SECOND COLLECTIONS

ARCHDIOCESE OF ATLANTA COLLECTIONS

Archdiocesan Hispanic Ministries. (January)
Supports the needs of an estimated 500,000 local Hispanic and Latino residents in the context of their language and cultures.

Archdiocesan Seminarians. (Spring & Fall).
Supports the training and formation of our seminarians as they study, discern, and prepare to become future priests of our archdiocese.

Mission Cooperative Program. (July)
Every year, the Archbishop of Atlanta receives requests for financial assistance from dioceses in developing countries and from religious orders of men and women serving throughout the world. A few requests also come from American dioceses in financial crisis. From these applications, the Archbishop selects several worthy requests to receive financial assistance and splits the monies collected among those selected.

Archdiocese of Atlanta's St. Vincent de Paul Society. (September)

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul empowers people to achieve stability and self-sufficiency regardless of their background, race, ethnicity, or faith. Last year, St. Vincent de Paul, Georgia, provided over $20 million to support more than 123,000 people. St. Vincent de Paul has been serving Georgia for more than 120 years and provides vital programs to feed, shelter, clothe, and educate the poor with a spirit of compassion, respect, and dignity.

Catholic Charities. (December)
Catholic Charities Atlanta provides transformative services that enable families to overcome barriers & achieve self-sufficiency. They value the dignity and uniqueness of each person and strive to provide compassionate service, advocating for social justice & building partnerships with the community, including the Archdiocese and its parishes. Eighty percent (80%) of donations go directly to over 14 programs and their many services.

NATIONAL COLLECTIONS (USCCB)

Unless indicated, 100% of each collection is sent to the USCCB's Office of National Collections in Washington, DC.

Black and Indian Missions. (February)
Mandated by the III Plenary Council in 1884, the 125 year-old National Collection for Black and Indian people continues as the embodiment of the Church’s concern for evangelizing the Black and Indian peoples of the U. S. The funds are distributed as grants to dioceses throughout the U. S., supporting and strengthening evangelization programs which otherwise would cease.

Catholic Relief Services. (March)
Provides funding for Catholic Relief Services; the USCCB Offices of International Justice and Peace; Migration and Refugee Services; Pastoral Care for Migrants and Refugees; relief work of the Holy Father; and, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.

Holy Land. (Palm Sunday)
Collects funds for support of the Holy Places, but above all for those pastoral, charitable, educational and social works which the Church supports in the Holy Land for the welfare of their Christian brethren and of the local communities. Fifty percent (50%) goes to the USCCB designated Commissariat of the Holy Land and 50% goes to the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land.

Catholic Home Missions. (April)
Strengthens the Catholic Church in the U. S. and its territories in 85 Latin and Eastern Catholic dioceses. The Subcommittee on the Catholic Home Missions funds a wide range of pastoral services, including evangelization, religious education, and the maintenance of mission parishes, the training of seminarians and lay ministers, and ministry with ethnic groups. Forty percent of dioceses in the U. S. and territories are considered "Home Mission Dioceses."

Catholic Communications. (May)
Contributes to the process of evangelization by fostering activities in relation to television, radio, internet, and other media, and through special projects of the Catholic press. Half of the proceeds go to the National Office to fund grants made by the USCCB Subcommittee on the Catholic Communication Campaign. The remaining 50% stays in the Archdiocese of Atlanta for use in local communication projects.

Peter's Pence. (July)
Not tax deductible. Supported by Catholics around the world, helps the Holy Father reach out to people suffering in our world. It also supports the ongoing activities and charitable works of the Holy See. These works benefit those on the margins of society, including victims of war, oppression, and disasters.

Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. (July 2025; 2028; 2031; 2034)
Collected every three (3) years. This unique Archdiocese is faced with many challenges, including a severe shortage of Catholic priest-chaplains, a flock spread out among military installations across the world, and constant transition. The AMS receives no funding from the military or the government and relies solely on private donors. The ministries offered by the AMS benefit those who serve in all six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, are enrolled in U.S. Military Academies, undergoing treatment at any of the 153 Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, working in civilian jobs for the federal government beyond U.S. borders - and their families. The AMS helps provide the Catholic sacraments, authentic Catholic formation, and the spiritual guidance of a Catholic chaplain.

Catholic University of America. (September).
Funds academic scholarships at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC in response to the commitment made by the bishops at its foundation in 1887. It is the only U.S. university with Pontifical faculties. Students are enrolled from all 50 states and almost 100 countries in 12 schools.

The Church in Latin America / The Church in Central & Eastern Europe / World Mission Sunday. (October)
Donations are split three ways among the three causes. (1) Supports pastoral programs as awarded by the Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Projects include the work of evangelization, formation of laity, religious and seminarians, as well as youth ministry and catechesis. Funding is limited to program expenses and excludes building construction except in cases of emergency. (2) Provides aid by the Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe through bishops’ conferences of Central and Eastern Europe and the ex-Soviet Union to meet the needs of rebuilding the Church. It focuses on training seminarians and lay leaders, supporting social service programs, youth ministry, pastoral and catechetical centers, schools, church construction and renovation, and evangelization through Catholic media. (3) Since 1927, World Mission Sunday is celebrated in all the local Churches as the feast of catholicity and universal solidarity so Christians the world over will recognize their common responsibility with regard to the evangelization of the world. WMS proceeds go to The Society of the Propagation of the Faith (91%) and to Catholic Near East Welfare Association (9%).

Campaign for Human Development. (November)
Addresses the root causes of poverty in America through promotion and support of community-controlled, self-help organizations and transformative education. Grants are awarded by the Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development with the approval of local bishops. Twenty-five percent (25%) of this collection remains in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Retirement Fund for the Religious. (December)
Helps furnish medications, nursing care, education, and more to our elderly Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests. These elderly religious have served for years in Catholic schools, hospitals, and parishes--often for little to no pay which results in a shortage of retirement savings.