This Lent, the Annual Catholic Appeal celebrates its 28th year. Approximately 140,000 Catholic households in the diocese will receive advance notice of this year’s appeal through a brochure and envelope sent to them by The Catholic Foundation.
Seventy-five percent of ACA donations fund social service needs throughout the diocese through agency programs and parish social ministries. The remaining 25 percent goes to seminarian education and tuition assistance for Catholic schools in the diocese’s most economically-challenged neighborhoods.
Generous contributions to last year’s appeal from more than 25,550 donor households totaled more than $3.89 million for the diocese’s network of Catholic social services to provide hope and help to men, women and children in Northern California. Your generous gifts to the Appeal help children find safety and hope, families break through desperate situations, marginalized individuals find the strength to rebuild lives of dignity, students in economically challenged communities remain in Catholic school, and seminarians prepare for priestly service in our parishes.
We may not be social workers, yet we are at the heart of mercy when we put our resources in the hands of social service programs and parish ministries that help lift people out of poverty. More than 200,000 individuals and families, through the tender mercy of the Lord Jesus, were given the chance to overcome difficult and sometimes dire circumstances.
At Masses throughout the diocese on Appeal Commitment Weekend, Feb. 10-11, parishioners will view a video featuring Bishop Jaime Soto, Auxiliary Bishop Myron J. Cotta, and some of the people who have been helped by programs and ministries that the ACA supports.
For more information about the Annual Catholic Appeal visit www.scd.org/aca. To make a secure donation online visit www.tcfsac.org/donate or watch for envelopes in your parish.
Please be as generous as you can. Every gift makes a difference.
