Parishioners at St. James Catholic Church in Louisville, Ky., use collection baskets April 4, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic. (CNS photo/Amira Karaoud, Reuters)CHARLOTTE — Catholics in the Diocese of Charlotte will join in the worldwide effort to support missions in the United States and abroad in the Combined Mission Collection that will be taken up at Masses in all parishes the weekend of Jan. 15-16.
This annual collection funds five initiatives: the Collection for the Church in Latin America, the Collection to Aid the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, the Catholic Home Missions Appeal, the United States Mission Appeal (Black and Indian Missions) and the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa.
“‘I will make you a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’ Words from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah continue to speak to us in our day. We are all called to bring the Good News of salvation to the ends of the earth,” Vicar General and Chancellor Monsignor Patrick J. Winslow said in a letter to parishioners. “The 2022 Combined Mission Collection, which will be taken at Masses on the weekend of Jan. 15-16, gives each of us an opportunity to reach out to people throughout the world.”
Last year when fewer people were attending Mass because of the pandemic, donations totaled $186,985 to this special collection. The prior year, donations totaled $272,834. Here is how donations to the Combined Mission Collection make a difference:
- The Collection for the Church in Latin America funds formation programs for priests, religious, lay leaders, missionaries and pastoral workers. It also and supports the Church’s work with the poor in the poorest areas of Latin America.
- The Collection to Aid the Church in Central and Eastern Europe helps to rebuild the Church in those countries where communism once prohibited public acts of religion.
- The Catholic Home Missions Appeal provides funding for evangelization efforts in remote parishes throughout rural America.
- The United States Mission Appeal supports evangelization programs among African Americans and Native Americans in almost every diocese in our country.
- The Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa supports the pastoral works of the Church through grants for projects such as pastoral care for the sick, evangelization, youth ministry, religious education and peace-building workshops.
— Kimberly Bender, Online reporter
Other special collection dates for 2022
- April 16-17 (Easter Sunday): Seminarian Education Collection (first of two). The Seminarian Education Program, in which 45 men are currently enrolled, is mostly funded through the annual Diocesan Support Appeal, the Friend to Seminarians Program, and this collection.
- May 14-15: International/National Combined Collection. Donations received from this collection benefit five organizations: Catholic Relief Services, Collection for the Holy Land, Collection for the Works of the Holy Father (Peter’s Pence), The Catholic University of America and the Catholic Communications Campaign.
- Aug. 27-28: Archdiocese of Military Services Collection. This collection, taken up every three years, will fund its co-sponsored Seminarian Program, which identifies vocations within the military and is now educating men for the priesthood and subsequent military chaplaincy.
- Sept. 24-25: Priests’ Retirement and Benefits. This collection, taken up the weekend after the Eucharistic Congress, goes to support the Diocese of Charlotte’s diocesan priests actively serving the faithful of western North Carolina, and religious order priests, for whom retirement contributions will be made.
- Oct. 22-23: World Mission Sunday (Propagation of the Faith). This collection supports the work of the Church in its missions around the world.
- Nov. 5-6: Seminarian Education Collection: The Seminarian Education Program, in which 45 men are currently enrolled, is primarily funded through the annual Diocesan Support Appeal, the Friend to Seminarians Program and this special second collection.
- Nov. 19-20: Catholic Campaign for Human Development. This collection funds the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to help break the cycle of poverty by funding organizations that help people help themselves. With its mission of improving education, housing situations and local economic development, the CCHD continues to make a positive impact in communities nationwide. Twenty-five percent of the funds from this collection are put to use in the Charlotte diocese.
- Dec. 10-11: Religious Retirement. This appeal, coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office, offers support for senior Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests whose communities lack sufficient retirement funding. Nationally, some 27,000 women and men religious who are past the age of 70 benefit.