By The USCCB
Special to The Message
WASHINGTON - On May 11-12, Catholics across the United States will have an opportunity to support the communications ministry of the Catholic Church, both locally and globally through the Catholic Communication Campaign.
“St. Peter himself could not have imagined today’s communication ministries when he told the first Christians to have a ready answer for anyone who questioned their faith. He would have been awed with what can be achieved through social media, video, podcasts and apps,” said Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., of Atlanta, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee on the Catholic Communication Campaign.
“The many means of communications today allow the Catholic Church to use these tools with love, for good and to the glory of God by inviting people to engage more fully in the faith and using them as a means for evangelization. The Catholic Communication Campaign helps to make this a reality.”
Most dioceses take this annual collection in their parishes on the weekend of May 11-12, though some use other dates. Half of the gifts to the diocesan collection stay in the participating diocese where they support the local diocese’s communications programs. The other half supports communication activities of the USCCB and projects across the U.S. and abroad.
More than $3.6 million in campaign funds supported both national and international Catholic media outreach in 2022. About 35 percent of those funds supported evangelization through media, such as podcasts, videos and documentaries. A nearly equal amount underwrote Catholic News Service in Rome, which has provided the Catholic Church in the U.S. with accurate, in-depth coverage of the Vatican and the Holy Father since 1950.
Smaller amounts subsidized a wide range of projects, including equipping Church-related social ministries with the digital tools to promote concerns such as ecology, human life and dignity, social justice and immigration reform. The campaign sponsors “Catholic Current,” a weekly news show on YouTube and some Catholic television and radio stations. The collection also supports the USCCB’s popular video reflections on the daily Mass readings, which feature lay and religious leaders of diverse cultural backgrounds and pastoral experiences.
For more information, visit https://www.usccb.org/ccc.