National Collections

2016 Earthquake in Ecuador

Catholic Relief Services is responding with water, food, and temporary shelter. For more information on relief efforts for Ecuador, please visit www.crs.org.

The Collection for the Church in Latin America is also assessing the impact to church structures including parishes, schools, and diocesan offices. The Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America intends to make emergency grants for church reconstruction in Ecuador. For more information on giving to the Collection for the Church in Latin America, please visit our How to Give section. The Subcommittee makes annual grants to the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean from the annual collection. While the Subcommittee cannot earmark individual contributions for specific countries or programs, including for the earthquake in Ecuador, its emergency grants are made from the same funding source, the collection, so any donations made in response to this disaster will increase the overall funds available.

2015-2016 Calamities Special Collection

Severe weather has recently impacted states in the South and Midwest regions of the country and on January 5, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, President of the USCCB, requested the U.S. bishops to take up a special collection for relief from these recent storms and possible future domestic calamities. Archbishop Kurtz requested this special collection take place on the weekend of January 9-10 or 15-16.

Parishes should send proceeds from the special collection for 2015-2016 calamity recovery to their diocesan finance office. Dioceses should then immediately remit all received funds directly to USCCB (USCCB, Office of National Collections, 2015-2016 Calamities Special Collection, P. O. Box 96278, Washington DC 20090-6278). 

Read more about Catholic Charities USA
Learn about prior special collections and emergency appeals

"As faithful disciples and imitators of Christ, you are urged to go against the current, choosing the evangelical option of serving the brethren…above all, because you are impelled by the unceasing power of divine charity."

— Pope John Paul II (2001)

Each parish is part of the Church Universal; it is the Catholic Church in a particular place. The bishops of the United States created the national collections so that, by combining resources, we can more effectively carry out our mission as Catholics. Each of these important collections is worthy of your support. Each collection represents our community of faith at work in the world, saving souls and
improving lives.

The Pope Francis Effect

USCCB National Collections partnered with Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities (FADICA) to conduct a survey on recent giving patterns within the Catholic Church. This survey focused particular attention on whether Pope Francis has had a positive effect on giving. Read the survey results.

CARA Report - Online Giving

Thirty-two percent of working-age Catholics have given online at some point, according to a report on U.S. Catholic and online giving from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). 

"The knowledge gained from this report is important for our understanding of the current patterns of giving among Catholics," said Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Cincinnati, chairman of the USCCB National Collections Committee. Read
the press release.

Guidelines

This document, approved in November 2011 and addressed to bishops and to diocesan and parish personnel, provides guidance and explanation about the nature and meaning of the national collections and direction on how they should be best administered.

One Church. One Mission—Guidelines for Administering USCCB National Collections in Dioceses 

2016/2017 National Collection Schedule

• 2016/2017 National Collections Schedule

One Church. One Mission. Real Lives.

With so many people in Africa on the move, providing pastoral care to meet their spiritual needs is often difficult. In Angola, this is true for migrant and refugee communities as well as people whose livelihoods keep them moving, such as fisherman and truck drivers. Creating fellowship among various groups, ethnicities, and tribes is crucial in order to avoid tribalism, discrimination, and even racial violence.

To address these needs and foster growth in the community, and with a grant from the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa, the bishops are providing training and formation for lay leaders in every diocese. These leaders attend seminars and workshops that equip them to return to their communities to welcome immigrants and help them find a home in local parish communities. After attending a seminar, one participant expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you for yet another moment of grace."

Materials to promote the collection are available on our website. Please use these materials and share this opportunity to show your solidarity for our brothers and sisters in Africa. 

For more information, please contact the National Collections staff at 202-541-3346 or ncpromo@usccb.org. We truly appreciate your support of the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa.