By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami
MIAMI | No excuses, says Archbishop Thomas Wenski.
Yes, we’re living through hard times: a pandemic, political divisions, economic upheaval. But the Catholic Church remains “a beacon of hope” for many, and that light must not be extinguished.
One way to keep it turned on is to give to theArchBishop’s Charities and Development campaign, ABCD, whose 2022 edition will kick off in the parishes at the end of January.
“Now, more than ever, we must ‘let our light shine’ and live out Christ’s love and compassion in all we do,” the archbishop wrote in the letter announcing this year’s campaign.
“Hard economic times do not give us an excuse — as Catholics — not to seek the greater glory of God which should always be our first priority. Indeed, when times are tough, the needs addressed by the Church become even more critical; and to meet them, we must be willing to stretch ourselves ‘for the greater glory of God’,” the archbishop wrote.
What is ABCD? And why should you give to it? he asked.
“ABCD is love; it is hope; it is charity,” the archbishop wrote. It is “the power of one but the strength of many.” And “it is what enables the Church to fulfill its mission of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and bringing Him to people no matter where they are.”
Over the past year, ABCD helped continue the work of the archdiocese’s 109 parishes and missions in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties, and the 687 priests, deacons and religious who staff them.
ABCD helped over 10,000 people receive health care and medical aid. It helped teach over 56,700 children enrolled in parish schools and religious education programs. It helped over 130,000 families receive social services, including food, shelter and legal aid. It helped the Church’s Respect Life Pregnancy Centers deal with more than 5,100 visits from needy moms and moms-to-be.
In the case of ABCD, “love, hope and charity” can be quantified: over $3.5 million for the education of seminarians, clergy, deacons and religious; over $3.3 million for evangelization and faith formation in parishes; and over $4.4 million for social ministries and assisting parishes and people in poor communities.
Donations to ABCD come in the form of pledges paid in installments, beginning in March and concluding in February of the following year. The money does not go to support the individual parishes and is separate from the weekly offering. The 2021 ABCD campaign, which will officially conclude at the end of February, counted about 22,000 donors.
“I invite you to join me in supporting the ABCD,” the archbishop wrote, “an invitation to invest yourself, through the gifts that God has given you, in the work of the Church ‘for the greater glory of God.’ Whether you can contribute a lot or a little is not as important as the possibility of making your gifts available to God so that, as a Church, we can continue to give God ‘glory’.”
FIND OUT MORE
- ABCD pledge cards and materials are being mailed to people’s homes and distributed in every parish.
- Pledges also can be made online by going to https://give.adomdevelopment.org/abcd.
