Christina Attard became the Regina Archdiocesan Director of Development, January 16, with a mandate to provide leadership for the fund activities of the Archdiocese, including the Annual Appeal. Attard is from Ontario and came west when her husband accepted a tenure track appointment in the University of Regina Political Science Department. She has a University of Toronto degree in Mediaeval Studies but got interested in fund raising and development programming through an internship at St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto. “By the time I graduated I had completed a four year internship in fund raising and decided to pursue a career along those lines rather than continue on to graduate school.”

That led to positions at St. Michael’s, then about five years at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario before moving to Regina. Archdiocesan financial officer Barry Wood said he came across one of Attard’s marketing brochures and contacted her. Attard said was pleased to begin the selection process with the Archdiocese and is happy to have been accepted for the role. “We’re very grateful to be in Saskatchewan. We’ve had a very warm welcome from the people here.”

She, her husband and two-year-old daughter arrived in August and since then she has become active in the local community. “I’ve become involved in the Canadian Association of Gift Planning and the Association of Fundraising Professionals and getting to know members of the community, meeting people in the non-profits and doing volunteer work.”

Fund raising is usually seen as a secular idea but she sees a spiritual foundation to it. “I see my role as facilitating Christian stewardship especially by helping people to share their time, talent and treasure with others by supporting the Archdiocese’s various charitable activities such as, faith formation and education through the ministries like youth and vocations, ecumenism and social service outreach to those most in need in our community.” She intends to travel the archdiocese, meet with as many clergy as she can as well as with the Deans and the people who are already involved in the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal all with the goal of asking how to do a better job of meeting their needs.

“I and my family are very much looking forward to becoming part of the Catholic community here and finding a vocation in which I can serve the fellow Catholics in Southern Saskatchewan.

Denise Walsh remains as Assistant Coordinator of the Appeal.

The final total of the 2011 appeal is $1,182,000.