Collection will assist E. European Catholics

A second collection will be taken up at Masses across the Albany Diocese on May 27-28 to bring hope and provide support to Catholics in Eastern and Central Europe, including nations in the former Soviet Union.

"A spiritual longing exists in societies shattered by the atheist rule of communism," wrote Bishop Howard J. Hubbard in a pulpit letter read to Catholics last weekend. "Catholics in Central and Eastern Europe are replanting the roots of faith after three generations of religious persecution."

Under past governments, priests, bishops and lay leaders were imprisoned, churches torn down, religious materials confiscated and ecclesiastical charities dissolved.

Currently, in states such as Moldova and Kazakhstan, poverty is rampant, and parishes need assistance for social services, religious education for adults and children, and building repairs.

Help sent

Since 1991, the collection has raised $100 million to support more than 3,500 Church projects. Funds have supported seminaries, social service programs, youth ministries, pastoral centers, church restorations and the spreading of the Gospel.

More specifically, funds have aided the development of a family retreat center in Hungary, training for Lithuanian catechists, and the creation of new parishes in church-less Latvian neighborhoods.

Other project sites are located in Russia, Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Slovakia and 20 other countries.

Stability

All of these projects are helping to make the Catholic Church "the most stable institution in Eastern European society," Bishop Hubbard said.

"Here is an extraordinary opportunity for us to give concrete witness to our compassionate concern for the universal Church," he added. "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."

(5/25/06) [[In-content Ad]]