Catholic Services Appeal calls Catholics to ‘Go and Announce the Gospel of the Lord’

Archdiocese of Detroit's annual appeal kicked off May 6-7, funding more than 170 ministries across southeast Michigan

Editor’s note: The Catholic Services Appeal is essential to the mission of the Archdiocese of Detroit. It funds and supports more than 170 ministries that serve the local Church in southeast Michigan, including Detroit Catholic. Visit www.givecsa.org to support the mission by making a gift today. We are grateful for your generous support and for your prayers.

DETROIT — Countless are the ways in which Jesus Christ is present in the Catholic Church.

“He is present in his word, and when two or more are gathered in his name. He is present in the poor, the sick and the imprisoned. But he is most powerfully present in the Holy Eucharist,” Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron said.

In the Archdiocese of Detroit, Jesus is present in more than 170 ministries, services and programs funded by the annual Catholic Services Appeal, which entered its 42nd year May 6-7, the kickoff weekend for the 2023 campaign.

From food pantries and soup kitchens, scholarships for students and seminarians studying at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, innovative evangelization ministries and support for Catholic schools, married couples and the disabled, the CSA has long been the engine powering the work of Christ’s hands and feet in southeast Michigan.

In a video message to Catholics that will be played in parishes in the coming weeks, Archbishop Vigneron revealed this year’s theme: “Go and Announce the Gospel of the Lord.”

“The theme for this year’s Catholic Services Appeal is taken from the part of the liturgy we pray at the end of Mass: ‘Go and Announce the Gospel of the Lord,’” the archbishop said. “It reminds us that in the Eucharist, we are not only rejuvenated and nourished but also sent out into our communities, inviting all to ‘come and see the goodness of the Lord.’”

During most of the past 10 years, the goal for the CSA has been $17.8 million, but that figure was reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when, despite monumental challenges, parishes continued to meet the needs of Catholics and non-Catholics in heroic ways.

This year’s CSA target has not yet been determined.

Parishes that meet their initial CSA targets keep 100 percent of the proceeds collected in excess of their goal.

Individual parish goals are based on a number of factors, including the average of the previous three years’ offertory and Christmas collections, whether the parish operates a grade school or high school, and whether the parish offers financial assistance to parishioners who send their children to Catholic schools.

The largest percentage of the appeal goes to support seminarians and others studying at Sacred Heart Major Seminary — a critical piece, considering a looming priest shortage. Another significant chunk funds mission grants to allow parishes, schools, charities and ministries to provide corporal and spiritual works of mercy to those in need.

Among other efforts, the Catholic Services Appeal supports evangelization and community-building outreach to minority communities, families struggling with generational poverty, and pro-life ministries that uphold the dignity of the human person by providing alternatives to abortion and support for mothers who choose to keep their babies.

The appeal also funds outreach that encourages young people to remain Catholic in college, as well as ministries that bolster marriages through natural family planning and couple-to-couple mentoring.

Communication efforts that share the good news through media, including Detroit Catholic, Unleash the Gospel, livestreamed Masses and various podcasts are funded through the Catholic Services Appeal.

Archbishop Vigneron expressed his appreciation to those who continue to support the work of the CSA, and urged those who are able to support this year’s appeal.

“When we come together as the Church, nourished and strengthened there by the Eucharist, our words and actions share the Good News of the Gospel with those around us,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “I am grateful for the many ways you have contributed to this work in the past. I ask that you please consider renewing your gift this year, and together, let us continue to go and announce the Gospel on the Lord.”