The parishes of the Diocese of Trenton will take up a second collection the weekend of Feb. 20-21 to benefit the Black and Indian Missions of the United States.
Recognizing a need to call the faithful to support missionary work among African American and Native American Catholics, the U.S. Catholic bishops established this charity for the Catholic Missions during the Third Plenary Council in Baltimore in 1884. The first national collection was designed to support missionary work.
The Black and Indian Mission Collection (BIMC) exists to help communities build the Catholic Church in the U.S. and preach the Gospel of Jesus among the African American, Native American, and Alaska Native people of God. Funds are distributed as grants to dioceses throughout the country, supporting and strengthening evangelization programs which otherwise would cease. The collection was formerly known as The Black and Indian Home Mission Collection.
Funds raised by the National Collection go toward providing grants to dioceses across the country to operate schools and parishes and undertake missionary outreach and evangelization programs. Among the priorities of the Black and Indian Mission Office are enlivening parish life and catechesis, helping educators reach children, encouraging vocations and empowering evangelizers.
For further information, see www.blackandindianmission.org.