Debbie Gates

Bishop’s Annual Appeal to support two ministries this year

September 18, 2020
The Bishop’s Annual appeal is being held in parishes over the next couple of weekends, and the scope of this year’s appeal has been extended to support two important ministries.

Caring for those who have cared for us – supporting the retirement and health of our clergy

It is the responsibility of our diocese to fund the support and care for the retirement and health of our diocesan clergy who have dedicated their lives in service of the Church. Each year, this support is partly funded by the Bishop’s Annual Appeal. This year’s appeal continues to highlight the importance of:
  • The need for the diocese to look after 14 retired clergy (four of whom have retired in the past 12 months) and plan for the care of an additional four clergy who will retire over the next five years.
  • Continuing to offer valuable support led by our amazing clergy care coordinator, Sue Daniels.

Staying Connected during this time of pandemic – supporting local parish ministries

2020 has been a turbulent year and our parishes have responded to the important need of staying connected with their communities in new and exciting ways through the provision of online Masses, digital faith resources and greater connection via social media platforms.

Accordingly, this year, Bishop Brian has expanded the scope of the appeal to support local parish ministries—staying connected in 2020. Observing “the preferential option for the poor” principle, donations received for this ministry will be shared equally amongst participating parishes.

While Bishop Brian acknowledges the pressure that some households are facing at this time, he believes it is important to offer an opportunity to those individuals and families in a financial position to do so, the dignity of choosing if they would consider making a gift to support this appeal. Given that we are still limited to the number of people who can attend Mass and collections are being conducted differently, this year’s appeal has been moved to an online format.

To find out more information and to donate, please visit the Bishop’s Annual Appeal page:

BISHOP’s annual appeal page

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