Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

For over 50 years, the Collection for the Church in Latin America has provided a way to join in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Latin America and the Caribbean. An example is that it helped translate the Catechism into the Mayan language Q’eqchi’.

In Mexico’s Diocese of Iztapalapa, much of the population lives below the poverty line and has trouble meeting basic needs. The crime rate is high. Offenders who complete their jail sentences face rejection and isolation and risk reoffending upon their return to society. With grant support from the Collection for the Church in Latin America, the diocese created the Cristo Redentor evangelization center, where persons released from prison can receive job search help, group therapy, spiritual direction, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. And they can participate in recreational activities such as theater, games, and music, all at no charge.

Mandated by the III Plenary Council in 1884, the 125-year-old National Collection for Black and Indian people continues as the embodiment of the Church’s concern for evangelizing the Black and Indian peoples of the United States. The funds are distributed as grants to dioceses throughout the United States, supporting and strengthening evangelization programs which otherwise would cease. The Collection was formerly known as The Black and Indian Home Mission Collection.

The Catholic Relief Services Collection supports Catholic Church organizations that carry out international relief and solidarity efforts. Programs include relief and resettlement for victims of persecution, war, and natural disasters; development projects to improve living conditions for the poor; legal and support services for poor immigrants; peace and reconciliation work for people suffering from violence; and advocacy on behalf of the powerless.

Contributions to The Catholic Relief Services Collection are distributed to these six organizations:

1. Catholic Relief Services for international relief and development.
2. Migration and Refugee Services for refugee resettlement.
3. Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC) for immigration legal services.
4. Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development for advocacy.
5. Holy Father's Relief Fund for emergency relief. 
6. Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church for evangelization and ministry.

Home mission dioceses across the country face similar challenges: small Catholic populations, great distances between parishes, and economic hardships that make it difficult for parishes to meet the pastoral needs of their communities.

What is a Home Mission Diocese? Home mission dioceses are those Catholic dioceses in the United States, its territories, and former territories that cannot provide basic pastoral services without outside help. Basic pastoral services include Mass, the sacraments, religious education, and ministry training for priests, deacons, religious sisters, and laypeople. Nearly 40% of dioceses in the United States and its territories are considered home missions.

Merchant mariners, ¬fishermen, port workers, and others working in the maritime industries have special pastoral needs to remain connected with their faith. For over a century, Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) has served merchant sailors around the world by providing sacraments and spiritual renewal through port chaplaincies, as well as hospitality, recreational opportunities, and communication with loved ones at home.

Where do your funds go? Half of the collected funds remain in your diocese to support local communications projects. The other half supports the collective communication work of the bishops of the United States as well as other national projects in the United States and around the world.

The Peter’s Pence Collection enables the Holy Father to respond with emergency financial assistance to requests to aid the neediest throughout the world—those who suffer as a result of war, oppression, and natural disasters. It likewise provides the faithful with a tangible opportunity to not only empower the weak, defenseless, and voiceless, but also sustain those who suffer.

For more information on Peter’s Pence, please visit the Vatican’s Peter’s Pence website: www.obolodisanpietro.va/ en/cos-e-l-obolo.html (English) or www.obolodisanpietro.va/ es/cos-e-l-obolo.html (español). Support for such papal efforts is rooted in the scriptural message exhorting us to take care of the poor, and it expresses unity with the Holy Father in two ways: through the ongoing activities of the Holy See and through the charitable works of the Holy Father on behalf of those most in need.

Every year on the second to last Sunday of October, parishes around the world observe World Mission Sunday, and a special collection is taken up to support the work of the Church in mission territories in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe.