This weekend is the second and commitment part of the three week Annual Appeal. Last weekend we introduced the need for the Appeal and began to offer additional means and methods to support it financially.
Each year this Appeal broadens our notion of and awareness of Church. As Catholics we are a part of the 340 parishes and many non-parish agencies and services for all people, not just Catholics, in Lake and Cook Counties. We are very blessed here at Holy Family with resources that most parishes do not have. We should be very proud of the outreach that we do in our local community to assist and to serve our neighbors with some of life’s basic needs. We are also able to provide programs of formation and education that, quite frankly, are easy to take for granted. This Appeal invites us to help our neighbors beyond our local communities.
The Annual Appeal assists parishes, communities and agencies that do not have the resources we do, or do not have any means of raising funds to support their ministries. In many of those areas the need is the greatest. This campaign expresses our support for each other as an Archdiocese. It is a great way to serve.
The ministry of the local church, our Archdiocese includes non-parish ministries as well. For example, Fr. Kurt now focuses his ministry as the Vicar for Priests, which is a source of support for all of us priests. I worked in the Vocation Office for the Archdiocese for eight years, assisting post-college aged men and women discerning priesthood, religious life and lay ministry in the Church. These are two of the many agencies that have no community or parishioner base to directly support their efforts. They rely on funds generated by a sharing diocesan-wide, including this Appeal.
This weekend at Mass, including the 9:00am Mass that is always live streamed and available to view at any time via our website, we will hear a message from Cardinal Cupich articulating the need for this effort. As your Pastor, I ask that you be attentive to his message and to make a gift to the Appeal. I want to thank all of you who have given to the campaign in past years. I can assure you that the funds generated are deeply appreciated by the parishes, schools, agencies and people served by the Archdiocese. Each of us is called to share his or her gifts in support of the local Church, the Archdiocese of Chicago which I refer to in the Eucharistic Prayer each time I have the honor of presiding at the Eucharist.
Cardinal Cupich’s message will be available on our website as well.
Here are the giving options for this year’s Annual Appeal:
• Online at www.annualcatholicappeal.com
• Text to give:
1. Using a mobile device, open your text message application
2. Enter the phone number 345345 in the To: section
3. Type the Keyword: ACA2021 (not case sensitive) in the message of your text application
4. Hit the send button
5. A text reply to your phone will give you a hyperlink to a secure online giving form
6. Complete your gift by filling out the form and submitting
• There are Envelopes in Narthex to be picked up on your way out of church. Simply return them to the Offering Boxes also in the Narthex.
• Please see more details about supporting the Annual Catholic Appeal on our website.
At the Table Week 2
In our discussion this weekend during homily time we will be focusing more on what we do at Mass to celebrate the Eucharist – our rituals, structure and the action of our communal prayer. Join us and encourage others to do so as well and spread the word to access our Masses via live stream EVERY week either at 9:00am or any time following on our website.