Archdiocesan Annual Appeal

Catholic Schools
The Department of Catholic Schools prepares students for a Christian life by providing policies and programs for religious and general education in preschool, elementary and secondary schools. The Department supports 23 preschools, 613 students, 59 elementary schools supports 16,540 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, 14 high schools supports 8,095 students, and more than 3,147 full-time and part-time teachers, administrators, counselors, librarians, and support personnel. Teacher Incentive Grants and the Alliance for Mission District Schools are also supported by the AAA.

Pastoral Ministry
In addition to overseeing the effort of other offices/ministries within the department, Pastoral Ministry provides support to parishes that have, or wish to have, a special outreach to Young Adults. It is also the liaison between the Archdiocese and the Campus Ministry programs of local colleges and universities. Pastoral Ministry provides assistance to parishes in creating, maintaining, and revitalizing effective Parish Councils. It also provides support in Grief and Consolation ministry by conducting workshops for the bereaved, helping parishes in support of bereavement ministry, and training facilitators for this work.

Religious Education and Youth Ministry
The Office of Religious Education and Youth Ministry nurtures the lifelong faith formation of people by animating leadership training to ensure a holistic approach to their ministry. The Office provides Catechist and Youth Ministry formation, enrichment and guidance, catechist certifications, Sacramental preparation classes and Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RICA) classes. The office also provides adult faith and youth leadership formation and classes in sacraments and catechists for persons with special needs.

Worship Office
The Worship Office provides liturgical resources for worthy celebration of the Roman Rite. The Office prepares special liturgies for major celebrations; gives presentations on liturgical spirituality, theology and ministries; trains extraordinary ministers of holy communion and lectors; provides catechists on the Roman Rites; and assists parishes to place qualified liturgical personnel. With the Archdiocesan Worship Commission, the Office also consults on church art and architecture, the formation and work of liturgy committees, and related liturgical activities.

Marriage & Family Life
The Office of Marriage & Family Life supports Catholic families through Marriage Preparation training and instruction in Natural Family Planning. The Office oversees the FOCCUS program, a marriage compatibility inventory administered as part of the marriage preparation process. The Office also liaises with Marriage Encounter, Retrouvaille, Divorced and Separated programs, and other Catholic family-oriented support programs.

Ethnic Ministries
Ethnic Ministries celebrates the rich diversity of cultures, languages and races through programs and gatherings that promote intercultural education, dialogue, communication and understanding. Ethnic Ministries provides support for over 20 different ethnic communities including African-American, Chinese, Filipino, Spanish-speaking and others. Ethnic Ministries also sponsors multicultural celebrations and collaborates with other Archdiocesan offices to develop multicultural program components in order to integrate different communities into the Church of the Archdiocese.

Office of Human Life and Dignity
The Office of Human Life and Dignity embodies the teachings found within the parable of the Good Samaritan by seeing injustice as a personal call to action, and making a commitment to address the needs of the suffering person. The Office provides education and advocacy on behalf of the unborn, the poor, the elderly, the imprisoned, the homeless, the disabled and the marginalized in our society. Its programs include Respect Life, Restorative Justice, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Advocacy Training, and Parish Organizing. The Office also collaborates with the California Catholic Conference and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to provide representation to local and national government officials and civic leaders on legislative issues that are of great importance to all Catholics due to their moral implications.

Metropolitan Tribunal
The Office of the Metropolitan Tribunal and Canonical Affairs serves as a resource to the Archbishop and the Catholic community in order to maintain and uphold the universal and particular laws of the Church. The Tribunal assists individuals seeking to reconcile with the Church by evaluating the status of individual marriages, as the Church understands that bond. It also seeks to protect the rights of the faithful, including the right to a good reputation, while mindful of the obligations inherent with being a member of the Roman Catholic Church.

Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Affairs
The Office of Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs represents the Archbishop and the Archdiocese in our relationships with approximately 70 other spiritual communities within the Christian church (Episcopal, Evangelicals and others) and outside Christianity (Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and others). The influence and work of the Office extend beyond the boundaries of the Archdiocese - regional in California, Nevada, Utah and Hawaii; national in Washington D.C.; and international in Rome.

Ministry to the Spanish Speaking
The Ministry to the Spanish Speaking works with the Archbishop and the Vicar for Spanish Speaking to be effective instruments of evangelization for the Spanish-speaking community. The Office supports small Christian communities, ecclesial movements and the Archdiocesan Spanish Speaking Pastoral Council to affirm and empower the laity in their baptismal vocation of service. The office provides adult faith formation programs to develop leadership and enrich spiritual life and seeks to empower Spanish-speaking youth and young adults to serve others by supporting the Archdiocesan Spanish Speaking Young Adult Pastoral Team. The Office also cultivates teamwork and support amongst other ministry offices such as Worship, Family Life, Respect Life/Restorative Justice, Vicar for Spanish Speaking and others, in order to support parish pastoral needs.

