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April 16, 2021WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Eight programs administered by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops can now be supported through an online giving platform.
Catholics can contribute to the program of their choice through #iGiveCatholic Together at https://usccb.igivecatholictogether.org.
Each program traditionally has been supported by annual collections in parishes but with reduced Mass attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic, an online giving option was seen as a way to help Catholics continue to sustain vital ministries, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"These programs help those living on the margins of society and those who are spiritually isolated," Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on National Collections, said April 15 in a USCCB news release.
"The need is great because gifts to some of these programs plummeted by more than half in 2020 with the COVID pandemic," he said. "These programs rely on the modest gifts that make a tremendous impact on the lives of people who are hungry, persecuted or in spiritual need."
Programs supported include Catholic Home Missions, the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, the Church in Latin America, the Church in Africa, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the Catholic Communication Campaign, Catholic Relief Services and the Bishops Emergency Disaster Fund.
Online giving and automatic donations have been a popular option in parishes throughout the United States.
The giving platform "makes it simple to do what our Lord has told us to do: to love God and our neighbors. Gifts to these USCCB programs are a tangible testimony of the love and mercy of Catholic people across the United States. Together we are one church with one mission," Archbishop Etienne said.
The USCCB noted that #iGiveCatholic is the nonprofit parent organization of #iGiveCatholic, the U.S. Catholic Church's annual giving day held on #Giving Tuesday, a global movement that begin in 2012 to encourage people to be generous to various causes on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
The newly established #iGiveCatholic Together will allow Catholics to contribute year-round and connect with ministries that benefit local, national and global communities.
