National Collections Descriptions
Aid to the Church in
Central and Eastern Europe
While the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union endured decades of communist oppression, the Church suffered grave wounds to its spiritual life and its ability to serve the people.
Through the Collection to Aid the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, Catholics can now build bridges to these countries, spread God's Word over vast areas with modern communications media, train Church leaders of tomorrow, help needy families materially and spiritually, rebuild churches that have fallen, and support the sisters and brothers who have suffered for the faith
The collection for Central and Eastern Europe is taken up in most parishes on Ash Wednesday. Please visit www.usccb.org/aee for more information.
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Since 1884, proceeds from the Black and Indian Missions Collection (BIM) are distributed as grants to dioceses supporting and strengthening evangelization programs, which would otherwise be in danger of disappearing among the Black, American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleute communities of the United States.
The BIM collection is taken up in most parishes on the first weekend in Lent. For more information please write: The Commission for the Catholic Missions Among the Colored People and the Indians, 2021 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-4207.
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The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development works to uphold the dignity of human life by breaking the cycle of poverty across the United States through grants to local community-based groups who create jobs, improve education, and strengthen neighborhoods.
Twenty-five percent of the CCHD collection stays in the diocese to fund local anti-poverty projects; seventy-five percent supports national grant and education programs.
CCHD helps break the cycle of poverty not just for one day, but for a lifetime.
The CCHD collection is taken up in most parishes on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Please visit www.usccb.org/cchd/index.shtml for more information.
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The Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC)
The Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC) develops media programming, projects and resources that promote Gospel values.
Fifty percent of the collection supports local communications efforts, such as televised Masses and diocesan newspapers. The other fifty percent supports the development and production of a wide range of national media programming: for example, The Face: Jesus in Art, Catholic Radio Weekly, television specials for the broadcast networks, radio and television public service announcements in both English and Spanish, and streaming video programming that offers a slice of Catholic life in this country.
The Catholic Communication Campaign – How the Good News Gets Around!
The CCC collection is taken up in most parishes on the third weekend in May. Please visit www.usccb.org/ccc for more information.
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The Catholic Home Missions Appeal
There are many places right here in the United States and in its overseas dependencies where the Church is poor, communities are scattered, and priests are few. Money given to the Catholic Home Missions Appeal helps Catholic communities across America survive and thrive, by underwriting evangelization, religious education, education for future priests, training for lay ministers, and poor parishes that would have to close their doors without outside help.
The Catholic Home Missions Appeal helps strengthen the Catholic Church at home. More than ninety-two cents of every dollar contributed goes directly to the missions.
The CHM collection is taken up in most parishes on the fourth weekend in April. Please visit www.usccb.org/hm for more information.
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The Catholic Relief Services Collection
The Catholic Relief Services Collection supports emergency relief, human development, and peace initiatives in 99 countries around the world, where nearly half the population lives on less than $2.00 a day. The collection supports the ministries of five Catholic Church organizations: Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), Migration and Refugee Services (MRS), Social Development and World Peace (SDWP), and The Holy Father’s Relief Fund.
The CRS collection is taken up in most parishes on the fourth weekend in Lent. Please visit www.usccb.org/crscollection for more information.
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The Catholic University of America Collection
The Catholic University of America, located in Washington, D.C., is the national university of the Catholic Church. Founded in 1887, CUA offers students an excellent education in a faith-filled atmosphere that is grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition. The Collection for The Catholic University of America underwrites scholarships to assist financially deserving students in completing their education at CUA in over 50 disciplines.
The collection for Catholic University is taken up in most parishes on the first or second weekend in September. Please visit
www.cua.edu for more information.
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The Collection for the Church in Latin America
The Collection for the Church in Latin America promotes solidarity throughout the hemisphere by providing support for pastoral projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Through its grants and partnerships, CLA supports catechetical and lay leadership programs, youth ministry, evangelization programs, and formation programs for religious, priests, and deacons. CLA is making it possible for the Catholic faithful in the Western hemisphere to help each other.
The CLA collection is taken up in most parishes on the fourth weekend in January. Please visit www.usccb.org/latinamerica for more information.
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The Holy Land
Collection
The Collection for the Holy Land, in the words of Paul VI is “not only for the Holy Places but above all for those pastoral, charitable, educational, and social works which the Church supports in the Holy Land for the welfare of their Christian brethren and of the local communities.”
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The Holy Land collection is taken up in most parishes on Good Friday. For more information write: Commissariat of the Holy Land
Bro. Callistus Welch, OFM, The Franciscan Monastery, 1400 Quincy Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017
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The Peter’s Pence Collection
The Peter’s Pence Collection helps the Holy Father provide emergency assistance to suffering people throughout the world. Contributions to the Peter’s Pence Collection are given directly by the Holy Father to individuals who are suffering from immediate emergencies as a result of war, oppression, and natural disasters.
The Peter’s Pence collection is taken up in most parishes on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, in late June or early July.
Please visit www.usccb.org/ppc for more information.
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The Retirement Fund for Religious
The Retirement Fund for Religious (RFR) distributes grants to religious institutes for the retirement needs of senior religious priests, brothers, and sisters. The fund also helps religious institutes plan and manage their retirement needs and programs.
The RFR collection is taken up in most parishes on the second weekend in December.
Please visit www.usccb.org/nrro for more information.
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The World Mission Sunday Collection
By Baptism, all Catholics are called to participate in the mission of the Church, called to share their faith as missionaries. World Mission Sunday gathers support for the pastoral and evangelizing programs and needs of more than 1,150 mission dioceses in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and remote regions of Latin America. The funds gathered on World Mission Sunday are distributed in the pope’s name by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith—a Pontifical Mission Society.
Please visit
www.worldmissions-catholicchurch.org for more information.
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