In 2023, the Catholic Home Missions Appeal raised more than $9.8 million toward grants for dioceses with limited resources.
“The faithful who live in the mission dioceses give sacrificially to support their parishes and essential ministries, despite their own limited means,” McKnight continued in the statement.
“I am grateful to them for their prayerful sacrifices, and I am also deeply appreciative to the faithful in other dioceses across the country who give to the Catholic Home Missions Appeal to help the Church maintain its presence and minister to their neighbors,” he noted.
Grants support everything from youth ministry to subsidizing vocations work for parishes with limited staffing. Seminary education, faith formation, evangelization, young adult ministry, and pro-life ministries are all encouraged by the program.
For instance, a 2023 grant helped the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana to bring more people to Mass through a mentorship-based faith formation program.
After two years without ordinations, the Wisconsin Diocese of Superior had its largest ordination class in decades following a priestly vocations outreach program.
The program also helped the Diocese of Stockton, California, to be able to organize an annual evangelization congress of Hispanic and Latino young adults who are “leading their peers to Christ,” the release noted.
“Ultimately it is the Holy Spirit who transforms hearts, leads people to Christ, and inspires them to greater virtue,” McKnight said. “Yet the Spirit uses your financial gifts to the Catholic Home Missions Appeal to help bring this about.”
“When you give, no matter how large or small the amount, you are an instrument in the hands of God, bringing faith, hope, and love to your neighbors,” he added.
This story was updated on April 5, 2024, at 4:52 p.m. ET to include comments from Catholic Home Missions Director Kevin Day.
Kate Quiñones is a staff writer for Catholic News Agency and a fellow of the College Fix. She has been published by the Wall Street Journal, the Denver Catholic Register, and CatholicVote, and she graduated from Hillsdale College. She lives in Colorado with her husband.