October 1, 2006

By now you no doubt received a letter from Bishop Clark announcing the Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA). The name has changed from TGA, but the cause remains. The theme this year is, "A Time to Share . . . For Generations to Come".

The CMA enables the Diocese of Rochester to touch so many lives. Here are but a few examples:

• 31,000 children receive religious education in our parishes.
• Your gifts help us to train catechists, supply resources and plan curriculum.
• 250,000 people in our diocese were helped by Catholic Charities. Among them, people in poverty, the aged, and the homeless, those who lost jobs, families struggling with domestic issues.
• 1,800 teens were able to attend youth rallies and more than 800 were recognized with the Hands of Christ Award.
• Our migrant ministry (including La Casa) brought help and solace to countless migrant families with children who labor so hard here in our diocese to make ends meet.
• 557 folks were welcomed into the Catholic Church through the RCIA program.

All of these are real people - our fellow pilgrims on the journey. Simply put, the Church could not do any of these things and many more without your help.

Over the next few weeks we will be sharing more about this effort. Most of all it will work because of your help. If each household will join in sharing our many blessings we will reach our parish goal of $90,000.

Please take the time to read the materials you receive and pray over making a generous gift for those who are hurting - as St. Paul suggests, "faith without good deeds is useless".

Please help us so that together we can do God's work more effectively.

Peace,
Fr. Chuck