This article was originally printed in the Hospitallers Newsletter Volume 22 Winter 22, Pages 12-13.

The Order of Malta is built around spirituality, but our charism is enhanced by our fellowship. When the pandemic shut down so many activities (and continues to do so), many of us probably underestimated the impact it would have on our lives as Knights and Dames. Some call them the three essential S’s – Spirituality, Service and Social. Throw them up against a pandemic and you have a real challenge. For us, leading the campaign through its silent phase, we have faced these same headwinds for two years. No thanks to us, but to the importance of our charism and the remarkable generosity and commitment of 140+ contributors, we write this article in January with more than $13 Million pledged and $3 Million cash contributed to the Called to Serve campaign. We are amazed (and overwhelmed) by the generosity that has been demonstrated.

As Co-Chairs, we wanted to be on the ground in as many places as made sense, but the planning and silent phases of the campaign began in the Zoom age. Most of the in-person work did not begin until the middle of 2021. We have visited areas in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Saint Louis, Naples, South East Florida, and Wisconsin – sometimes more than once. In 2022 we will continue to go wherever the opportunity presents itself. But nothing opened our eyes and raised our hopes and expectations more than the events surrounding the Investiture in November 2021. The first major Association event since the pandemic shut things down in March 2020 was a turning point on many levels. The headline of this article might be, “The Investiture Propels More than $3 Million in New Donations”.

What became clear during the Investiture Weekend was that we are at our best when we come together for spiritual nourishment, service opportunities, and the camaraderie we share. The energy and enthusiasm of the new members was contagious, and we were reminded why we joined the Order and what the real priorities of our commitment require of us. We had a glimpse of the impact of what we do for those we serve and on us personally.

The road for the Capital Campaign going forward runs through the Areas because that is where you are – every member is on the ground in their backyard – in the hands-on work at a soup kitchen, helping a woman so scared that she is considering an abortion, bringing the Eucharist to patients at a hospital. You lift what needs to be lifted, you carry what needs to be carried, you love those who need to be loved. It has been said that everything happens in the Area and the truth of that is revealed in the service you give, the prayers you say with your fellow Knights and Dames, and camaraderie you share with each other.

We are challenged to provide a final goal for the Campaign and a date when it all goes public. We hope to meet both of those challenges in the second quarter of this year. The results so far continue to point us to a goal of $20M. In the meantime, we will continue to talk, and more importantly, to listen to you. As we develop the roadmap to get the campaign to its highest potential, we have several metrics that we are working toward. They include a goal of an average gift of $100,000 or more and participation of 20% or more of the households in each Area. We realize that both are significant. We realize that not everyone can provide a gift at that level, but we know that the capacity to reach that goal exists. Many of our members have been blessed with significant financial capacity. We also know that others, even without that financial capacity, have the connections that can lead us to those who can make such contributions.

Click here to view the chart (on page 13) that shows where many of the Areas are today – these results have been achieved during the pandemic environment. As we move forward, more of the Areas will be able to participate in activities to support the Capital Campaign. You can be on the lookout for a Capital Campaign Co-Chair visiting soon in your neighborhood.

This article was contributed by Gail and Joseph Berardino, Co-Chairs of the Capital Campaign. Gail can be reached at gtberardino@gmail.com and Joe can be reached at jfberardino@gmail.com. They welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions.