SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST

While the Weekly Offertory and the Annual Appeal comprise the bulk of our operating income, the special collections are also an important part of stewardship here at St. John's. Rather than a general "second" collection for the parish, we target those collections for the support of specific ministries and outreach, hence the title "Parish Mission and Development."

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We have included descriptions of the special collections below, so you may prayerfully consider your gift. As always, we are humbled by and grateful for your continued support.

 

Special Collections

We are so blessed to have thoughtful, generous parishioners who support the good works of our faith community with their time, talent, and treasure. Several have asked for more information about the special collections that occur throughout the year. Information about each collection appears below.

Collections marked "Parish" stay with St. John’s, while collections marked "Diocesan" are forwarded to the Diocese of Fall River. Most Diocesan collections are national collections. As such, funds are then sent to national organizations. A portion of the funds remain with the Fall River Diocese and are used within diocesan bounds.

The second collection for Parish Mission and Development is important to help us further the mission of the parish.

 

The St. Vincent de Paul envelope is forwarded to the Parish’s St. Vincent DePaul Society to aid our brothers and sisters in the community. This envelope may be placed in with the First Collection on the last Sunday of each month. This will NOT be a separate collection.

 

Initial Offering (Parish)
This is used to offset the costs of the envelope program.

 

Assessment (Parish)
The Chancery assists parishes in many ways, from legal advice and recommendations, to health care negotiations, to insurance issues and other administrative support. Your donations to the Assessment collection helps ensure we are able to meet this important financial obligation.

Catholic Communications (Diocesan)
In 1979, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) established the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC) to respond to the domestic communications needs of the Catholic Church in the United States. Through the CCC, the US Bishops fund media programming, projects, and resources that promote Gospel values and foster the pastoral teachings of the Catholic Church.

The work of the CCC, including the funds set aside for these grants, is made possible by the generous donations of Catholic parishioners from all across the country to the CCC’s annual appeal. Proceeds from this collection are divided equally between each diocese and the CCC’s national office in Washington, DC.

 

Dioceses use their 50% share of the CCC Collection to support local communications efforts such as televised Masses and diocesan newspapers. And, on the national level, CCC funds support the development and production of a wide range of media programming.

For more than 25 years, the CCC has been serving dioceses and parishioners by spreading faith-filled messages locally and nationally on radio, television, in print and on the Internet. (Source: http://www.usccb.org/ccc)

 

Recent projects: "Picturing Mary" -- available to PBS affiliates
The Virgin Mary has been portrayed as much as any woman in history. For almost two thousand years, artist sought the image of the perfect woman, encompassing the virtues, joys and sorrows of the human race. Picturing Mary takes the viewer on an artistic journey through history, crossing four continents just as the image of Mary crossed the globe. In every medium, from tiny personal images to gigantic mosaics—masterpieces and works less familiar to the audience—the image of Mary has provided a mother figure that has protected cities and even become a national symbol.
 

The Anchor (Diocesan)
This collection goes toward costs associated with the Fall River Diocesan newspaper, The Anchor.

 

Home Missions (Diocesan)
The bishops' Committee on the Home Missions (CHM) evangelizes by giving financial support to missionary activities that strengthen and extend the presence of the Church in the United States and its dependencies. Through its annual fundraising campaign, the Catholic Home Missions Appeal, the CHM educates U.S. Catholics regarding mission needs and invites them to assist fellow Catholics in the practice of their faith.

Funded Groups/Programs: The CHM primarily serves home mission dioceses, that is, those unable to provide their people with the basic pastoral ministries of word, worship and service without outside help. It may also give grants to other dioceses for particular projects, and to organizations and religious communities engaged in missionary work.

The CHM helps fund diocesan evangelization efforts, parish religious education programs, seminarian education, lay ministry training and the pastoral care of growing ethnic and migrant communities on both diocesan and national levels.

Funding Sources: The Catholic Home Missions Appeal was established by the bishops in June 1997 to guarantee continued funding for the home missions. (Source: http://www.usccb.org/hm)

For more information, such as stories, pictures, and a calendar of events, visit http://www.usccb.org/hm/

 

Catholic University (Diocesan)
The Catholic University of America, located in Washington, D.C., is the national university of the Catholic Church. Founded in 1887, CUA offers students an excellent education in a faith-filled atmosphere that is grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition. The Collection for The Catholic University of America underwrites scholarships to assist financially deserving students in completing their education at CUA in over 50 disciplines.
(Source: http://www.usccb.org/nationalcollections/ncdescriptions.shtml#7)

Please visit www.cua.edu for more information.

 

Easter Altar Flowers (Parish)
This parish collection is used toward the cost of Easter Altar Flowers.

 

Catholic Relief Services (Diocesan)
The Catholic Relief Services Collection supports emergency relief, human development, and peace initiatives in 99 countries around the world, where nearly half the population lives on less than $2.00 a day. The collection supports the ministries of five Catholic Church organizations: Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), Migration and Refugee Services (MRS), Social Development and World Peace (SDWP), and The Holy Father’s Relief Fund. (Source: http://www.usccb.org/nationalcollections/ncdescriptions.shtml#6).

