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WASHINGTON (May 13, 1998) -- The Campaign for Human Development, the Catholic Church's domestic anti-poverty program, has added "Catholic" to its official name. Its name is now the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).
"The addition of the word 'Catholic' strengthens the Campaign's Catholic identity and sponsorship and is a faithful linkage with our history when the program was first called a 'Catholic Crusade Against Poverty,'" said Bishop Ricardo Ramirez, Chairman of the U.S. Bishops' CCHD Committee.
The name change was recommended by the CCHD Committee and received a unanimous vote of approval from the Administrative Committee of the Bishops' Conference during its recent meeting.
"People of all faiths in communities around the country know of the work of the Campaign for Human Development, but are not aware that it is an integral part of the Catholic Church's social mission," Bishop Ramirez said. "Inserting 'Catholic' in such a visible, up-front manner clearly and definitively proclaims the Campaign's identity."
Founded by the Catholic Bishops of the United States in 1970, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is the nation's largest private funder of projects that empower the poor and work to eliminate poverty and injustice in the United States. In the last 28 years, CCHD distributed nearly $250 million in grants to more than 3,500 self-help projects nationwide. Grants are awarded based on need, not religious affiliation.
The Campaign's on-going grant-making and justice education programs are supported through an annual collection in Catholic parishes throughout the country, usually taken up on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. This year it will be November 21-22.
For additional information about the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, contact Barbara Stephenson at (202) 541-3364 (bstephenson@nccbuscc.org) or visit the CCHD website: www.nccbuscc.org/chd.