Collection for Catholic Relief Services

Collection for Catholic Relief Services

1 Mar 2024 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Soon our diocese will take up The Catholic Relief Services Collection. Your support for this collection provides emergency assistance to victims of war and natural disasters; assists migrants and refugees who need housing, education, and specialized legal assistance; and supports travelers and others whose livelihoods require special pastoral support to access the sacraments. In addition to aiding those with immediate needs, your support helps long-term efforts to build peace in regions that have been affected by decades of conflicts.

Although active fighting in the Korean War ceased with an armistice agreement in 1953, a lasting peace has never been established. In the intervening 70 years, relations among North Korea, South Korea and the United States have grown in complexity, especially with the increasing recent threat of nuclear weapons.

The Catholic Church stands against the scourge of war and the proliferation of nuclear weapons without exception, as a world mission and voice to build lasting peace in place of war. The Catholic Institute of Northeast Asia Peace (CINAP) was founded in 2015 to strengthen communications among the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan, and the Holy See. In 2017, CINAP hosted its first international conference, the Catholic Korea Peace Forum.

The sixth annual Catholic Korea Peace Forum gathered in October 2022 in Washington, DC, bringing together church leaders from North and South Korea and the United States – including the USCCB’s International Justice and Peace (IJP) committee chairman – as well as experts, scholars, and government officials from the United States, South Korea, and Japan.  As co-organizer of the Forum, IJP was integral to the Church’s mission to pray and work for just and lasting peace on the Korean peninsula. This crucial work is made possible with the support IJP receives from The Catholic Relief Services Collection. Your support of this collection makes a difference for so many around the globe. Please prayerfully consider how you can support the collection this year.

Sincerely your in Christ,

+Most Reverend Louis Tylka, Bishop of Peoria

This collection will take place March 9-10, 2024 at St. Philomena. If you wish to pay by check, please make it payable to ST. PHILOMENA. If you choose to give online by using the DONATE button at the top of this page, select Second Collection as the FUND, and then Catholic Relief Services as the SUB FUND.