Catholic Home Missions Awards Over $9 Million to U.S. Dioceses and Eparchies

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions approved $9.2 million in grants to assist 84 dioceses and eparchies across the country.

"Grants from Catholic Home Missions are vital for many dioceses in the United States to provide spiritually for their flocks," said Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, Archbishop of Anchorage, Alaska, chairman of the Subcommittee. "The support of this collection means that our neighbors can experience the love and mercy of God through the Church."

These grants assist dioceses and eparchies which would otherwise struggle due to difficult geography, impoverished populations and limited resources. Catholic Home Missions funding supports various pastoral programs, including religious education and youth ministry, priestly and religious formation, prison ministries, and lay ministry training.

The Subcommittee met in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 15th to consider grant applications for the 2017 funding cycle, which includes the following projects:

The Diocese of Stockton, California, received a grant to support its Latino Leadership Development Project. This project provides on-going development, training, and nurturing of Catholic Latino Leaders by means of an integral formation structured to serve the Church and society.

The Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana, received a grant that will help support Catholic campus ministries at Louisiana State University at Alexandria and Louisiana College. These ministries provide programs such as weekly noon meals and reflections, welcome back dinners, monthly bible studies, and an annual retreat for young adults.

The Diocese of Tyler, Texas, has also received a grant to help fund priestly formation. Since 2013, the diocese has experienced unprecedented growth and now has a total of 15 seminarians.

The Subcommittee's grants are funded by donations to an annual collection, the Catholic Home Missions Appeal. The Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions oversees the Catholic Home Missions Appeal as part of the USCCB Committee on National Collections. The national date for the annual appeal is the fourth Sunday in April. The next collection will be taken on April 30, 2017. However, some dioceses take up the appeal at other times during the year.

More information on Catholic Home Missions can be found online at www.usccb.org/home-missions.

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Keywords: National Collections, Catholic Home Missions Appeal, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, ministry, Catholic Home Missions Appeal, Hispanic ministry missionary work, evangelization, Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, religious education, priests, seminarians, religious formation, lay ministry

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