Strengthening Strengthening

WHAT DOES YOUR GIFT FUND? STRENGTHENING 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 WHERE DOES YOUR SUPPORT GO? 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.

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

OTHER FUNDED DIOCESES/EPARCHIES parishioners on what the appeal is and where donations go. The materials your ARCHDIOCESE FOR THE MILITARY SERVICES, USA EASTERN CATHOLIC EPARCHIES Armenian – Glendale, CA diocese ordered will arrive soon. More materials are available at www.usccb.org Byzantine – Parma, OH; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA Chaldean – San Diego, CA (search “Catholic Home Missions Appeal Resources”). Melkite – West Roxbury, MA Maronite – Brooklyn, NY; St. Louis, MO Romanian – Canton, OH Syriac – Union City, NJ Syro-Malabar – Chicago, IL Syro-Malankara – New Hyde Park, NY If you have any questions, please contact Bevin Kennedy at 202-541-3346 or Ukrainian – Chicago, IL; Parma, OH; Philadelphia, PA; Stamford, CT [email protected]. Thank you for sharing your resources to strengthen the Church at home through this appeal.

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

“HOME MISSION” DIOCESE? SIMPLE ENGLISH SPANISH Home mission dioceses are located all across the United States, including in THE WEEK BEFORE THE APPEAL SEMANA ANTES DEL LLAMADO the Deep South, Appalachia, and the Rocky Mountains. These dioceses lack the resources to provide their faithful with basic pastoral care, including the STEPS The Catholic Home Missions Appeal La próxima semana realizaremos el sacraments, religious education, and ministry training. Home mission dioceses will take place next week. One way that Llamado para las Misiones Católicas. often struggle with priest shortages, parishioner poverty, unemployment, this appeal works to strengthen home Una manera en que este llamado Please follow these difficult and isolated terrain, religious hostility, and other circumstances that mission dioceses in the United States funciona para fortalecer a las diócesis simple steps in make it difficult to practice the faith. The Catholic Home Missions Appeal is by funding seminarian formation misioneras en Estados Unidos es your parish to help strengthens the Church in the United States by providing yearly grants to in poor dioceses. The blessing of otorgando fondos para la formación strengthen the support programs in home mission dioceses, which make up 45 percent of all seminarians places a financial burden de seminaristas en las diócesis pobres. Church at home US dioceses. on these dioceses, where educating each La bendición de los seminaristas through the Catholic seminarian costs $35-40K per year. pone una carga financiera en estas Home Missions Appeal: Your support is needed for these young diócesis en donde la educación de cada ¿QUÉ ES UNA men, so that they might go back and seminarista cuesta entre $35 a 40 mil DIÓCESIS “MISIONERA”? USE the bulletin ANNOUNCE serve their parishes. Please strengthen dólares al año. Su apoyo es necesario 1announcements and 4the appeal, and tell the Church at home by making a para que estos jóvenes puedan regresar Las diócesis misioneras están situadas a lo largo y ancho de Estados parish appeal provided. parishioners what it is and generous gift to next week’s appeal. y servir en sus parroquias. Por favor, Unidos, incluyendo los estados del sureste, la región de los Apalaches y las where the donated money fortalezca la Iglesia en casa dando Montañas Rocosas. Estas diócesis no tienen los recursos para darles a sus goes. This is the best way THE WEEK OF THE APPEAL una generosa donación al llamado de la to make an impact on the próxima semana. fieles un cuidado pastoral básico, incluyendo los sacramentos, educación INSERT the Many dioceses right here in the United success of the appeal. religiosa y capacitación para el ministerio. Las diócesis misioneras luchan Home Missions flier States do not have enough priests and 2 SEMANA DEL LLAMADO frecuentemente con la escasez de sacerdotes, la pobreza de sus feligreses, el into all bulletins. trained lay ministers to serve their desempleo, unos terrenos difíciles y alejados, hostilidades contra los religiosos parishes. These dioceses are known Muchas diócesis, aquí mismo, en y otras circunstancias que dificultan la práctica de la fe. El Llamado para PRAY for home as home missions. The Catholic Home los Estados Unidos no cuentan con las Misiones Católicas fortalece a la Iglesia en los Estados Unidos al otorgar mission dioceses that Missions Appeal will take place this suficientes sacerdotes y ministros subvenciones anuales para financiar programas en las diócesis misioneras las PREACH about 5 struggle with being able weekend in the second collection, and laicos capacitados para servir en sus the difficulties faced cuales constituyen el 45 por ciento de todas las diócesis en Estados Unidos. to provide basic pastoral supports these dioceses by funding parroquias. A estas diócesis se les conoce by home mission 3 care to their parishioners. essential ministries, including seminary como diócesis misioneras. El Llamado para dioceses. These dioceses education and lay ministry training. las Diócesis Misioneras se realizará este struggle with poverty PARISH APPEAL Please be generous in this appeal and fin de semana durante la segunda colecta and unemployment, share your resources to strengthen the y da apoyo a estas diócesis otorgando ENGLISH SPANISH rugged terrain between Church at home. fondos para los ministerios básicos, parishes, a lack of incluyendo la educación de seminaristas There are over 80 home mission En Estados Unidos hay más de 80 priests and lay ministers, THE WEEK AFTER THE APPEAL y capacitación para el ministerio dioceses in the United States. These diócesis misioneras. Estas diócesis and limited financial laico. Por favor, sean generosos en este dioceses are unable to fund essential no tienen fondos para cubrir las resources to fund vital Thank you for your generous support llamado y comparta sus recursos para pastoral work, such as religious labores pastorales básicas como pastoral ministries. of last week’s Catholic Home Missions education, seminarian formation, educación religiosa, formación de Appeal. Your contributions will help fortalecer la Iglesia en casa. and lay ministry training. Because seminaristas y capacitación para el strengthen the Church at home and of this, they struggle to serve the ministerio laico. Por esta razón, ellas will help ensure that the Gospel is spread SEMANA DESPUÉS DEL LLAMADO unique needs of their communities. hacen esfuerzos para responder a across the United States. To learn more Muchas gracias por su generoso apoyo Through your support, the las singulares necesidades de sus about home missions funding and who al Llamado para las Misiones Católicas Catholic Home Missions Appeal comunidades. Gracias al apoyo the appeal helps, please visit www.usccb.org de la semana pasada. Sus donaciones helps to ease the struggle of these de ustedes, el Llamado para las and search “Catholic Home Missions.” ayudarán a fortalecer la Iglesia en dioceses and helps them form Misiones Católicas facilita los casa y asegurarán que el Evangelio se vibrant faith communities. Please esfuerzos de estas diócesis y las propague en todo Estados Unidos. Para help strengthen the Church ayuda a formar unas comunidades informarse más acerca de los fondos at home by giving generously to de fe llenas de vida. Por favor, otorgados por las misiones católicas y a this appeal. ayuden a fortalecer la Iglesia en quiénes ayuda este llamado, por favor, casa contribuyendo generosamente visiten www.usccb.org y busquen “Catholic a este llamado. Home Missions”.