The 2023 Catholic Appeal, which the Archdiocese of Boston holds annually, is eyed as a potential source to finance the various ministries of the archdiocese.
According to The Boston Pilot, Card. Sean O'Malley announced the launch of the Appeal on March 10. The Boston archbishop took the occasion to remind archdiocesan Catholics about the importance of their generosity.
"It is in our common mission to advance the lifesaving ministry of Jesus that we can build communities of love. These are the virtues that help the Church provide aid and attention to areas of greatest need across our many communities," The Boston Pilot quoted O'Malley saying.
Funding for Archdiocesan Programs
This year's Catholic Appeal is themed "Faith in action starts with you." Accordingly, O'Malley said that the Catholic Church's ministries primarily rely on the financial generosity of Boston Catholics.
The news outlet disclosed that the archdiocese regularly conducts programs that benefit Catholics and non-Catholics across Boston. The Appeal, launched yearly, reportedly funds' faith community nurses, faith formation, addiction recovery programs, and prison and hospital chaplains.'
Accordingly, parishes across the Boston archdiocese distribute donation envelopes to parishioners and campaigns from the pews to rally support for the Appeal. Interested donors who could not come to church to personally offer their financial aid may donate online via BostonCatholicAppeal.org or by sending their donations through the mail.
This year, the Catholic Appeal launched on March 4 to 5, while the Commitment Weekend occurred on March 11 to 12. Cardinal O'Malley reportedly said Sunday Mass in Spanish on March 5 at the Immaculate Conception Parish in Salem.
The news outlet disclosed that parishes across the archdiocese designated coordinators to monitor and launch their respective Appeal activities.
What the Catholic Appeal Supports
The news outlet revealed that the yearly Catholic Appeal helps fund the Archdiocese of Boston's 100 schools, which employ 3,000 faculty members and serve 31,000 students.
The Appeal also finances campus ministry programs in 25 archdiocesan university and college campuses, 190 faith formation programs, and 350 faith formation directors.
Angela Quentin, whose child studied at Bishop Fenwick High School, told The Boston Pilot that the Appeal helps archdiocesan youth get a Catholic education.
'An Act of Mercy, Generosity, Faith'
In his homily during the Sunday Mass of the launch, Cardinal O'Malley called supporting the Catholic Appeal "an act of mercy, generosity, and faith."
The Boston cardinal explained that depriving oneself of certain indulgences to donate to the Appeal is one way of observing Lent.
"During Lent, we must dedicate ourselves to prayer, to fasting. Those deprivations allow us to save resources to help the poor and needy," O'Malley told those in the Sunday Mass.
About the Archdiocese of Boston
The Archdiocese of Boston serves over 1.8 million Catholics and is led by Cardinal O'Malley, who ascended to the post in 2003.
The Most Rev. Mark O'Connell assists Cardinal O'Malley as one of the archdiocese's auxiliary bishops and the Moderator of the Curia and Vicar General.
The archdiocese celebrates Masses in its parishes in over 20 languages. It serves 144 communities and assists over 200,000 individuals yearly through its various social service programs.
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