Human Resources
The Office of Human Resources provides a comprehensive human resources framework for more than 4,300 parish, school and Pastoral Center employees. The Office strives to ensure that personnel policies and programs throughout the Archdiocese are consistent, understood and enforced uniformly; address the human resources challenges that our local church faces consistent with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ publication, Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord; and comply with federal, state and local laws. The office administers a competitive array of employee benefits such as health insurance, pension and retirement savings plans, disability protection, and employee assistance services. The Office also facilitates comprehensive training programs and coaching for employees in leadership positions in areas such as Employment Law, Performance Management, Wage and Hour regulations, Sexual Harassment Prevention, and Salary Administration.

Real Estate and Property Services
Real Estate and Property Services assists with acquisitions and sales of real estate. The Office manages all the leases of the Archdiocese and assists with ongoing maintenance issues and construction projects. The Office also resolves all property issues when a parish is closed or sold, and handles Property Tax Exemptions for the Archdiocese.

Finance
The Office of Finance maintains financial records for Pastoral Center programs and administrative activities. The office prepares the Archdiocesan Financial Accounting and Reporting Systems used by parishes and schools for financial administration and coordinates the Archdiocese’s various banking relationships. The Office also assists Archdiocesan operating entities with financial administration activities as needed.

Development
The Office of Development oversees capital campaigns, planned giving and fundraising efforts of the Archdiocese, its agencies, parishes and schools. The Office supports the Archdiocese to fund its ministries and services by administering the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal and leads fundraising efforts for the Priests’ Retirement Fund. The Office also ensures that fundraising in the Archdiocese complies with applicable ethical and legal standards.

The Vallombrosa Retreat Facility, the Archives Office and the Department of Cemeteries are also Centralized Functions.

Women Religious
The Office for Women Religious serves as a liaison between the Archbishop and the Women Religious of the Archdiocese. The Office director represents the Archbishop at congregation functions, visits religious houses, is available to individual Sisters and local communities, is present for congregation elections and professions of Vows, and evaluates and provides guidance to new religious communities. The Office is assisted by the members of the Council of Religious who help arrange for annual Women Religious gatherings with the Archbishop and Auxiliary Bishops.

Vicar for the Clergy
The Office of the Vicar for the Clergy assists and supports priests, deacons, and seminarians in their ministry to the people of the Archdiocese. The Vicar for Clergy oversees the work of the Priest Personnel Board, the Retirement Board, the Ongoing Formation of Priests Board and works with the Director of Vocations, the Director of Ongoing Formation of Priests, the Director of Diaconate Formation, the Director of Permanent Diaconate, the Vicar for Spanish speaking, and the Vicar for the Filipino Community. The Annual Appeal assists in this work by funding for clergy formation and ongoing studies, clergy retreats and days of recollection, clergy sabbaticals, and supplemental retirement needs.

Vocations
The Office of Vocations fosters and supports a Vocations Culture in the parishes, Catholic schools and religious education programs of the Archdiocese. Responding to Jesus’ mandate: “The harvest is rich, but the laborers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his field”, (MT. 9:37), the Office places special emphasis on prayer resources and discernment materials that help candidates discover their individual calling in life. In addition to the promotion of vocations to the diocesan priesthood and religious life, the Office collaborates with the various seminaries and houses of formation that educate the priestly candidates of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Permanent Diaconate
The Office of Permanent Diaconate supports the ministry and lives of the deacons and their wives who serve the Archdiocese. The Office addresses concerns that relate to ministry assignments, the ongoing education of deacons, and the spiritual, financial and health concerns of the deacons and their families. The Office supports 18 parishes in San Francisco with 28 deacons, 25 parishes in San Mateo with 45 deacons and 8 parishes in Marin with 13 deacons. The Office also arranges annual retreats and social events, and assists to screen and admit candidates for the five-year deacon formation program.

Universal Church
In addition to the ministries and services provided by the Archdiocese, the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal also contributes to the larger work of the California Conference of Bishops, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Vatican.

Communications
The Office of Communications manages internal communications to pastors, clergy, religious and laity, and external communications such as media relations, public relations, public information and special projects handling. The Office publishes the Official Archdiocesan Directory and produces television and radio programs. The office also operates the Archdiocese’s external and internal websites, the Catholic San Francisco newspaper and website, and controls the content of digital media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.