Appeal to yourself to support campaign

There are more than 400,000 Catholics in the Albany Diocese, and nearly every one of us has benefited in some fashion from the annual Bishop's Appeal campaign, set to begin in parishes across the Diocese on April 19.

If you attended Mass, sent your children to religious education classes, received help from Catholic Charities programs or had a visit from a Catholic chaplain while in the hospital, the Bishop's Appeal made that possible.

The Bishop's Appeal campaign funds more than 30 diocesan departments, from faith formation and education offices to clergy support programs. Those departments help future clergy and parish staff members explore their vocations, train the chaplains who comfort the sick and certify the catechists who bring the Word of God to our young people.

The Bishop's Appeal provides a voice for the voiceless through funding Catholic Charities agencies and diocesan commissions, who in turn seek justice for struggling families, children with HIV and AIDS, migrant farmworkers, the elderly and the poor.

The sheer breadth of the work that the Church accomplishes in the Albany Diocese is awe-inspiring. Alone, we may feel powerless to make needed changes in our society; together, through donating to campaigns like the Bishop's Appeal, we can make a difference in

* the 186 parishes of the Diocese, who receive help in creating and developing services for their parishioners through Bishop's Appeal funding;

* diocesan offices, who provide that help; and

* the needy, who are so desperate for our aid at a time when governmental aid is no longer available to meet their needs.

The theme for this year's Bishop's Appeal is "Ageless and Timeless...Our Mission Continues," but the mission of the Church in the Albany Diocese to perform the spiritual and corporal works of mercy and cannot continue without financial resources.

In his letter to parishes about the campaign, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard reminded Catholics of the Diocese that "in a very real way, you are the recipient of your own generosity when you give to the appeal." Your donation can mean the difference between parish services when you need them most and the lack of that very support.

Make a commitment to support the Church in the Albany Diocese. Give generously to this year's Bishop's Appeal -- for your own sake, and that of more than 400,000 others.

(04-10-97) [[In-content Ad]]