Parishes in the Diocese of Trenton will join parishes throughout the country in participating in the annual Collection for the Church in Latin America the weekend of Jan. 24-25.
Sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the collection began more than 50 years ago as a means of financial support and expression of solidarity between Catholics in the United States with those from Mexico to the Caribbean to the southern tip of South America.
According to Bishop Octavio Cisneros, auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y., and chair of the USCCB’s subcommittee for the Church in Latin America, the collection supports pastoral programs including religious education, vocations to the priesthood and religious life, the formation of catechists and lay ministers and initiatives to build stronger marriages and families throughout the region.
In a videotaped message produced by the USCCB Bishop Cisneros said that “Catholics have always followed the teachings of Scripture and Tradition by recognizing Christ in the faces of our brothers and sisters. By helping those in need, we honor Christ and imitate him by teaching, preaching and living the Gospel,” said Bishop Cisneros. “You continue that work with your support for the Church in Latin America where families and young people are eager disciples but face challenges resulting from remote geography, poverty and natural disasters.”
“When you give to the Church in Latin America Collection, you draw a closer relationship with these disciples,” Bishop Cisneros said. “In doing so, you share your faith today and help build a stronger Church for tomorrow.”