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ANNUAL U.S. APPEAL

Collection helps home missions

On the weekend of August 22-23, all parishes in the Diocese of Albany will take up the Catholic Home Missions Appeal. The annual collection focuses on assisting struggling Catholic communities throughout the United States.

"The Appeal offers us a wonderful opportunity to help fellow Catholics practice their faith in such rugged mission areas as Alaska, Appalachia, the Deep South, the Southwest, the Rocky Mountain states, Puerto Rico, and the island dioceses in the Pacific and Caribbean," Bishop Howard. J. Hubbard said in a pulpit letter read in parishes of the Diocese.

According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, for example, the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska, has 11,500 registered Catholic families in a geographic area that covers 140,000 square miles, but only 30 diocesan priests to minister to them. 

The Diocese of Salt Lake City, Utah, only has 16 pastors for its 29 counties. These are just two of the 95 dioceses in the U.S. who receive funding from the Catholic Home Missions Appeal.

Home mission dioceses across the country are distinguished by a lack of resources to provide basic pastoral services. Priest shortages, parishioner poverty, unemployment, difficult or isolated terrain, and religious opposition are all among factors taken into consideration in designating the home missions. 

"The parishes in the mission dioceses of the United States need us," stated Bishop Hubbard. "With our help, more mission parishes will have the capacity to support seminarian training, religious education, ministry with culturally diverse groups and other important pastoral functions that ensure their growth and faith."

The theme for this year's appeal is, "Sharing One Faith: Catholic Missions in America."

"Parishioners will have the opportunity to help their fellow Catholics in America live out their faith under difficult circumstances," said Bishop Hubbard.

(08/20/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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