Approximately 43 percent of the dioceses in the United States and its territories are designated as “Catholic Home Missions” by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). This means that these churches lack the resources to provide for basic pastoral services to the faithful.
The Catholic Home Missions collection on the weekend of June 1-2 helps to fund 84 dioceses and eparchies in the United States. These dioceses struggle with severe shortages of priests, poverty among parishioners, difficult or isolated terrain, religious hostility and other circumstances that hinder the care of souls.
In 2023, the Diocese of Columbus contributed $ 56,091.52 to Catholic Home Mission. I would like to thank you for your generosity on behalf of our Bishop Earl K. Fernandes and Bishop W. Shawn McKnight, Chairman of Catholic Home Mission.
Catholic Home Mission funds help the Church to support ministries that reach the hearts of all people and foster stronger bonds of unity among Church members while allowing them to be able to devote their best and undivided energies to the service of God.
In 2023, at the National Black Catholic Congress held at National Harbor in Fort Washington, Maryland, Catholic Home Missions funding allowed 20 participants from five home mission Diocese to attend this four-day event.
James Watts, director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministry in the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama who attended the event and was thankful, said, “Along with enjoying opportunities to pray together, attendees took part in sessions on topics including evangelization, synodality and racial divide, gentrification, engagement of younger generations and ways to create unity in shared parishes” (Catholic Home Missions, issue 4,2023).
“The fund allowed him to participate this remarkable event which helped him to partakers of church mission and to be advocates of Church teaching among his faith community.”
The Vatican Council is particularly eloquent on this point relative to the role of the laity: They are to “make Christ visible for others” (Lumen Gentium, n.31). The active missionaries take part in the apostolate of the Church by placing their services to promote evangelization.
In the mission dioceses, especially in inner city and remote villages, Catholic communities have a hard time finding a priest to celebrate Mass. It may take weeks, months to see a priest.
Most of the spiritual needs are met by permanent deacons who witness marriages, preside at funerals, burial services, distribute Holy Communion, and celebrate baptism as well.
Sister Kathy Radich, a Franciscan, said, “We depend on permanent deacons (and also lay ministers) to keep the faith alive in those communities. If it weren’t for them, we would not have a Catholic community here” (Catholic Home Missions, issue 1,2024).
Mission dioceses do marvelous work among non-Christians, the urban poor and minorities. They also promote mission awareness, vocations and train them for missionary work. Their contribution of service alleviates the suffering of the poor.
For example, Glenmary missionaries are devoted and exclusively serving poor in rural U.S. home missions. Their ministries include building Catholic Communities, evangelizing the unchurched.
In Ohio, the Dioceses of Steubenville and Youngstown, the Romanian Eparchy of Canton and the Ukrainian Eparchy of Parma are considered mission dioceses-eparchies. All receive a grant from the USCCB subcommittee of Catholic Home Missions.
Let our ears echo the words of His Holiness, Pope Pius XII: “We shall spare no effort to cause the Catholic religion to shine also upon distant peoples and to have the shadow of the Cross, in which are life and salvation, fall on the remote areas of the earth. The people whom we encounter everyday realize the depth of God’s love and His never ending friendship through our spiritual deeds and commitments in our daily task.”
Let us renew our baptismal call to reach out our fellow men and proclaim Christ through our deeds of mercy and love. Let our evangelization renewal assist and take action to influence everyone. Thus, Church becomes the sign of unity and peace.
May our prayers, sacrifices, and financial support for the missions bring more priestly vocations and missionaries who bring the light of Christ and the expansion of the reign of Christ who shed His Blood for all mankind.
