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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Catholic Communications. (usually May) Contributes to the process of evangelization by fostering activities in relation to television, radio, internet, & other media, & 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. (Usually 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, & disasters.

 

Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. (next collected end of July 2025; 2028; 2031) Collected every 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, & constant transition. The AMS receives no funding from the military or the government & relies solely on private donors. Catholic service members & their families, & veterans cared for in a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, deserve the same faith opportunities as Catholics here at home such as sacraments, authentic Catholic formation, & the spiritual guidance of a Catholic chaplain.

 

Catholic University of America. (Usually Sep) 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 & almost 100 countries in 12 schools.

 

The Church in Latin America / The Church in Central & Eastern Europe / World Mission Sunday. (Usually Oct) 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 & the Caribbean. Projects include the work of evangelization, formation of laity, religious & seminarians, as well as youth ministry &catechesis. Funding is limited to program expenses & excludes building construction except in cases of emergency. 2) Provides aid by the Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central & Eastern Europe through bishops’ conferences of Central & Eastern Europe & the ex-Soviet Union to meet the needs of rebuilding the Church. It focuses on training seminarians & lay leaders, supporting social service programs, youth ministry, pastoral & catechetical centers, schools, church construction &renovation, & evangelization through Catholic media. 3) Since 1927, World Mission Sunday is celebrated in all the local Churches as the feast of catholicity & 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%) & Catholic Near East Welfare Association (9%).

 

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

 

Retirement Fund for the Religious. (Usually Dec) 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.