WASHINGTON • The annual special Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe will be taken up in most dioceses on Ash Wednesday, March 6. The funds collected are used to support seminaries, youth ministry, social service programs, pastoral centers, church construction and renovation and Catholic communications projects in 28 counties in Central and Eastern Europe.

“As we embark on our Lenten journey it is a fitting time to remember our sisters and brothers in Central and Eastern Europe, who are working to restore the Church and build the future after decades of oppression,” said Bishop Jeffrey Monforton of the Steubenville Diocese and chairman of the Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe.

“I thank the American faithful for their support. As a Paschal people, we help bring God’s consolation and the hope of rebirth when we extend our generosity to those in need.”

In 2017, the Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe awarded more than $9 million through more than 300 grants. Among projects recently supported is the construction of a Catholic youth center in a remote part of Georgia, helping to form a new generation of disciples.

The Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe (CCEE) oversees the collection and an annual grant program as part of the USCCB Committee on National Collections.

More information about the collection, including detailed information about who it supports and how the funds are distributed, can be found at usccb.org/ccee. People who live in dioceses that do not participate in the collection or who wish to give directly can learn how to give usccb.org/catholic-giving/opportunities-for-giving/central-and-eastern-europe/how-to-give.cfm.