To support its mission of evangelization and after consulting the groups concerned, Archbishop Christian Lépine has issued a diocesan decree establishing the Office for Development and Planned Giving.

The mandate of this new department within the diocesan curia is to develop innovative ways to create short-, medium- and long-term funding for the Archdiocese of Montreal.

It will endeavour to generate funding to assist parishes as well as the Archdiocese of Montreal through four basic strategies:

• Diocesan Annual Collection: supporting diocesan offices and services
• Collaboration in the current capital campaign: to fund top-priority diocesan projects and to assist parishes
• Planned Giving: to provide long-term funding for the Archdiocese (bequests, life insurance, gifts of shares, etc.)
• Coaching parishes to assist them with their financing efforts (collections, tithing, fundraising campaigns, bequests, etc.)

Mr. Benoît Cardin, who was the Financial Administrator (Diocesan Bursar) of the Archdiocese, will become the director of this office effective April 24, 2018. We wish Mr. Cardin great success in his new role and thank him for the excellent, generous and competent work he did as the Diocesan Bursar and as part of the financial team for numerous years!