This weekend parishes in the Diocese of Fall River and many others will take up the Collection for the Church in Latin America, which supports ministries among the poor in Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Many people in Latin America and the Caribbean lack access to church programs and ministries because of a rising secular culture, rugged rural terrain, and a shortage of ministers. Your generosity enables our brothers and sisters in Latin America and the Caribbean to share in the life of the Church and grow closer to Christ.
Bishop da Cunha is chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America, which oversees this annual collection and the grants it funds. In a release on the collection, he explained, “This annual collection exemplifies the spiritual journey of Pope Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago but spent most of his ministry serving the poor in Peru.”
During the decade that then-Bishop Robert Prevost was Bishop of Chiclayo, his diocese received several grants from the Collection for the Church in Latin America. With this support, the diocese improved youth ministry in impoverished parishes, promoted care for the environment and educated thousands of parents, teachers and catechists in the prevention of child abuse.
Bishop da Cunha pointed out, “The Second Vatican Council, which ended a dozen years before Robert Prevost entered the Augustinian order, encouraged Catholics to reach out in love across all national borders, especially those between the wealthy global north and the developing global south. Pope Leo XIV’s faith journey embodies the spirit of why the bishops of the United States created the Church in Latin America program six decades ago to make an impact in Latin America.”
You can learn more here.
