Collection assists Eastern European Church

On May 24-25, a special collection to aid Catholics in Central and Eastern Europe will take place at parishes across the Albany Diocese.

This year's theme, "Love is the only Light," draws from Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical titled, "God is Love," which teaches that love can illuminate the world and provide the courage needed to work through adversity.

In a pulpit letter read to Catholics last weekend, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard thanked them for their past support and urged them to continue that generosity.

"With a love that brings radiant light, Catholics [in the Diocese] help build parishes in many distant places through this collection. Your generous donations support seminaries, social service programs, youth ministry, pastoral centers, schools, church construction and renovation, and the spreading of the Gospel message through the mass media," he wrote.

On their website, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has a document that highlights the work that this special collection makes possible [see www.usccb.org/aee/about.html].

Since the end of World War II, when communist oppression pervaded Central and Eastern Europe and many churches were destroyed, the U.S. bishops have provided, through the generous donations of American Catholics, a means for continuation of the work of the Church in oppressed countries.

Such initiatives include:

* the formation and training of priests and religious;

* development of catechetical programs, materials and teachers;

* establishment of mass media and communications apostolates; and

* support of the Church's charitable works in countries like Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Macedonia, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

The collection makes a resource pool available for the numerous projects of the bishops of Central and Eastern Europe that funds restoration and renewal of the Church.

"Here is an extraordinary opportunity for us to give concrete witness to our compassionate concern for the universal Church," Bishop Hubbard noted. "I invite you to give your generous support to the collection and share the hope and freedom that we have been privileged to enjoy in this country."

(05/22/08) [[In-content Ad]]