diocesan Development Drive, the annual appeal to support the bishop’s ministries, programs and services.

The members of this group, known as the Bishop’s Leadership Society, each contribute at least $1,000 to the DDD. This year, Bishop’s Leadership Society members pledged $605,472, or 32 percent of the total amount pledged throughout the diocese. Significantly, the Bishop’s Leadership Society comprises only 5 percent of those who give to the Diocesan Development Drive: This year, out of about 7,700 donors throughout the diocese, 371 were members of the society.

"You can see how each of us as members plays a very important role in the success of this drive year after year," said Michael Stransky, who with his wife, Carolyn, has been a member of the Bishop’s Leadership since it was founded nine years ago. "Since 2004 members of the society ... have given the diocese over $5 million through the Diocesan Development Drive – pretty significant for a relatively small number of people."

The Stranskys were masters of ceremony at the 2012 Bishop’s Leadership Society appreciation dinner, held Sept. 5 at Saint Thomas More Parish.

This year, the group gained 45 new members and also recognized 32 who have been with them for five years.

"Next year we will be celebrating our 10th year of the Bishop’s Leadership Society, and we anticipate that 127 members currently enrolled in the Leadership Society will be recognized as 10-year members," Michael Stransky said.

The dinner began with the Liturgy of the Hours, led by the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City.

"What a great joy it is for me to pray with you tonight," Bishop Wester said. "That means so much to me, that we can gather as God’s people and have evening prayer together. It’s such a beautiful gift."

The evening gathering was about more than giving money, Bishop Wester said. "What we’re about tonight is Church. While it’s true that in our society and in our world that we need to have money to make things run, that’s not what we’re about. Stewardship is about gratitude and appreciating our gifts. It’s about what we do with our gifts to demonstrate our appreciation."

Bishop Wester listed a number of programs that the Diocesan Development Drive supports, including ongoing formation of priests, Utah’s Catholic schools and the diocese’s administration offices, then said, "There is so much going on and I’m looking at you, the very people who help to make this happen in our diocese. Without you, this couldn’t happen."