Extension Magazine - Fall 2021

44
IGNITE
Parish Partnerships
A
movement
of Catholic
kinship is
sweeping
across the
country.
Catholic parishes in all corners
of the U.S. are stepping up to
support the dire needs of the
financially poorest Catholic
faith communities. These
communities have been
devastated by the economic
impact of the pandemic, but
their presence is vital.
During this unprecedented
year and a half, many of these
parishes are struggling just to
keep the lights on. Having to
go so many months without
collections, they cannot pay
basic expenses such as utility
bills or salaries for pastors and
parish staff. They can be found
all over the United States, in
places such as Appalachia,
Catholic kinship:
How you can help
We are asking individuals,
parishes, Catholic schools,
religious education classes,
and other community groups
to join us in a national
expression of “Catholic kinship”
with the poorest parishes
in America.
What difference could just
$1,000 make? For the parishes
we support, $1,000 is a
major gift! It could represent
10 Sunday collections!
To get involved, reach out
to Natalie Donatello at 312-
795-6057 or ndonatello@
catholicextension.org.
St. Francis Chapel is a remodeled house supported by Catholic Extension in the island
town of Tenakee Springs, Alaska. Funding from the Catholic Kinship Initiative ensures
this community can continue its mission.
One church
across the nation
New Catholic kinship movement enables
ordinary parishes to help poor faith
communities hurt by pandemic
Puerto Rico, Alaska, Native
American reservations and so
many more.
Catholic Extension sent out
a call to parishes that were in
a position to help. We asked
if they could unite with their
Catholic brothers and sisters in
some of the nation’s poorest
churches by raising a gift of
$1,000 to help them.
A gift of this size can go
a long way. For example,
in many Native American
parishes, pre-pandemic
collections might have only
averaged $50 a week. Or, in
churches in Puerto Rico, the
pandemic resulted in 60 to
90 percent declines in parish
collections among communities
already devastated by
multiple natural disasters.
At the beginning of his
papacy, Pope Francis reminded
us that the worst discrimination
the poor face is a
lack of spiritual care, meaning
that the Church must always
be present on the margins and
among those who can least
afford basic needs.
Extension dioceses have a
greater percentage of people
living in poverty and a greater
percentage of racial/ethnic
minorities. They are located
in areas with the least amount
of medical and charitable resources
and are the very communities
that have suffered the
most this year.
Last year Catholic Extension
conducted a survey that
gathered data from over 80 Extension
dioceses. That survey
shows the financial impact of
the pandemic taking its toll.
The reality in many of our dioceses
is frightening. We