April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
EDITORIAL
Bishop appeals; you react
The annual Bishop's Appeal, through which Catholics support such key diocesan efforts as education, charity, marriage counseling and care for the elderly, is underway in parishes. When the Bishop appeals for assistance, as he has noted on many occasions, it is the response of us Catholics that makes the campaign successful.
In the past several issues, The Evangelist has carried full pages of information about the Bishop's Appeal (see page 32 this week). These have outlined how our gifts are used to train hospital chaplains, to support spiritually solid family life, and to educate clergy and laity in how to spread the Gospel. With our help, children will be educated in their faith, homeless people will find housing and senior citizens will be aided.
How much are we willing to give in order to bring about such positive results? The average gift from Catholics last year was just over $2 a week, a sum most of us can improve on, especially when we examine how much we spend each week on such non-essentials as candy, fast food, cable TV and movies (and the pricey popcorn that goes with them). The Bishop's Appeal helps to make our donations easier by splitting them into quarterly payments (it's less difficult to part with $200 when we're asked for $50 every three months).
Even in a time of economic slow-down, most of us have enough in our wallets to share more generously than two bucks a week, especially when we know the money will go toward those in need of physical and spiritual succor.
When we make our Bishop's Appeal pledge, we should pause long enough to count our blessings and then make a sacrificial offering so that others less fortunate can be helped to heal their bodies, minds and souls.
(05-03-01) [[In-content Ad]]
MORE NEWS STORIES
- Church unity, mission must be at heart of all Catholic groups, pope says
- Maryland Catholic bishops call for ‘prophetic voice’ in pastoral letter on AI
- Florida bishop appeals for end to death penalty, calls it ‘a failure of mercy’
- National pilgrimage walks with Christ amid protests and finds inspiration along the way
- Gifts of conversion, mission, mercy shine in Christ’s church, pope says
- Inspired by millennial soon-to-be-saint, Irish teens create animated Lego-Carlo Acutis film
- Anxiety, uncertainty follow Trump travel ban
- Supreme Court rules in favor of Wisconsin Catholic agency over religious exemption
- Analysts: Trump’s action on Harvard, Columbia could have implications for religious groups
- Commission tells pope universal safeguarding guidelines almost ready
Comments:
You must login to comment.