Archbishop Cupich invited nearly 1,000 new volunteers for the To Teach Who Christ Is campaign to be his partners during two orientation meetings for Wave IV parishes last month. “We can make a difference here,” he told those gathered at St. Patrick Parish in Lake Forest on July 28. “Let’s all join together … to do something important. My hope would be that we would create a partnership here tonight. I can’t do this alone.” A second orientation was held the following night at St. John of the Cross Parish in Western Springs. Both were specifically for those who serve as Campaign Executive Committee members and assist their pastors in carrying out successful parish campaigns. Two additional orientation meetings will be held in August for Spanish and Polish parishes. The fourth wave of To Teach Who Christ Is launches in the fall, with 57 parishes participating and a collective goal of $32 million. The campaign, launched by Cardinal George, in 2013, has an overall goal of $350 million. Recent momentum in both the $250 million effort by parishes and the $100 million major gift effort has led to the campaign surpassing 50 percent of its overall goal, reported Peter de Keratry, campaign manager. The major gift effort has now yielded more than $110 million, which includes $10 million in new documented major gifts the archbishop received during a single week in July, he noted. On hand at the orientations to explain the shared campaign elements of scholarships — for faith formation, scholarships and academic excellence in Catholic schools — were de Keratry, Father Wayne Watts, pastor of St. John Berchmans Parish, and Dominican Sister Mary Paul Mc- Caughey, a senior relationship manager with To Teach Who Christ Is. “It’s important to realize that what we’re really doing here is passing on the faith to the next generation,” Archbishop Cupich noted. “That’s why the Cardinal wisely called this To Teach Who Christ Is.” Father Laurence Dunn, pastor of St. Patrick, said his parish was pleased to host one of the orientations and welcome Archbishop Cupich. There was “excitement in the air,” he said. The third wave of parish campaigns is collectively over goal, with 21 parishes exceeding their individual goals. Overall, more than 6,600 gifts have helped propel Wave III parishes to 112 percent of their collective goal of $20.3 million. The final two waves of the campaign will take place in 2016. For more, visit www.toteachwhochristis.org.