strengthening the church at home strengthening the church at home

STRENGTHENING
WHAT DOES YOUR GIFT FUND?
THE CHURCH AT HOME
Dear Father,
We need your support to continue to strengthen the Church at home and
help mission dioceses right here in the United States. The Catholic Home
Missions Appeal supports dioceses in the United States and its territories
that lack the resources to provide basic pastoral ministry to their populations.
Through annual grants, Catholic Home Missions funds catechesis, seminarian
education, lay ministry training, Hispanic ministry, and other pastoral programs
for dioceses in need. As a result of parishioners’ generosity, Catholic Home
Missions impacts the lives of nearly nine million Catholics. The dioceses funded
by the appeal comprise nearly 45 percent of all US dioceses.
,
In the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama, strong catechesis is critical. Located
in the heart of the South, the Catholic population forms less than 3 percent
of the total population, and in some areas, less than .05 percent. Protestant
groups actively recruit for their churches, and young people struggle to maintain
their Catholic identity. Five of the 39 counties in the diocese do not have any
Catholic presence at all. Many priests in rural areas serve three or four parishes.
In order to address the need for a greater Catholic presence, a grant from
Catholic Home Missions funded St. Barnabas School in Birmingham. The
school’s students are primarily African American and Hispanic, many of
whom are non-Catholic and come from low-income families. St. Barnabas
offers strength to the Catholic students and evangelization to the non-Catholic
children and their families. The school’s mission of providing high-quality
education for all its students, including those who could not otherwise afford it,
creates community and helps to bridge racial divides.
WHERE DOES YOUR SUPPORT GO?
The donations of your parishioners are vital to the success of the appeal. The
most important way you can help support the Church at home is
to speak about the appeal during Mass. This is a chance to educate
parishioners on what the appeal is and where donations go. The materials your
diocese ordered will arrive soon. More materials are available at www.usccb.org
(search “Catholic Home Missions Appeal Resources”).
OTHER FUNDED DIOCESES/EPARCHIES
ARCHDIOCESE FOR THE MILITARY SERVICES, USA
EASTERN CATHOLIC EPARCHIES
Armenian – Glendale, CA
Byzantine – Parma, OH; Phoenix, AZ;
Pittsburgh, PA
Chaldean – San Diego, CA
Melkite – West Roxbury, MA
Maronite – Brooklyn, NY; St. Louis, MO
Romanian – Canton, OH
Syriac – Union City, NJ
If you have any questions, please contact Bevin Kennedy at 202-541-3346 or
[email protected]. Thank you for sharing your resources to strengthen the
Church at home through this appeal.
Syro-Malabar – Chicago, IL
Syro-Malankara – New Hyde Park, NY
Ukrainian – Chicago, IL; Parma, OH;
Philadelphia, PA; Stamford, CT
Sincerely yours in Christ,
To learn more about this appeal or to find additional resources,
please visit www.usccb.org and search “Catholic Home Missions.”
Most Rev. Peter F. Christensen
Bishop of Superior
Chairman, USCCB Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions
Catholic Home Missions Appeal | Office of National Collections
3211 Fourth Street NE | Washington, DC 20017 | 202-541-3346 | www.usccb.org/nationalcollections
Copyright © 2014, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC.
All rights reserved. Photo credits: © 123RF, Stocksy United, Veer, Lightstock.
30200615
WHAT IS A
“HOME MISSION” DIOCESE?
Home mission dioceses are located all across the United States, including in
the Deep South, Appalachia, and the Rocky Mountains. These dioceses lack
the resources to provide their faithful with basic pastoral care, including the
sacraments, religious education, and ministry training. Home mission dioceses
often struggle with priest shortages, parishioner poverty, unemployment,
difficult and isolated terrain, religious hostility, and other circumstances that
make it difficult to practice the faith. The Catholic Home Missions Appeal
strengthens the Church in the United States by providing yearly grants to
support programs in home mission dioceses, which make up 45 percent of all
US dioceses.
¿QUÉ ES UNA
DIÓCESIS “MISIONERA”?
Las diócesis misioneras están situadas a lo largo y ancho de Estados
Unidos, incluyendo los estados del sureste, la región de los Apalaches y las
Montañas Rocosas. Estas diócesis no tienen los recursos para darles a sus
fieles un cuidado pastoral básico, incluyendo los sacramentos, educación
religiosa y capacitación para el ministerio. Las diócesis misioneras luchan
frecuentemente con la escasez de sacerdotes, la pobreza de sus feligreses, el
desempleo, unos terrenos difíciles y alejados, hostilidades contra los religiosos
y otras circunstancias que dificultan la práctica de la fe. El Llamado para
las Misiones Católicas fortalece a la Iglesia en los Estados Unidos al otorgar
subvenciones anuales para financiar programas en las diócesis misioneras las
cuales constituyen el 45 por ciento de todas las diócesis en Estados Unidos.
