My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Greetings in the Lord! On November 19-20, our archdiocese will take up the national collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Your support for this collection brings change to communities across the country and empowers those living in poverty to transform the places where they live into reflections of the Kingdom of God. In addition to making an impact nationally, those living in poverty in our own diocese are empowered by the 25% share of our collection that stays here.
On the local level, your donations will benefit Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which serves abused and neglected children in Jefferson, Bullitt, Henry, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties. CCHD funds support CASA’s Advocacy Academy and Support Program, which is responsible for the recruiting, training and pairing of CASA volunteers (CASAs) with abused/neglected children, as well as continuing education, case management and ongoing supervision of CASAs.
Your donations also will support St. Vincent de Paul Outreach Ministries in Bardstown, Ky. St. Vincent de Paul will use CCHD grants to teach financial literacy skills to clients of the emergency rent and utility assistance program. This training will help clients develop the ability to identify and modify behaviors that lead to the need for rent, utilities and food assistance.
On the national level, CCHD funds programs such as Utah’s Disabled Rights Action Committee (DRAC), which has been providing services and advocating for the rights of people with disabilities since the early 1990s. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, people with disabilities were particularly vulnerable to sickness due to conditions in care facilities and a lack of protective gear.
With funding from CCHD, DRAC provided material assistance in the form of protective gear and cash assistance. At the same time, DRAC was able to expand its advocacy outreach to public officials and community members by conducting meetings online rather than in person.
When your parish participates in the CCHD collection, your contributions help organizations like CASA, DRAC and St. Vincent de Paul protect and advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable across the country. Please prayerfully consider how you can help CCHD this year. If you would like more information about the collection and the people it supports, visit www.usccb.org/cchd.
Please know that I remain,
Sincerely in the Lord,
Most Reverend Shelton J. Fabre
Archbishop of Louisville
