Bishop's Appeal helps thousands

In the few months since he became executive director of the Stewardship Office in the Albany Diocese, James Kopp has been "blown away" by the spiritual, pastoral and human-service ministries supported by Catholics.

He has also been impressed by their generosity; for example, they gave more than $800,000 to help fund relief efforts for victims of December's tsunami disaster.

This week, he is encouraging those Catholics to continue "making the Church and their faith lives a priority" by supporting the annual Bishop's Appeal. The funds donated to it support offices, ministries and organizations that provide essential services to people across 14 counties.

The 2005 Bishop's Appeal begins in parishes this weekend.

Talent and treasure

One of the primary responsibilities of being a Catholic, Mr. Kopp said, is to "use our time, talent and treasure to engage in activities that advance the Kingdom of God. As Catholics, we believe that our obligations do not end where our parish walls end."

He called the Bishop's Appeal a way for Catholics to acknowledge that the Church is universal and that they have the ability to "create opportunities for people hundreds of miles away" as well as in their own neighborhoods.

He also characterized the Appeal as a partnership between parish and Diocese, and noted the campaign supports programs that parishes may not be able to sustain by themselves.

Good being done

Gifts to the 2005 campaign support such programs as:

* Catholic schools, the Family Life Office, the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, and apostolates to Black, Korean, Vietnamese and Hispanic Catholics;

* efforts to foster vocations, and St. Bernard's School for Theology and Ministry, where deacons, laity and religious earn degrees;

* Catholic Charities, which helps needy people, and provides services to AIDS patients, the disabled and immigrants; and

* disaster relief, political advocacy and jail ministry.

Information available

"These things are essential," Mr. Kopp said. They respond "to the call that Christ gives us: to work collectively to advance the Kingdom of God on Earth. The people that feel the impact of not giving are the people that need it the most.

"I believe in my heart that when these programs succeed -- and even when they fail -- Christ is intimately there."

Mr. Kopp encouraged Catholics with questions about the Bishop's Appeal to educate themselves by speaking to their pastor; visiting the Diocese's website, www.rcda.org; or calling the Appeal office at 453-6680.

(Last year, Catholics pledged $6.8 million to the Bishop's Appeal. Gifts to the 2004 Bishop's Appeal helped support Catholic education for 8,055 children and faith formation for 39,209 more, counseling services for 400-plus people, and ministry education for more than 300 people. In addition, more than 200,000 people were served in some way by Catholic Charities.)

(4/21/05)