“The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. There was no needy person among them…the apostles distributed to each according to need.”
Acts 4:32, 34-35
Each year we are invited to participate in our Annual Catholic Appeal; an opportunity for all of us to support essential ministries and services that benefit many in our Local Church. The theme of this year’s campaign is “United in Christ.”
Our Annual Catholic Appeal enables us to fund Pastoral Center ministries and programs that help our community members live their faith. These ministries and programs are the hands and feet of Christ. Your donations contribute to the support of our Catholic schools and programs to support faith formation at all ages, to strengthen families, to promote a culture of life, to care for creation, to engage youth and young adults, to sustain our retired clergy and those preparing for the priesthood, and to extend a helping hand to the marginalized.
Please click the image below for an expanded view of Father Bart’s letter:
Thank You for Your Support!
If you have already supported us, we sincerely thank you for your wonderful and generous gift toward the Annual Catholic Appeal. A gift to the Appeal is always a gift to the parish. Because of your joyful generosity, our parish community remains vibrantly united with the entire Church and is able to be more Alive in Christ!
Thank you so much! Our hearts overflow with gratitude and thankfulness for the prompt and gracious response from so many of our faith-filled families. May God bless you abundantly always!
Catholic Education
Catholic schools opened for in-person instruction a full year before most public schools did, reflecting a tremendous effort by teachers and staff. Enrollment increased more than 11 percent in the 2020-2021 academic year. Our schools offer students a quality education while nurturing their spiritual growth, and strengthening our families, our church, and our society.
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities works tirelessly to serve the poor, the vulnerable, and the marginalized. The agency opened its third shelter for homeless women in downtown San Diego; Rachel’s Promise. It continues to respond to hunger through its Emergency Food Distribution Network. And it is leading the effort along the California-Mexico border to receive immigrants applying for asylum legally in the country and help them reach their final destination.
Clergy Formation and Support
The Annual Catholic Appeal supports priestly formation, the pastoral care of active and retired priests, and the preparation and ongoing formation of permanent deacons. Currently, there are 13 seminarians and 47 retired priests in the diocese.
Faith Formation
As the pandemic receded, the diocese’s pastoral ministries stepped up their work, offering a wide range of bilingual programming. This included training, conferences, and workshops, both online and in-person. Meanwhile, catechists and Catholic middle-school teachers continued to tackle the crisis of youth leaving their faith by implementing the innovative “Faith and Science Curriculum.”
A Letter From the Cardinal
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
While our faith is primarily lived out in our everyday activities and in our participation in the life of our own parish community, each year we are invited to come together and prayerfully reflect on our wider efforts to accomplish the mission of Christ.
This is the focus of our Annual Catholic Appeal, through which we fund a number of pastoral programs that support parish ministries in San Diego and Imperial counties.
These programs support parish leadership development, catechist formation and other enrichment opportunities that help staff and ministry members to serve our wonderfully diverse faith communities. A particular focus of this work is to strengthen parish efforts to engage and serve youth and young adult faithful.
The ACA provides formation and ongoing support for priests and deacons. In the last year, we celebrated the ordination of four young men into the priesthood who are now serving in our parish communities. This fund also supports retired priests who have dedicated their lives to meeting the spiritual needs of community members at every stage of their life.
These programs, which require support from all of us, are a genuine manifestation of the faith that we share. United in the spirit of Jesus, we accomplish His mission by providing resources for these many apostolates and pastoral ministries.
I invite you, therefore, to join in this year’s Annual Catholic Appeal with a generous contribution in support of the mission that we all share, the mission to bring the Gospel of Jesus to those around us.
