At a dinner at his residence in late November, Archbishop William E. Lori recognized and expressed gratitude to Jim and Elisa Hamilton for their service as 2017 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal lay co-chairs.
Speaking on behalf of the appeal at various events throughout the year, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton offered personal reflections of how their faith impacted their lives and those of their family. Additionally, as chairman of the appeal’s allocation committee, Mr. Hamilton made a strong case for the wide swath of ministries serving our community that rely on monies raised by the appeal. They consider themselves both benefactors and beneficiaries of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Archbishop Lori used the occasion to reaffirm how critical the appeal is to what we, as a church, can accomplish in order to serve people most in need, both materially and spiritually. Moreover, he added that, as lay ambassadors, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton were able to establish a personal connection with other laypeople that he, as archbishop, could not.
“Generally speaking,” the archbishop said, “people are more willing to participate when they see peers they admire leading the way.”
In keeping with this theme, the archbishop also welcomed 2016 appeal co-chairs, Dr. Ellen Yankellow and her husband, Bill Chapman, and 2018 co-chairs, Ralph and Christine Arnold and David and Kristen Kinkopf. In addition to giving the archbishop a chance to thank the Hamiltons, the dinner served as a platform for past chairs to share their appeal experiences and lessons learned with the Kinkopfs, Arnolds and their parish pastors also present.
In appreciation for their service, Archbishop Lori presented Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton with a signed lithograph of the Baltimore Basilica. Created by Baltimore-bred Paul DeRemigis Jr., it depicts the basilica’s iconic neoclassical architecture from a southwestern view, perched atop Charles and Cathedral Streets as a beacon for parishioners and visitors alike. As the Hamiltons have done so much in support of our local church, Archbishop Lori and his appeal team thought this rendering of “the birthplace of Catholicism in America” a particularly appropriate tribute.
The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal team would like to take this opportunity to echo Archbishop Lori’s gratitude to the Hamiltons, to past and future appeal co-chairs, and to all pastors, staffs and volunteers who served in support of the 2017 appeal. Due to your amazing efforts, we have been able to provide substantial support for the mission and ministries of our archdiocese.