Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Mary Lead Us Campaign?

This is an historic parish and school community-driven fundraising campaign with a goal of raising a minimum of $6M to support a $12M facilities and campus capital projects need for the Basilica School and a desire to fund select parish properties procurement and restoration projects for Basilica of Saint Mary.

Who will be asked to participate and when?

All parishioners and former friends and alumni of the parish and school community will be invited to participate in this historic fundraising effort. The timing of preliminary participation by parish and school leading families will occur from January through mid-October 2019. The full parish community will be asked to participate in December, 2020.

What is the timeframe for the Campaign as well as the proposed construction?

It is anticipated that the Mary Lead Us campaign will be launched and conducted in strategic giving level phases over a 16 to 22 month period beginning in September 2018 through June 2020. It is feasible that initial interior construction and renovation to the School’s main building can begin in the June 2020 with the remaining construction projects elements to be completed by the end of 2022 – depending on the progress of the fundraising campaign.

How will the Mary Lead Us Campaign impact Parish Offertory?

The Basilica of Saint Mary is truly blessed by a generous and well-informed parishioner individuals and families. Throughout its 225 years of operation the Parish has been graced with supportive parishioners who are spiritually and financially committed to ensuring the Parish flourishes and is well stewarded. Sacrificial philanthropic support by parish families through the years for the School, including the renovation and construction of Stephen’s Hall and improvements to the School’s Gymnasium, have not diminished their ongoing generosity to the parish offertory, special collections, or commitment to caring for the most vulnerable in our community.

Who is guiding the formation and implementation of the campaign from both the Parish/School level and the daily management?

A visionary group of lay leaders, under the direction of Father Hathaway and lay Campaign General Co-Chairs, Shawn McLaughlin and Lee Dunn, will work with a core group of parishioner and school families and individuals to assist in launching and implementing the Mary Lead Us Campaign. This group will be supported by Anne Mathis, our Director of Advancement and Special Projects for the school and parish. Anne serves as the campaign’s daily management director and strategist.

How will the issue of student drop off and pick during the school year construction times be addressed? Both in terms of parking and in terms of student safety?

The Diocese has engaged a Traffic Consultant, and with their help and in collaboration with the General Contractors selected for the work, and our site design team, an overall plan for site circulation (vehicular and pedestrian movement) and safety will be developed and approved before construction starts.

Why are we embarking on a Campaign at this time?

Saint Mary’s School, now the Basilica School of Saint Mary’s, has recently benefited from important improvements and renovations to its gymnasium. However, the school campus and facilities are also in need of major improvements to elevate it from a classic “industrial revolution” school campus layout and classroom functionality to a vibrant, secure and inclusive 21st Century school for Christ-centered learning.

Why is the campaign theme Mary Lead Us?

Mary Lead Us is the guiding spiritual foundation articulating how the campaign’s priorities exemplify and are strengthen by our Blessed Mother’s leadership in our midst.

How much should one consider pledging?

After prayer for Mary’s guidance, a pledge may be sacrificial in nature as appropriate for your family and can be one that you know will help realize the funding priorities of the Campaign. All gifts to the Mary Lead Us campaign should be equal in sacrifice, not necessarily equal in dollar amount, and it is our hope that your giving reflects this measure. The campaign is an important part of our Parish family’s history, and we hope every commitment will mirror that significance.

Remember that gifts can be pledged over a five-year period, and other giving, such as estate gifts, are accepted. Speak to Anne Mathis our campaign director about the available options.

What are the campaign costs associated with the Mary Lead Us effort?

As part of the careful study and strategic planning that went into Mary Lead Us, a budget has been developed that includes professional fundraising counsel and support (completed), professional services, design, production and administrative expenses as well as expenses related to potential cultivation and informational gatherings and donor recognition programs.

Where will the students be able to play/have outdoor recess during school year construction?  

This will be worked out at the right time with a comprehensive phasing plan for the construction work.  There will be some limitation on space use during the construction, to create the much-improved play space that will result from the work for the long term. 

How will the School ensure the safety of our students and faculty in the context of a construction zone?

A comprehensive safety plan will be worked out with, and primarily by, the General Contractor hired, which will be reviewed and approved before construction starts, and which will be monitored actively during construction.