One Church One Mission

"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 bishops encourage us to view the national collections in the light of stewardship and of sharing. God has given us our light and our prosperity, all we need and more. It is right and just that we give something back through these collections, helping people in our own country and around the world to live better and to grow in the love of Jesus.

• Haiti Earthquake, One Year Later. As we approach the anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, we join together with parishes, Catholic schools, youth groups, colleges and universities from across the country to remember the tragic events of that fateful afternoon and to respond in a faith-filled way.

  We invite you and your group to pray and walk for nine days with other Catholics across the country using the Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas. Start praying it on the evening of the anniversary, January 12, culminating with the celebration of Mass on the weekend when the Collection for Latin America including Haiti takes place. You can find the novena and other anniversary resources here.

  Declan Murphy Named Director for Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe Declan Murphy, Ph.D, has been named associate director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Office of National Collections and director of the Collection for Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe. Murphy previously served as president of the Eurasian Cultural Fund, a foundation that supported faith-based civil society initiatives in Russia and Eastern Europe, deputy director of the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies at the Smithsonian Institution and Russia and Eastern Europe special projects manager at the Library of Congress.

  Mission Congress 2010 The USCCB Offices of National Collections -- Catholic Home Missions and Church in Latin America; Cultural Diversity; and Evangelization and Catechesis are participating with the Pontifical Mission Societies, Black and Indian Missions, Catholic Church Extension Society, and other mission agencies in Mission Congress 2010 October 28-31, 2010 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Over 350 missionary priests, religious, and lay leaders will come together to reflect on the rich diversity and history of mission in the U.S. and to discern ways to live out their mission identity as a Church. The Congress theme is: God's Mission, Many Faces: A Portrait of U.S. Catholics in Mission. USCCB Catholic Home Missions has invited 20 bishops from U.S. mission dioceses to share their stories and challenges in meeting the pastoral needs of their people in Mission America.

  Recently visited Ghana and Nigeria Representatives from the Subcommittee on the Church in Africa recently visited Ghana and Nigeria, meeting with church leaders to discuss ways in which the U.S. and African churches can be better partners and share resources. Here are two stories: In Africa, US bishop finds 'youthfulness, energy...zest for life' Delegation visits former slave dungeon

  US Catholics reach out to far-flung Pacific Islanders

  Bishop Warfel and Dr. David Suley found a strong sense of faith amid challenges of isolation and, in some places, extreme poverty. Click here to read more

  Catholics Urged to Give Faith to the Future Through Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe

  Years after the fall of communism, even though some are now European Union citizens, the Catholics of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union still have great needs. The 2010 Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, slated for February 17, Ash Wednesday, will focus on the theme Great needs remain. Give faith to the future. Click here to read more.