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The Catholic Church in the U.S. has a strong history of supporting worthy causes in our own parish communities and beyond. This combined collection will benefit areas in the Church that are greatest in need. There are many places beyond our borders where the Church is poor, communities are scattered, and priests are few. This special appeal helps Catholic communities in Latin America, Black and Native American Home Missions, Catholic Home Missions, Africa and Central and Eastern Europe, by underwriting evangelization, religious education, education for future priests, and training for lay ministers.

This collection is an opportunity for you to help improve the lives of the most vulnerable people around the world and here in the United States. Your support funds organizations dedicated to aiding people affected by war and natural disasters, migrants and refugees in need of material and legal assistance, and people worldwide whose livelihoods are impacted by changing political and environmental conditions.

Every year on Good Friday, parishes in the diocese take up a special collection to support the Franciscans working in the Holy Land. The collection is devoted to not only the preservation of the Holy Places of pilgrimage where Jesus lived, died, and rose again, but above all to pastoral, charitable, education and social works for the welfare of our Christian sisters and brother there.

The Diocese of Austin, along with our Vocations Director Rev. Greg Gerhart, works tirelessly to ensure that we have sufficient priests to celebrate the sacraments, preach homilies that move hearts and guide our faithful on their journey to Christ. To ensure our priests are well-prepared, seminarians study philosophy, theology, scripture, and pastoral care, seminarian education and formation in the Diocese of Austin takes anywhere from seven to nine years, depending on the academic background of each man in formation. In addition to the academic formation, the Diocese cares for the whole seminarian with health insurance, ongoing formation in prayer and spirituality, and summer programs for the study of Spanish. The total cost of forming a seminarian is about $55,000 per year. May God bless you for your generosity and please pray for our seminarians.

The Peter’s Pence Collection will be taken up worldwide to support the most disadvantaged – victims of war, oppression, natural disasters and others in need of emergency assistance. Pope Francis has asked us to “care for those who are in need of attention, understanding and help, to bring them the warm closeness of God’s love through tangible actions of sensitivity, of sincere affection and of love.” The Holy Father uses the Peter’s Pence Collection to strengthen dioceses, religious orders and struggling communities of faith when they need it most.

Pope Francis invites the entire Church to support mission dioceses in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and parts of Latin America and Europe, where priests, religious and lay leaders serve the world’s most vulnerable communities. Please keep the Pope’s missions in your prayers and be generous in next week’s collection for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

In the United States, one in eight people lives in poverty. With this collection, you support programs that address the root causes of poverty and provide a sustainable future for those struggling across the country. In addition, 25% of the funds we collect remain in our diocese to fund local anti-poverty projects. Please prayerfully consider how you can support this collection and those working on the margins.

Thousands of senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests served for years in Catholic schools, hospitals, and parishes—often for little to no pay. Now, many religious communities do not have enough retirement savings and struggle to provide for aging members. Your gift to the Retirement Fund for Religious collection helps provide medications, nursing care, and more.

The Feast of the Holy Family collection supports the Annunciation Maternity Home in Georgetown, Our Lady of the Angels Maternity Shelter in Temple and the diocesan Pro-life Activities Office. Throughout Central Texas there are maternity homes, foster care programs and adoption services that help expectant mothers, children in need and entire families. These important services and programs provide much needed assistance and promote our Catholic values of respecting all human life. Please be generous in your support of this most worthy cause.