Catholic Home Missions Awards Over $10 Million to U.S. Dioceses and Eparchies in Need

 WASHINGTON—A total of 85 dioceses and eparchies in the United States facing financial and pastoral challenges will receive over $10.0 million in grants from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions. The Subcommittee also approved a gift to the Apostolic Nunciature to support travel to bishop installations and other activities in home mission dioceses.

Funding for these grants comes from the national Catholic Home Missions Appeal, a collection taken up in many dioceses across the United States. The Appeal supports essential pastoral programs such as seminary education, religious education, marriage and family life, and Hispanic ministry. Funded dioceses and eparchies face many challenges including remote and difficult geography, impoverished populations, and limited resources.

"The needs of home mission dioceses are real, as often basic spiritual and pastoral necessities cannot be met by the diocese alone. Through these grants we support dioceses as they provide necessary resources for the faithful," said Bishop Peter F. Christensen of Boise, chairman of the Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions. "We are incredibly grateful for the many people who make these grants possible, it is thanks to their generosity that the Church here at home is strengthened and faith communities are sustained."

The Subcommittee met in Houston, September 30-October 1, to consider grant applications for the 2016 funding cycle. They include approved funding for the Latino Leadership Development project in the Diocese of Stockton. This project forms lay ministry leaders to promote intercultural dialogue, increase pastoral outreach and community service. They will also organize and sponsor a conference day on the family in 2016, which is expected to minister to over 300 Latino families.

One of the greatest challenges for the diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, is to keep its parishes afloat amidst their difficult financial situation, particularly in the Appalachian region. Of its 62 parishes and missions, up to 40 require outside support. With the help of a grant from Catholic Home Missions, the Appalachian Mission Assistance Program (AMAP) seeks to evangelize, provide social services and subsidize parishes that cannot otherwise support themselves. These funds help make it possible for parishes in mountain and rural regions to remain open and provide important pastoral resources to the faithful.

The national date for the Catholic Home Missions Appeal is the fourth Sunday in April. The next collection is scheduled for April 24, 2016; however, some dioceses take up the appeal on an alternate date. The Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions oversees the Catholic Home Missions Appeal as part of the USCCB Committee on National Collections. The Subcommittee allocates the revenue received from the annual Appeal as grants to dioceses for pastoral and programmatic needs. More information on Catholic Home Missions and the projects it funds can be found online at www.usccb.org/home-missions.

Keywords: National Collections, Catholic Home Missions Appeal, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, ministry, Catholic Home Missions Appeal, Hispanic ministry missionary work, evangelization, Bishop Peter F. Christensen, Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions
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