Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe to be Held On Ash Wednesday, March 1

WASHINGTON—Theannual Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe will be held inmost parishes on Ash Wednesday, March 1, with the theme: "Restore the Church,Build the Future." The collection supports pastoral, evangelization, andconstruction projects, as well as scholarships in Central

WASHINGTON—Theannual Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe will be held inmost parishes on Ash Wednesday, March 1, with the theme: "Restore the Church,Build the Future." The collection supports pastoral, evangelization, andconstruction projects, as well as scholarships in Central and Eastern Europe,and Central Asia.

In2016, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Subcommittee on Aid tothe Church in Central and Eastern Europe awarded $7 million through more than200 grants. Projects supported through the collection address a variety ofneeds of the Church in countries of the former Soviet Union. These projectsfocus on providing pastoral care and developing resources to build the faith ofthose who still struggle in a post-communist society.

"Rememberingour brothers and sisters around the world who are struggling is a humbling wayto begin the season of Lent," said Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago,chairman of the Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and EasternEurope. "As we begin this penitential season, we remember those in Central andEastern Europe who have made great sacrifices to keep the faith alive in theircommunities, and who share a legacy of faith with us through the manyimmigrants who came to America from these lands."

TheSubcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe oversees theCollection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe as part of the USCCBCommittee on National Collections. More information about the collection can befound at www.usccb.org/ccee. Shareableresources to promote the collection can be found at www.usccb.org/ccee/collection.

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Keywords:U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Committee on National Collections, Collectionfor the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, EasternEurope, Soviet Union

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