With roots leading back to the seventh century, the annual Peter’s Pence Collection will take place in the Diocese of Trenton July 2, aiming to contribute to Pope Francis’ charitable works worldwide.
Collected each year globally on the weekend closest to the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the Peter’s Pence Collection enables the Holy Father to respond to emergencies with financial assistance, directing funds to those most in need as a result of war, oppression and natural disasters. Participation in the collection also allows faithful Catholics to respond tangibly in a way that empowers the weak, defenseless and voiceless, as well as to sustain those suffering.
Jesus himself received material aid to support himself and the 12 apostles as they proclaimed the Good News, the Peter’s Pence website points out. “With this aid they also assisted those most in need (Jn 12:4-7). After Pentecost, in the time of the Church, the need was felt to support those who dedicated themselves fully to the proclamation of the Gospel (1 Tim 5:17-18).”
Bishop James S. Wall – Bishop of Gallup, Tex., and chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on National Collections – pointed out in a letter to pastors and parish administrators some of the ways in which the Peter’s Pence funds have helped.
“Sickle cell disease is a genetic illness that can cause serious conditions in those it affects, including strokes, infections, kidney disease, and episodes of severe pain,” he wrote. “The Republic of Congo has one of the world’s highest cases of sickle cell disease in the world. Medicines that treat the condition are difficult to obtain, are expensive, and are rarely available in Congo, leaving vulnerable sickle cell patients – such as the children in an orphanage near Brazzaville – especially at risk of complications. In response to this urgent need, Pope Francis donated a supply of these valuable medicines to the orphanage to treat the children in its care.”
Bishop Wall noted that “Parishioner contributions to the Peter’s Pence collection help fund not only all the activities of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia that assist the Pope in the exercise of his ministry, but also a number of solidarity projects that aid those most in need.”
In his 2021 Message for Lent, Pope Francis highlighted the biblical context for giving and its potential. “A small amount, if given with love, never ends, but becomes a source of life and happiness,” the Pope said. “Such was the case with the jar of meal and jug of oil of the widow of Zarephath, who offered a cake of bread to the prophet Elijah (cf. 1 Kings17:7-16); it was also the case with the loaves blessed, broken and given by Jesus to the disciples to distribute to the crowd (cf. Mk 6:30-44). Such is the case too with our almsgiving, whether small or large, when offered with joy and simplicity.”
To learn more about the ways in which Peter’s Pence supports the Holy Father’s ministry of mercy, visit www.obolodisanpietro.va/en/cos-e-l-obolo.html (English) or www.obolodisanpietro.va/es/cos-e-l-obolo.html (Español).