Please visit http://www.usccb.org/crscollection for more information.
 

 

Good Friday (Diocesan)
While the countries of central and eastern Europe and the former USSR endured decades of communist oppression, the Church suffered grave wounds to its spiritual life and pastoral capacity to serve its people. For generations Church leaders were killed or imprisoned. Catechists were persecuted, and churches, monasteries, and seminaries were closed or destroyed.

 

As a result of this severe repression, the Church was greatly weakened. The bishops of the region are faced with the formidable task of restoring its church structures and, more importantly, rebuilding the spiritual center of its communities.

 

The Office to Aid the Catholic Church in Central and Eastern Europe provides a focal point for Catholics of the United States to express our compassion and solidarity with our brothers and sisters whose faith has endured such great suffering. (Source: http://www.usccb.org/aee/about.shtml )

For more information, please visit: http://www.usccb.org/aee/

 

Easter (First Collection)
Funds collected are used to further the parish mission.

Easter, Retired Priests
This collection goes to the diocese to assist in the overall expenses of supporting our retired priests.

Ascension (Parish)
These funds are used to further the mission of the parish.


Ecclesiastical Students (Diocesan)
This is the collection which assists the Bishop in the education of future priests. The collection, therefore, helps support seminarians as they prepare for priestly service to God's people.

Church in Latin America (Diocesan)
The Collection for the Church in Latin America promotes solidarity throughout the hemisphere by providing support for pastoral projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.

 

Through its grants and partnerships, CLA supports catechetical and lay leadership programs, youth ministry, evangelization programs, and formation programs for religious, priests, and deacons. CLA is making it possible for the Catholic faithful in the Western hemisphere to help each other. (Source: http://www.usccb.org/nationalcollections/ncdescriptions.shtml#8).

Please visit www.usccb.org/latinamerica for more information.

 

Peter's Pence/Holy Father (Diocesan)
The Peter’s Pence Collection helps the Holy Father provide emergency assistance to suffering people throughout the world. Contributions to the Peter’s Pence Collection are given directly by the Holy Father to individuals who are suffering from immediate emergencies as a result of war, oppression, and natural disasters.
(Source: http://www.usccb.org/nationalcollections/ncdescriptions.shtml#8).

Please visit www.usccb.org/ppc for more information.

Assumption (Parish)
These funds are used to further the mission of the parish.

SJE Faith Formation (Parish)
This collection helps support books, supplies, and other expenses associated with Faith Formation.

Cardinal Medeiros Residence (Diocesan)
Funds are allocated to the home for our retired Priests.

Mission Sunday (Diocesan)
By Baptism, all Catholics are called to participate in the mission of the Church, called to share their faith as missionaries. World Mission Sunday gathers support for the pastoral and evangelizing programs and needs of more than 1,150 mission dioceses in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and remote regions of Latin America. The funds gathered on World Mission Sunday are distributed in the pope’s name by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith—a Pontifical Mission Society.
(Source: http://www.usccb.org/nationalcollections/ncdescriptions.shtml#12).

Please visit www.worldmissions-catholicchurch.org for more information.

All Saints Day (Parish)
These funds are used to further the mission of the parish.

Campaign for Human Development (Diocesan)
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development works to uphold the dignity of human life by breaking the cycle of poverty across the United States through grants to local community-based groups who create jobs, improve education, and strengthen neighborhoods.

Twenty-five percent of the CCHD collection stays in the diocese to fund local anti-poverty projects; seventy-five percent supports national grant and education programs.

 

CCHD helps break the cycle of poverty not just for one day, but for a lifetime.
(Source: http://www.usccb.org/nationalcollections/ncdescriptions.shtml#3)

Please visit www.usccb.org/cchd/index.shtml for more information.

Immaculate Conception (Parish)
Second collections on Holy Days not notated elsewhere allow us to fund the works of such ministries as the St. Vincent de Paul Society (in addition to their private donor).

Retired Religious (Diocesan)
More than 37,000 of the nation’s women and men religious are past age 70 and their total cost of living exceeded $925 million in 2005. The assets and resources of most religious institutes are not adequate for retirement needs and the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) helps religious institutes address critical eldercare issues.

In 2005, NRRO distributed $27 million in Basic Grants to 525 religious institutes. Through its annual appeal for the Retirement Fund for Religious, NRRO:
*Raises funds for retirement planning, retirement funds, and emergency needs.

*Informs American Catholics about the current circumstances of women and men religious who enriched our lives and helped shape the society in which we live. (Source: http://www.usccb.org/nrro/index.shtml)

 

For more information, including facts, reports, and events, please visit: http://www.usccb.org/nrro/index.shtml).

 

Christmas Altar Flowers (Parish)
Funds collected are used to offset the costs of Christmas Altar Flowers.

Christmas Collection (Parish)
Your gift to the parish to aid in the good works of our faith community.