‘One in Christ’ Collection Helps Beyond and in Rockford Diocese
National Appeal Weekend Jan. 15-16
By Amanda Hudson, News Editor
January 13, 2022
DIOCESE—The “One in Christ” National Appeal is scheduled to be taken up at Masses in parishes across the Rockford Diocese this weekend, Jan. 15-16.
This first of combined appeals for 2022 will include four national collections as well as two diocesan collections. Parishioners are given the option for their donation to benefit one or more of these appeals, or to be distributed according to Bishop David Malloy’s discretion.
Instead of collecting for each of these appeals over six weeks, donations for all six collections will be gathered during this one weekend.
The individual collections, all serving people in the United States, include:
♦ The Retirement Fund for Religious: This annual appeal helps over 26,000 elderly Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests. For many years these religious men and women devoted themselves to serving God in mission, parish and Catholic school work, and for many years were paid only small stipends, room and board. As a result, many religious communities have a difficult time supporting the needs of their elder members. Last year, the Rockford Diocese gave $165,918 to this appeal.
Info: retiredreligious.org
♦ The Catholic Communications Campaign: This appeal supports efforts by the U.S. Catholic Church and this diocese to spread the Good News of Christ through a variety of technologies, old and new. In 2021, this diocese distributed $90,066 to this appeal.
Info: usccb.org
♦ The Catholic Campaign for Human Development: This appeal for CCHD provides grants to community-based groups that create jobs, improve education and strengthen neighborhoods. The Rockford Diocese receives 25% of what is collected for this appeal to fund local anti-poverty efforts. Diocesan Catholics contributed $21,981 to this appeal last year.
Info: usccb.org/cchd
♦Catholic University of America: CUA was established in 1887 and serves more than 6,000 students with an education that is grounded in Catholic intellectual tradition. Donations to this appeal go directly to financial assistance for students from across the U.S. Currently over 40 CUA students come from Illinois and seven come from the Rockford Diocese. Last year, the diocese gave $6,424 to this appeal.
♦ Diocesan Catholic elementary schools: This part of the combined collection assists struggling diocesan Catholic elementary schools to continue to provide a Catholic education to their students along with religious and moral formation. Needy schools of the diocese received $286,833 from this collection in 2021.
♦ The diocesan priests’ pension: The Diocese of Rockford has a priests’ pension program to support our 40 currently-retired priests, many of whom serve diocesan Catholics as they are able, including as spiritual leaders, counselors, ministers to the sick and at parish Masses. This program also will support our priests who will retire. Last year Catholics in the diocese contributed $136,793 to support diocesan retired priests.
“Your support … empowers local communities, shares the Gospel message with our neighbors, and cares for elderly religious,” says Bishop Malloy in his national appeal letter.
“Rather than make separate collections for the requests of this appeal,” he adds, “… our diocese has opted to combine these requests into three separate appeals spaced throughout the year.”
Two other “One in Christ” combined collections will come later in 2022: the International Appeal and the Mission Appeal.
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