Recently I preached on the importance of understanding what it means to be many parts
but all one body, stressing the importance of truly loving one another.
Part of that is respect to how we listen to others, refrain from judging when it isn’t to
ultimately help the person, and try to think about the words we use and write on social
media. But another component is reaching out to help those in need.
Our parish history is filled with people who sacrificed greatly to build our parish up to a
thriving faith community now 151 years strong. Beyond that though, we have always
thought beyond the walls of our parishes, and we see that at Saint Joe’s through our
outreach to Hati; our relationship with Fr. Terry Hoppenjans and his parish of Saint
Michael’s in Paintsville, Kentucky; our yearly Youth Mission Trip that helps the less
fortunate and Service Marathon our school does each fall at Feed My Starving Children,
just to name a few of our outreach ministries.
Each year, our Archdiocese asks us to look outward through our support of the Catholic
Services Appeal. While we can do a lot on our own in our parishes, no single parish
could have all the resources necessary to help the Catholic School system thrive, run the
seminary or youth programs across the diocese. And that’s where the Catholic Services
Appeal comes in.
You probably have received or will soon be receiving information in the mail concerning
the annual Catholic Services Appeal, as letters were sent out from the Appeal
Foundation this past Wednesday, January 30th.
As for the specifics of where the monies raised go:
- $50,000 to Abria Pregnancy Resources which provides a safe environment for women,
teens and couples experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. - $200,000 to American Indian Ministry to promote the Catholic faith in the America.
- $25,585 to the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women which empowers and
educates women in spirituality, leadership and service to Christ. - $264,000 for campus ministry at the Newman Center at the U of M.
- $11,000 for campus ministry with Saint Paul’s Outreach, which actively invites college
students to a life of Christian discipleship. - $700,000 for Catholic charities to help the poor.
- $39,733 for ministry and pastoral care to the deaf.
- $1,703,125 to our support Catholic schools and provide scholarships
- $150,000 for evangelization programs
- $800,000 for high school scholarships to our 13 Catholic High Schools
- $600,000 for hospital chaplaincy
- $350,000 for Latino Ministry to nature the faith in the Latino community.
- $256,000 to the Marriage, Family & Life Office to help nature the faith within
families. - $1,840,000 to support parishes in the form of rebates from the appeal.
- $32,000 for Prison Ministry.
- $26,875 to support Rachel’s Vineyard, which offers retreats for individuals seeking
healing from an abortion. - $1,063,807 for the Seminaries of Saint Paul to help in educating future priests.
- $110,000 for the Venezuelan Mission, in Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela, where the
Archdiocese has had a presence for nearly 50 years. - $64,000 for Youth and Young Adult ministries for ministries to teens and young
adults and the annual Archdiocesan Youth Day.
When you give to the Catholic Services Appeal you provide food and shelter, education,
spiritual support, and sacraments to individuals who are in need, disabled, imprisoned,
hospitalized, or in nursing homes. You support low-income seniors, pregnant mothers,
refugees, and immigrants. You support seminarians preparing for the priesthood. You
help our 65,000 brothers and sisters at the mission parish of Jesucristo Resucitado in
Venezuela. All of this happens when people come together.
As a generous parish, we need to be always mindful of our connections to one another. I
certainly see this all of the time here at Saint Joe’s, in that so many come together to
help make things happen. Every gift helps, even if you can give only a small amount.
Finally, be sure to check out the Catholic Services Appeal web site:
http://www.csafspm.org. Here you’ll find all the information you could want on the
Appeal, including a break down of dollar amounts, frequently asked questions, and
more detailed information on each group who is helped through the Appeal. Of course
you can give on the website too.
Thank you for your generosity, and never forget what a big impact you can make,
whether you are giving a few dollars or a few hundred. God bless you, and thank you for
prayerfully considering a gift for this important yearly stewardship effort to support the
services of our Archdiocese. Working together, we truly can have such an impact!
God bless,
Fr. Paul