The logo for the joint capital campaign in Moline that enters its public phase on the weekend of Jan. 12-13.

MOLINE — Together is better for three Catholic institutions here that are uniting on a $5 million capital campaign that enters its public phase Jan. 12-13 after nearly a year of study and preparation.

Christ the King Parish, Sacred Heart Parish, and Seton Catholic School — all of Moline — are collaborating in the “Today Tomorrow Together” campaign aimed at keeping all three institutions strong into the decades ahead.

“If we all pull together we can do great things,” said Father Mark DeSutter, pastor of Sacred Heart. “And we’re off to a very good start.”

Details of the campaign’s purpose and goals, and updates on early successes in its silent phase, will be announced at Masses at Sacred Heart and Christ the King next weekend. Campaign leaders will speak,  a video will be shown, and there will be opportunities for questions at receptions following the Masses.

The Seton Catholic School community, meanwhile, will make the campaign a point of emphasis during Catholic Schools Week at the end of this month.

PROJECTS TO BE FUNDED

Among the projects to be funded by the “Today Tomorrow Together” campaign are:

• At Sacred Heart Church, a century-old Moline landmark at 1307 17th Ave., tuckpointing of its exterior, repair of its historic stained-glass windows, and the building of a new, handicapped-accessible entrance and gathering space. In addition, the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system in the Lee Parish Center will be replaced.
• At Seton Catholic — which serves Sacred Heart, Christ the King, and St. Mary parishes in Moline as well as St. Maria Goretti Parish in Coal Valley — tuckpointing the elementary building, upgrading the overall security system of the campus, and the purchase of computers for the elementary and middle school.
• At Christ the King, which opened in 1967 at 3209 60th St. and has grown to serve 1,400 families, replacement of the church and rectory roofs, repair of the church parking lot, and replacement of the worn geothermal pumps for air units.

A campaign website established at catholictogether.com lists further details as well as a campaign prayer. The site, which will post the video on Jan. 14, also names individual institution goals as follows: $3 million for the improvements at Sacred Heart, $875,000 for Seton Catholic, and $1.2 million for Christ the King.

MONTHS IN THE PLANNING

“We are a welcoming, thriving parish, but the passage of time has impacted our facilities,” said Father DeSutter, who recognized the need for improvements after arriving as pastor in 2014.

He explained that it was the needs of the shared school that brought area pastors into discussions about the possibility of a rare, joint campaign.

“The rationale was that we’re all responsible for the school, and each institution has capital needs as well,” he told The Catholic Post.

Working with the The Steier Group, an Omaha-based fundraising support firm, the parishes conducted a feasibility study last spring. Father DeSutter said the study revealed high support for the proposed projects and plans for a joint campaign were endorsed by diocesan officials. For various reasons, the timing was not right at St. Mary or St. Maria Goretti parishes, but the other three institutions began organizing leadership teams with dozens of individuals and couples volunteering to serve on committees.