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A Message from Bishop Doran
March 2008
Dear Friends in Christ:
At the beginning of Lent, we
listened to the Prophet Isaiah who reminded us of what is an acceptable fast
before the Lord. He said,
This … is the fasting that I wish:
Releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the
homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your
own. Isaiah 58:6-7 |
Each cause supported by this
International Appeal bases its mission on the core theme from this challenging
reading from Isaiah - reaching out and responding with generosity and love to
the poor and needy wherever they are.
Peter’s Pence provides our
Holy Father with funds so that he can respond to hunger, homelessness, war and
natural disasters throughout the world. Catholic Relief Services is the
US Bishops’ Overseas relief and development agency which is active in every
corner of the world. Central and Eastern European Church Collection
supports the Church in the former communist countries which is struggling to
reestablish itself. Finally, the World Wide Disaster Relief – A Rockford
Diocesan Response provides me with funds to immediately respond to requests
from around the world without asking for second collections in our parishes all
the time.
Please join me in supporting these
worthy causes by your prayers and generous donations to the International
Appeal.
With every personal good wish, I
remain
Cordially yours in Christ,
The Most Reverend Thomas
G. Doran, D.D., J.C.D.
Bishop of Rockford
Peter's Pence
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Let us make sure that none of God’s children ever feels
alone is the theme for Peter’s Pence Collection for the works of the
Holy Father. The Collection is an opportunity for all Catholics to share
a witness of goodness by helping the world’s most vulnerable
people—those suffering the devastating impact of war, oppression,
disease, and natural disasters. For more information, please visit
www.usccb.org/ppc. Last year,
the people of the Diocese contributed $146,941 to this collection.
Catholic Relief Services Collection (CRS)
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The Catholic Relief Services Collection was established 60
years ago as the Bishops’ Welfare Emergency Relief Fund and supports
agencies that build the international social ministry of the Catholic
Church. Ministries include relief and resettlement services to the
victims of war and natural disasters, development programs to improve
the living conditions of the poor, advocacy on behalf of the powerless,
peace and reconciliation work for people suffering from violence, and
assisting vulnerable and poor newcomers with their immigration process
needs. Last year, the people of this Diocese contributed $132,214 to
this appeal.
Aide to the
Catholic Church in Central and Eastern Europe
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Help the elderly of war-torn Sarajevo, Bosnia, with a new
Catholic home, already half-completed. Help Catholics in Moldova, the
poorest country in Europe, to build churches in places where they still
worship in apartments. Support the Catholic primary and secondary school
in Prizren, Kosovo. Support Catholic new high schools in Lithuania,
Albania, and Slovenia. Spread Catholic higher education in Poland,
Hungry, Slovakia, Ukraine and Croatia. Last year the people of the
Diocese contributed $46,242 to this appeal.
World-wide and US Disaster Relief Fund: Rockford Diocese Response
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Whenever a natural disaster occurs, Bishop Doran receives numerous
petitions for financial assistance from his brother bishops in the
affected area. With the creation of this fund, he has resources
available to respond. He responds in name of the people of the Rockford
Diocese and sends our concern for their wellbeing. This past year Bishop
Doran sent $5,000 to Pastoral Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa.
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