Catholic Charities to kick off May 1
Saturday, April 26, 2008 1:08 AM EDT
FALL RIVER - The 67th annual Catholic Charities Appeal will begin on May 1, and the Fall River Diocese is again asking parishioners and supporters for their help in responding to the thousands throughout the year who turn to the Church during a time of need.
Proceeds from the Catholic Charities Appeal provide the financial backing for the numerous programs, services, and agencies sponsored by the diocese throughout southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands.
The appeal supports diocesan services such as food pantries and vouchers, emergency, transitional, and long-term housing, counseling, pregnancy assistance, hospital chaplaincy care, CYO, family programs, campus ministry at area colleges, the weekly Television Mass, and a network of offices of Catholic Social Services.
It also funds marriage prep and enrichment opportunities, youth and young adult ministry, assistance to the developmentally disabled, HIV/AIDS ministry, summer camp for handicapped children, programs for ESL, GED assistance, and citizenship preparation, and many other supportive endeavors.
Bishop George W. Coleman explained that it is through the generosity of donors to the Catholic Charities Appeal that the diocese is able to fund all of these programs and services and continue providing the invaluable help they offer.
"Our immediate goal as a Church is to provide the food, clothing, and housing that is needed by those who fall on hard times, or to provide the counseling, educational and advocacy services to those who seek to improve their lives," said the bishop in a message on the Appeal.
"But our ultimate goal is to offer them the gift of hope, the hope we share as Christians for the future, eternal life with God."
"This springtime Charities Appeal is the one and only time during each year when the Fall River diocese asks its parishioners and friends in the community to come together to fund its charitable works, which are open to anyone regardless of creed, race, nationality, gender, or economic status," said Diocesan Development Director Michael J. Donly.
He said that last year nearly 36,000 contributors donated to the Catholic Charities Appeal, bringing in a record total of $4,306,352, and he emphasized that 94 cents out of every contributed dollar went to agencies and ministries funded by the Appeal.
Over the past weeks, the diocesan Development Office has been providing parishioners across the diocese with information on the Catholic Charities Appeal in pamphlets, audio recordings, video presentations, and an expanded edition of its newsletter, Sharing, which includes a financial statement on the 2007 Appeal.
The 2008 Catholic Charities Appeal will continue through June 19. Contributions may be made either through a one-time donation or through a pledge, which can be paid over 10 months.
Donations should be sent to the Catholic Charities Appeal Office, P.O. Box 1470, Fall River, MA 02722, or dropped off at any parish in the diocese. Contributions also may be made through the Appeal Web site at www.frdioc-catholiccharities.org. For more information, visit the Web site or call the Charities Appeal office at 508-675-1311.
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