Bishops observe World Day of the Poor with annual collection

Since 2016, the Catholic Church has observed the World Day of the Poor on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time as way for Catholics to reflect more deeply on our call to love the poor as our brothers and sisters. On November 15-16, parishes in many Catholic dioceses throughout the United States are able to observe this year’s World Day of the Poor by taking a collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the domestic anti-poverty initiative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
 
“Jesus reminds us that faith, even as small as a mustard seed, holds within it the power to transform the world. From something seemingly insignificant can grow a tree that offers shelter, hope, and new life. In many ways, that is the story of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, founded by the bishops of the United States in 1969. Through CCHD, the Church lives out the Gospel call to solidarity, fostering the capacity of people experiencing poverty to work together to confront the roots of injustice and build stronger, more just communities,” said Bishop Timothy Senior of Harrisburg, chairman of the bishops’ Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. “This same spirit of faith takes root in our own communities, where twenty-five percent of every CCHD collection stays within the diocese. These funds support local efforts that uplift our neighbors, strengthen families, and help build a future of hope.”
 
CCHD provides crucial support to both growing and longstanding organizations that promote justice, neighborhood improvement, and job creation for marginalized groups in both urban and rural communities across the United States.
 
Bishop Senior cited four organizations as examples that illustrate the wholistic efforts of CCHD to help communities improve nutrition, reduce violence, prepare for natural disasters, and combat environmental pollution. One counters violence and pollution on Chicago’s South Side, two support small farmers and ranchers in contrasting climates, and one saves lives in hurricane zones:
 

• Together New Orleans was able to partner with local government officials and improve hurricane response with a CCHD grant that allowed installation of commercial-grade solar arrays on strategically-located churches and other community buildings that serve as emergency shelters. The pilot project of 15 “Community Lighthouses” is now so successful that Louisiana has allocated $200 million to build 345 statewide.
• In Minnesota’s Twin Cities, the Sustainable Farming Association offers workshops and mentoring to help small farmers and ranchers build thriving, environmentally-sound businesses. A CCHD grant has increased events that address issues such as soil improvement, financial management, and mental health.
• In New Mexico, La Cosecha Community-Supported Agriculture -- a cooperative farming network – used a CCHD grant to help run a food coop for the poor, market locally-grown organic vegetables to institutional buyers, and provide food education to local students. 
• On Chicago’s South Side, a CCHD grant underwrote the Alliance of the Southeast as it trained teenagers in community leadership. Those teens have had key roles successfully opposing plans for a nearby toxic waste dump, launching violence-prevention initiatives in schools, and instigating the renovation of moldy, rat-infested public housing.

 
While CCHD grant recipients include nonsectarian, ecumenical, and interreligious organizations, all must abide by Catholic moral teaching, including respect for human life from conception until natural death and prioritizing the concerns of the poor.  
 
In 2024, the bishops awarded $2.24 million in grants.
 
“World Day of the Poor is an invitation for us to pray and to act, to build a world that truly recognizes the God-given dignity of our brothers and sisters who are most vulnerable,” Bishop Senior said. “One concrete way to respond to this call is by participating in the collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. I invite you to remember the Lord’s words about the mustard seed: even the smallest act of faith can, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, grow into something that transforms lives and renews communities, both across our nation and within your own diocese.”
 
Some dioceses take the collection on a date other than November 15-16. If you are unable to give to the collection at your parish but wish to support CCHD’s national antipoverty efforts, the online giving platform iGiveCatholic accepts funds for CCHD.
 
More information is at www.usccb.org/cchd.  

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