Bishops’ Grants Seek to Bring the Gospel to the Poor, Vulnerable, and Oppressed in U.S., and Overseas
WASHINGTON – “Catholics across the United States help strengthen the faith and bring the Good News of Jesus to the poor, vulnerable, and oppressed,” said Bishop Daniel H. Mueggenborg of Reno, chairman of the Committee on National Collections for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The bishops who serve on the five subcommittees of the Committee on National Collections met recently and awarded nearly 500 grants totaling more than $19.5 million to further the mission of Jesus Christ and provide support to some of the most impoverished and marginalized people in the United States and around the world.
The grants awarded by these program subcommittees were made possible by parishioners’ donations to five annual collections:
- The Catholic Campaign for Human Development
- The Catholic Home Missions Appeal
- The Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe
- The Collection for the Church in Latin America
- The Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa
“The grants made possible through these national collections embody the spirit of what Pope Francis called for when he designated the Jubilee 2025 with the theme ‘Pilgrimage of Hope,’” Bishop Mueggenberg said. “This Jubilee year is a special opportunity for the Catholic faithful to share the hopeful message of the Gospel with the world. In that spirit of hope and through their generosity to the national collections, Catholics support pastoral ministries to prisoners and refugees, training for lay leaders, and the Church’s efforts to build peace in lands affected by war and oppression,” he said.
Funded projects range from support for ministries and priestly vocations in the mission dioceses of the United States and its territories, as well as the economic and community development work of grassroots organizations working to combat poverty in neighborhoods across the country. This concern for the poor and marginalized extends overseas with support for efforts to stop human trafficking in the Horn of Africa, helping Catholic sisters care for war victims in Ukraine, and rebuilding a hurricane-ravaged church in Cuba.
Catholic Campaign for Human Development:
The Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development approved 93 grants totaling nearly $2.3 million to community and economic development organizations across the country. These organizations work at the grassroots level to improve access to affordable housing and healthcare services, as well as economic development projects that allow workers to become employee-owners of community-enriching cooperative businesses and homeowners through community land trusts. Rooted in the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, nearly 81% of funded organizations include Catholic members or partners such as parishes, dioceses, and local Catholic Charities agencies.
Three additional grants totaling over $275,000 were awarded internally to the USCCB Secretariat of Justice and Peace in support of its efforts to educate Catholics about the root causes of poverty as well as to support the vital work of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism.
Catholic Home Missions Appeal:
The Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions awarded grants totaling more than $7.2 million to 73 dioceses and eparchies in the United States and its territories where Catholics are either lacking sufficient resources or too few in population to support ministry without outside help. In addition to grants supporting pastoral activities in dioceses, one set of grants will provide more than $393,000 to help diocesan staff improve their pastoral and administrative skills. Other grants totaling $75,000 will cover registration fees for key personnel to attend the U.S. bishops’ training conferences on child and youth protection, pro-life activities, marriage and family life ministries and support engaging Black Catholics.
A special grant was created from donations given at the closing Mass of the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. This gift of nearly $79,000 will fund scholarships for 16 seminarians selected by their bishops in mission dioceses and eparchies. These Catholic Home Missions Eucharistic Seminarians will be highlighted as part of the continuing National Eucharistic Revival efforts.
Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe:
The Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe approved 109 grants totaling over $3.7 million to address the pastoral needs of Catholics in 28 countries affected by the violence of the ongoing war in Ukraine as well as decades of oppression by the communist regimes of the former Soviet Union and its allies.
In Ukraine, an organization founded to deepen the spiritual life and pastoral skills of religious sisters and priests has shifted its focus to aiding displaced persons and other traumatized war victims, thousands of whom live in Ukrainian convents and monasteries. A grant of $30,000 for this organization will increase the Church’s capacity to provide pastoral and social assistance for war victims through training and support to the religious who care for them.
In Levice, Slovakia, where high rates of suicide, divorce and especially abortion have been coupled with drastic government cuts to social services, a grant of $30,000 will sustain a life-affirming Catholic ministry to families. Founded in 2016, the Center for Practical Assistance to Women and Girls began as a crisis pregnancy service and has expanded to address domestic violence and sexual abuse; offer marital and pre-marital counseling; teach natural family planning; run a children’s summer camp; and train clergy and catechists to respond pastorally in difficult family situations.
Collection for the Church in Latin America:
The Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America approved 177 grants totaling more than $4.3 million.
In the Archdiocese of Guayaquil, Ecuador, a grant of $25,0000 supports a team of priests and volunteers who are bringing faith, hope and classes on Christian living into one of the most dangerous prisons in the world. Littoral Prison, which houses about 10,000 men and women, had been run by the inmates. These rival drug gang bosses engaged in bloody struggles for power within its walls until the government ordered the military to take charge early this year. This did not quell the violence and human rights groups have reported torture by military guards. In these perilous circumstances, the prison ministry has assisted families and created spaces where prisoners can hear the Word of God, receive the Eucharist, grow in faith and allow Christ to transform them.
In Cuba, where Catholics persevere despite nearly 60 years of anti-religious repression, the Archdiocese of Havana received $89,400 to rebuild a 19th century church in San Felipe that was partially destroyed by Hurricane Francine in September 2024. The money for weather-resistant building supplies was raised through a special collection for the Bishops’ Emergency Disaster Fund and is being distributed through the Subcommittee for the Church in Latin America.
Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa:
Human trafficking has been referred to as “modern slavery” and has more victims today worldwide than at any time in history, with Africans comprising nearly a quarter of the 40 million captives. At its recent meeting, the Subcommittee on the Church in Africa approved 34 grants totaling $1.05 million, including one of $25,000 that will enable the bishops’ conferences of Eastern Africa to strengthen and coordinate their longtime anti-trafficking efforts in Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan and South Sudan. The grant covers initial organizing and training for key Catholic, civil and charitable leaders to establish comprehensive programs to prevent trafficking, protect and provide care for victims and prosecute traffickers. In the words of the East African bishops, “The Church, with its commitment to social justice and extensive presence in the region, is uniquely positioned to lead such an initiative, providing both immediate relief to victims and long-term solutions to address the root causes of trafficking.”
“These grants help support the mission that Jesus gave to his first apostles, carrying forward his work to spread the faith, seek out the lost, love our neighbor, and extend his mercy to the poor and suffering,” said Bishop Mueggenborg.
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