Dear Friends in Christ,
As we approach the 2016 Partners in Charity Appeal, I would like to thank all of you who made a sacrificial gift to the 2015 Appeal. It is with sincere gratitude and appreciation that acknowledge your continued generosity.
Partners in Charity, formerly known to our founding donors as the
Bishop’s Fund, is the diocesan appeal that sustains the educational, social and charitable ministries of our Catholic faith community.
Thanks to the gifts from nearly 17,784 families and individuals, we are able to meet the financial needs of our ministries in 2016. A special thank you to the 87 St. Paul Society members who contributed $464, 867, and the 35 Holy Family Society members who donated $460,088. These two societies collectively gave $924,955. In addition we also established a new priest giving level named after St. John Vianney, the patron of priests. Some 145 priests contributed $225,660.
These ministries serve thousands of families in Worcester County through outreach, formation, evangelization, and worship.
Our Holy Father, Pope Francis reminds us that “The time has come for the Church to take up the joyful call to mercy once more. It is time to return to the basics and to bear the weaknesses and the struggles of our brothers and sisters. Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instills in us the courage to look to the future with hope.” Your continued generosity to the appeal has been and continues to be a compassionate sign of your own desire to face the needs of so many and to help them bear the struggles they are facing.
As you reflect on the many gifts God has bestowed upon you this past year, it is my sincere hope that you will support the upcoming 2016 Partners in Charity Appeal.
Thank you again for your generosity. With your help, we will continue to build up the Church in Worcester County and beyond.
With every prayerful best wish, I remain
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Robert J. McManus
Bishop of Worcester
