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Bishops Approve $470,000 For Catholic Home Missions In Special Funding Cycle

WASHINGTON (March 27, 2008)— The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions has approved $470,000 to be allocated to 22 dioceses that were not funded in the regular 2007 funding cycle. These funds will assist mission dioceses to meet urgent pastoral needs of local Catholics. Funding is being provided for Hispanic ministry, seminarian education, youth ministry, evangelization, lay ministry, diaconate training, and communications.

The mission dioceses that will be funded for designated pastoral programs from July 2008 – December 2008 are: Beaumont, Texas; Bismarck, North Dakota; Boise, Idaho; Byzantine Eparchy of Parma, Pennsylvania ; Chalan-Kanoa (mission territory), Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands; Dodge City, Kansas; Fargo, North Dakota; Great Falls-Billings, Montana; Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana; Jefferson City, Missouri; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Little Rock, Arkansas; Marquette, Michigan; Owensboro, Kentucky; Reno, NV; Ruthenian Byzantine of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Salina, Kansas; San Antonio, Texas; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Savannah, Georgia; Spokane, Washington; Youngstown, Ohio.

These mission dioceses did not receive funds in 2007 due to $3 million dollars of emergency grants allocated to dioceses greatly affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. As a result, the overall amount to be disbursed the following years among mission dioceses was significantly reduced. The Subcommittee on Home Missions recognized the financial burdens these dioceses had to face during the past year and decided to respond through a special allocation of funds.

These dioceses and about 75 others may receive additional funding in January 2009 when the new annual grant cycle begins. The total amount to be disbursed in 2009 will be determined largely by the collection results of the 2008 Catholic Home Missions Appeal, to be held April 26-27.