2016 Annual Catholic Appeal Weekend
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2016 Annual Catholic Appeal
Blessed are the Merciful for They Shall Obtain Mercy
BISHOP’S APPEAL MESSAGE
Commitment Weekend – April 9 & 10, 2016
Third Sunday of Easter – John 21: 1-19
Good Morning!
In today’s Gospel, John paints for us a wonderfully vivid picture of Our Lord gathering with his disciples on the shore of Tiberias sharing some bread and freshly caught fish. After the meal, Jesus turns to Peter and asks – not once but three times – “Do you love Me?” Peter, saddened to think that Jesus doubts him, replies each time more emphatically, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
But in his persistence, what was Jesus trying to do? Was it to make certain that Peter loved him or did He want to impress upon Peter the need to act on that love? Having received a profession of love, Jesus then needed an expression of that love. That is why He said, Feed My Sheep. We too are called to profess our love and to act on that profession.
The Annual Catholic Appeal makes it possible for each of us to be faithful to the mission of Christ: to feed and house the poor, to minister to the sick and discouraged, to educate our young people and to encourage strong, healthy, loving families.
For forty years, the Annual Catholic Appeal has brought Good News to thousands of our brothers and sisters throughout Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Today, I take this opportunity to appeal to you directly to support this annual fundraising effort and share in Christ’s work.
The monies raised in the Annual Catholic Appeal are used to support ministries such as Casa San Francisco in Milton, Delaware that provides emergency help to the poor and homeless and Seton Center, a multi-purpose neighborhood community center in Princess Anne, Maryland. Through your gifts, Catholic Charities offers Basic Needs Programs to help low-income individuals and families become more self-sufficient and avert the threat of homelessness, and offers counseling for those troubled by addiction or mental challenge. Catholic Charities helps to resettle refugees from countries of oppression, and they bring comfort, protective love, and support for women with troubled pregnancies at Bayard House.
Dollars raised through the Appeal support our Catholic high schools, who share the light of Christ’s teaching in an atmosphere of respect and joy. Your donations provide funds for youth activities through our CYM programs such as sports, service outreach, and social events, and they bring the message of the Gospel to children and young adults in our schools, religious education programs, and college campuses.
The work of our Pro-Life Office promotes Catholic teachings on human life issues and encourages parishes and individuals to put those teachings into practice.
Those involved in Hispanic Ministry strive to meet both the spiritual and real life needs of so many who were once strangers and are now our friends in the Body of Christ.
The money you donate supports the works of our chaplains who bring God’s grace and healing in the sacraments to the sick in hospitals, to the elderly in nursing homes, and to those imprisoned.
The 2016 Annual Catholic Appeal, with its theme, Blessed are the Merciful for They Shall Obtain Mercy, reminds us that we are given the opportunity to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ through our actions, touching people’s lives and offering hope.
The Church’s Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy are the driving force behind every ministry and service supported by the Appeal. Your participation enables the diocese to reach out in mercy and love to those in need.
In a few moments you will be asked to complete a pledge card and financially support the 2016 Annual Catholic Appeal. I pray that you will consider making a sacrifice to this very important annual effort.
May God reward you for your goodness to all those who ask for help in His Name.
Please visit our website to learn more about our Appeal!
