Catholics across northwest Pennsylvania were invited to join in and give to the ministries that shape their hearts and souls in a faith-filled day of generosity during the #iGiveCatholic day of giving Dec. 3.

Responding with gifts large and small, 1,943 donors gave $561,531 to 91 Catholic organizations throughout the 13-county Diocese of Erie. #iGiveCatholic is an annual 24-hour online giving event uniting donors across the nation to raise as many charitable dollars as possible for Catholic parishes, schools and nonprofit ministries.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish participated locally. The Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania has facilitated #iGiveCatholic since 2019,when a total of $96,643 was raised for 68 Catholic organizations. This year brings the total raised through #iGiveCatholic for the Diocese of Erie to more than $2 million.

Reacting to this year’s growth, Lisa Louis, executive director of the Catholic Foundation, said, “We are excited about the response to the 2024 #iGiveCatholic campaign. The exponential increase in dollars raised to support these Catholic organizations is inspiring. It shows us Catholics can make a difference when they come together to support the causes that mean the most to them.”

As incentive for the giving day, participating ministries were eligible to win cash prizes by attaining predetermined goals on the day of the event and during the advanced giving period. A $25,000 cash prize pool was available thanks to event sponsors and a generous anonymous donor dedicated to supporting the Catholic community. In all, 36 prizes were awarded to 31 organizations.

#iGiveCatholic is facilitated for organizations in the Diocese of Erie by the Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania. The Catholic Foundation is the only community foundation in northwest Pennsylvania guided by Catholic values and investment principles. To learn more, visit MyCatholicFoundation.org.