Cry out with joy to the Lord: Launching the 2025 DSF Campaign
February 11, 2025
(Photo by James Ramos/Herald)
HOUSTON — As St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans reminds us, each and every Christian is called to cry out with joy to the Lord in our words, in our thoughts and in our deeds. And that’s why it is the theme of this year’s Diocesan Services Fund campaign. The Diocesan Services Fund (DSF) campaign serves as the principal vehicle through which the faithful of Galveston-Houston support the 64 ministries of the Archdiocese.
These ministries serve the poor, care for the sick, accompany expecting mothers, assist those transitioning out of prison, provide chaplaincy services to our hospitals, care facilities, and prisons, prepare and promote our clergy, and support Catholic Schools.
“Last year, the faithful of the Archdiocese provided overwhelming support to DSF,” said Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, apostolic administrator of Galveston-Houston, “displaying once again the generous hearts of the people of this local Church.”
“DSF ministries are conducted on behalf of the faithful, so supporting DSF is an important way we can all contribute to the thriving spirit of this local Church as we all live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said. DSF-supported ministries serve hundreds of thousands of people every year across the 10 counties of the Archdiocese.
Michael Schillaci, director of the Development Department, said, “From the prison ministry in Huntsville to the port ministry in Galveston; from the Mamie George Center in Richmond to St. Dominic Center in the Medical Center; the works of this local Church are serving the people of God every day.”
Last year, the DSF 2024 campaign raised nearly $16.5 million with over 36,600 participants — beating the goal of $14.3 million by over $2 million. This year, the goal is $14,834,230.
“No matter the size of the gift,” said Schillaci, “all in the Catholic community are called as disciples to participate in DSF in the ministerial work of the Church. These ministries serve individuals within each of the 154 parishes and missions that make up the Church in Galveston-Houston.”
DSF is also vital in supporting parishes. “Over the last four years,” said Cardinal DiNardo, “nearly $7 million has flowed back directly to parishes through DSF rebates.”
“Parishes use these funds in a variety of ways, including to fund their own ministries, provide scholarships to school children, to cover necessary expenses, or to make improvements to their parish facilities,” he said.
“On a special note, I want to end with an invitation to all Catholic Christians in the Archdiocese,” concluded Cardinal DiNardo. “As Archbishop-Designate Joe Vásquez succeeds me on March 25, I encourage everyone to show our new archbishop just how generous the hearts and hands of the people of God in this Archdiocese can be.”
To learn more about DSF and the impact your gift has, please visit www.archgh.org/dsf.