From Boston to Los Angeles and from Toronto to Austin, parishes have been the mainstay of Paulist life. Father Hecker recognized that the Eucharist is at the center of Catholic life, uniting us to the fullness of the Church. The current generation of Paulists at the Albuquerque Summit re-enforced Hecker's awareness and determined that every Paulist center would have the Eucharist at its core. It is from a Eucharistic center -- a parish, a Newman Center, an information center -- that the ministry of the Paulists will emerge in Hecker's vision. And so, over the years, each local Paulist community has developed many dynamic and important ministries that have helped everyone from the homeless to downtown businessmen and women.

But what makes a Paulist Eucharistic Center different from others? Hecker told his followers that a Paulist parish must have good preaching, high standards for its music and a liturgical sense that would unite the best of what the world could offer to the sacred in order to create an intimate setting in which the seeker would find God. That spirit, and the warmth of the welcome at Paulist centers enlivens our parishes, campus centers and information centers with an extraordinary sense of common mission regardless of which city the Paulist center is located.

The only impediment to the growth of current local Paulist ministries or the introduction of new local programs is the lack of funding to support them. A Future Brighter Than Any Past will provide funding for foundations to offer operational, endowment or capital support to local projects such as:

● Campus Ministry
● Young adult outreach
● Evangelization programs
● Communications
v Reconciliation Programs

A financial goal will be established for each Paulist center. Each center's goal, when added together will produce the $12 million necessary for the success of A Future Brighter Than Any Past. Each local community will also receive 20% of the local funds raised for its own uses Once a local Paulist center achieves its financial goal, 50% of the monies raised beyond the goal, will return to the local center to be applied to local ministries. Decisions will be made locally on how the monies disbursed back to the local center will be used. Local Paulist centers will be encouraged to strengthen existing programs or develop new ministries consistent with the Paulist mission, but local Paulist faith communities may choose to allocate the "local portion" to larger Paulist ministries. When fully capitalized, local foundations will receive between $2 million and $3 million for their local ministry needs.