Special Parish Collections

At the parish level, each month we have special collections for the following purposes.

• Buildings and Grounds. This is not used for routine maintenance but is for enhancements to our existing facilities. That can include remodeling, purchasing art, or adding new facilities. This offering is on the first Sunday of the month.
• St. Vincent de Paul. This organization is the primary parish organization that helps members and non-members who have difficulty paying their bills. This offering is the last Sunday of the month.

On an annual basis, we have offerings for Christmas and Easter flowers, and funeral dinners. Besides the envelopes, you can give them to these collections via Faith Direct.

Operation Rice Bowl

Each year during Lent, the parish participates in Operation Rice Bowl. On Fridays, as we abstain from meat and eat less expensive foods, we donate the money we save on food to Operation Rice Bowl. This is a primary support of Catholic Relief Services, which is a ministry of the United States Catholic Bishops offering humanitarian relief throughout the world in response to famine, natural disasters, war, and poverty. 75% of the donations go throughout the world for these purposes, while 25% of the donations stay in the Archdiocese to support programs here at home.

During Lent, you can pick up a small cardboard “rice bowl” in which you can place your offering every Friday during Lent. At the end of Lent, we take the money out of the bowl, write a check for the donation, put it in the provided envelope, and place it in the collection basket.

Special Collections

For the Archdiocese and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, we schedule the following special offerings during the year. The dates may vary from year to year:

• Archdiocesan Development Fund (February)
• Mission offering for Native Americans and African Americans. (March)
• Holy Land Offering, for support of Catholic shrines and activities in Israel and Palestine (Good Friday)
• Catholic Relief Services (Easter Sunday)
• Catholic Home Missions (April)
• Birth Choice (May)
• Priests Medical Fund (Pentecost)
• Peter’s Pence (June)
• Catholic Communications Campaign (July)
• Catholic University & St. Gregory’s University (August)
• Catholic Charities Annual Appeal (usually in September)
• Mission Sunday (October)
• Retirement Fund for the Religious (November)

You can donate to these special offerings via your envelope in the collection basket, cash in the 2nd offering basket (the green basket), or via Faith Direct.