Special Collections - 2009

Catholic Relief Services (Bishops’ Overseas) - March 22 (Fourth Sunday of Lent). Provides funding for Catholic Relief Services, USCCB Department of Social Development and World Peace, relief work of the Holy Father, USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.

Peter's Pence (Holy Father) Collection - August 9 (Second Sunday in August). This collection enables the Holy Father to respond with emergency financial assistance for requests to aid the most needy throughout the world-those who suffer as a result of war, oppression and natural disasters.

American Evangelization Appeal - September 27 (Catholic University & Communications). Now called Help Spread The Faith Appeal (Last Sunday in September). Includes Catholic University which provide academic scholarships and Catholic Communications which fosters evangelization activities in television, radio and other media and special projects of the Catholic press.  Some funds are retained in our Diocese to be used in local communication projects.

Campaign for Human Development - November 22 (Sunday before Thanksgiving). This collection was mandated by the US bishops to address the root causes of poverty in America through promotion and support of community-controlled, self-help organizations and transformative education.

Retired Religious Collection - December 13 (Second Sunday of December). This collection provides restricted grants to any religious institute in the US that has an unfunded past service liability.  It distributes basic, supplemental and special assistance retirement grants from the fund to religious institutes based on a formula and criteria approved by the conferences of major superior and bishops.

Please make all checks payable to DIOCESE OF LANSING and specify which collection you are paying. For questions you can call Donna Queen at (517) 342-2457.

For Help Spread The Faith Appeal checks, please do not combine with other payments.  Make check out to Diocese of Lansing and send to us.  Thank you.

Parish materials are online at www.usccb.org/nationalcollections/index.shtml.