PARISH APPEAL
ENGLISH
SPANISH
There are over 80 home mission
dioceses in the United States. These
dioceses are unable to fund essential
pastoral work, such as religious
education, seminarian formation,
and lay ministry training. Because
of this, they struggle to serve the
unique needs of their communities.
Through your support, the
Catholic Home Missions Appeal
helps to ease the struggle of these
dioceses and helps them form
vibrant faith communities. Please
help strengthen the Church
at home by giving generously to
this appeal.
En Estados Unidos hay más de 80
diócesis misioneras. Estas diócesis
no tienen fondos para cubrir las
labores pastorales básicas como
educación religiosa, formación de
seminaristas y capacitación para el
ministerio laico. Por esta razón, ellas
hacen esfuerzos para responder a
las singulares necesidades de sus
comunidades. Gracias al apoyo
de ustedes, el Llamado para las
Misiones Católicas facilita los
esfuerzos de estas diócesis y las
ayuda a formar unas comunidades
de fe llenas de vida. Por favor,
ayuden a fortalecer la Iglesia en
casa contribuyendo generosamente
a este llamado.
BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENTS
SIMPLE
STEPS
Please follow these
simple steps in
your parish to help
strengthen the
Church at home
through the Catholic
Home Missions Appeal:
1
2
3
USE the bulletin
announcements and
parish appeal provided.
INSERT the
Home Missions flier
into all bulletins.
PREACH about
the difficulties faced
by home mission
dioceses. These dioceses
struggle with poverty
and unemployment,
rugged terrain between
parishes, a lack of
priests and lay ministers,
and limited financial
resources to fund vital
pastoral ministries.
4
ANNOUNCE
the appeal, and tell
parishioners what it is and
where the donated money
goes. This is the best way
to make an impact on the
success of the appeal.
5
PRAY for home
mission dioceses that
struggle with being able
to provide basic pastoral
care to their parishioners.
ENGLISH
SPANISH
THE WEEK BEFORE THE APPEAL
SEMANA ANTES DEL LLAMADO
The Catholic Home Missions Appeal
will take place next week. One way that
this appeal works to strengthen home
mission dioceses in the United States
is by funding seminarian formation
in poor dioceses. The blessing of
seminarians places a financial burden
on these dioceses, where educating each
seminarian costs $35-40K per year.
Your support is needed for these young
men, so that they might go back and
serve their parishes. Please strengthen
the Church at home by making a
generous gift to next week’s appeal.
La próxima semana realizaremos el
Llamado para las Misiones Católicas.
Una manera en que este llamado
funciona para fortalecer a las diócesis
misioneras en Estados Unidos es
otorgando fondos para la formación
de seminaristas en las diócesis pobres.
La bendición de los seminaristas
pone una carga financiera en estas
diócesis en donde la educación de cada
seminarista cuesta entre $35 a 40 mil
dólares al año. Su apoyo es necesario
para que estos jóvenes puedan regresar
y servir en sus parroquias. Por favor,
fortalezca la Iglesia en casa dando
una generosa donación al llamado de la
próxima semana.
THE WEEK OF THE APPEAL
Many dioceses right here in the United
States do not have enough priests and
trained lay ministers to serve their
parishes. These dioceses are known
as home missions. The Catholic Home
Missions Appeal will take place this
weekend in the second collection, and
supports these dioceses by funding
essential ministries, including seminary
education and lay ministry training.
Please be generous in this appeal and
share your resources to strengthen the
Church at home.
THE WEEK AFTER THE APPEAL
Thank you for your generous support
of last week’s Catholic Home Missions
Appeal. Your contributions will help
strengthen the Church at home and
will help ensure that the Gospel is spread
across the United States. To learn more
about home missions funding and who
the appeal helps, please visit www.usccb.org
and search “Catholic Home Missions.”
SEMANA DEL LLAMADO
Muchas diócesis, aquí mismo, en
los Estados Unidos no cuentan con
suficientes sacerdotes y ministros
laicos capacitados para servir en sus
parroquias. A estas diócesis se les conoce
como diócesis misioneras. El Llamado para
las Diócesis Misioneras se realizará este
fin de semana durante la segunda colecta
y da apoyo a estas diócesis otorgando
fondos para los ministerios básicos,
incluyendo la educación de seminaristas
y capacitación para el ministerio
laico. Por favor, sean generosos en este
llamado y comparta sus recursos para
fortalecer la Iglesia en casa.
SEMANA DESPUÉS DEL LLAMADO
Muchas gracias por su generoso apoyo
al Llamado para las Misiones Católicas
de la semana pasada. Sus donaciones
ayudarán a fortalecer la Iglesia en
casa y asegurarán que el Evangelio se
propague en todo Estados Unidos. Para
informarse más acerca de los fondos
otorgados por las misiones católicas y a
quiénes ayuda este llamado, por favor,
visiten www.usccb.org y busquen “Catholic
Home Missions”.