UNITED IN FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE: The annual Diocesan Ministries Appeal

BISHOP
KEVIN J.
SWEENEY

This is the time of year when we conduct our Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA) and invite all the faithful to become active participants in transforming the Gospel into concrete action. By making a pledge to our DMA, you support the formation of our seminarians, Catholic urban education, our senior priests’ healthcare/retirement needs, and our Catholic Charities ministries, where tens of thousands of people receive assistance. This is all done in response to Christ’s call to care for his people. 

This year’s Appeal theme is “United in Faith, Hope and Love.” The theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love are perhaps most widely associated with the well-known verse in Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “So faith, hope, love remain, these three. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:13)

It is a worthwhile exercise to examine these virtues to see how each contributes to our understanding of the holy act of charity to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

FAITH

If a brother or sister has nothing to wear
and has no food for the day,
and one of you says to them,
“Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it?
So also faith of itself,
if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:14–18

The Bible passage above drives home the Gospel message that “word and deed” are essential to live a good and holy life. Our faith in Christ cannot be compartmentalized and does not stand alone from the rest of our behavior. As Christians, our faith compels us to do good works and to care for others. The DMA begins as we prepare for the Jubilee Year 2025, called for by our Holy Father, Pope Francis. The Jubilee Year is a clarion call to be attentive to the poor and the marginalized. In his 2024 Message for World Day of Prayer for the Poor, Pope Francis noted: “As we journey towards the Holy Year, I urge everyone to become pilgrims of hope, setting tangible goals for a better future. Let us not forget to keep ‘the little details of love.’ ” The DMA allows us to share in Christ’s own mission founded upon love involving, as Pope Francis stresses, “stopping, drawing near, giving a little attention, a smile, a caress, a word of comfort. These gestures are not automatic; they require a daily commitment.” Our care for others is a living witness to our faith in Jesus Christ.

Our Diocesan Ministries Appeal performs corporal works of mercy in your name by serving tens of thousands each month at our food pantries, providing resources for veterans in need and helping people suffering with addiction. We do this and more because we are Catholic — not in name only but through our actions.

HOPE

“Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.”

St. Francis de Sales

When you think about it, Hope is perhaps the most challenging of these three theological virtues to embrace because it requires us to do just the opposite. To hold on tightly to Hope demands that we let go and trust totally in God’s will. “Faith” and “Hope” are similar in many ways — in fact, you can’t have Hope without Faith — but the main distinction is that Faith emphasizes our response to the “here and now,” whereas Hope is forward-looking, anticipating our actions based on future events.

You may have heard the saying that if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. Hope requires us to accept that God loves us unconditionally and to trust in His way, especially when unexpected hardship occurs in our lives. Hope burns brightest when darkness approaches.

Through our Diocesan Ministries Appeal, you can be that brightly burning light of hope to many of your brothers and sisters whose futures appear burdened by problems that most of us cannot even fathom. Simply put, when you contribute to our Appeal, your help is their hope.

LOVE

“I believe God loves the world through us —through you and me.”

St. Teresa of Calcutta

There are thousands of quotes on the topic of Love, but this one is beautiful in its simplicity while challenging in its execution. As Catholics, we are encouraged by St. Paul to be “ambassadors for Christ, as if God is appealing through us.” That is both a wonderful privilege and an awesome responsibility. It requires us to always put our love of God into concrete action through our love of neighbor — to “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary,” a quote often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi.

This brings us back to where we began — to St. Paul’s words:

“So faith, hope, love remain, these three. But the greatest of these is love.”

It is the greatest virtue because love is eternal, the only one of the three that is everlasting in the heavenly kingdom. It recognizes our Creator as the alpha and the omega — the beginning and the end. Indeed, it is the greatest virtue because only one thing ever truly remains, and it is that God is Love.

I believe that, with God’s grace, when we are United in Faith, Hope and Love, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. Therefore, I close by asking you to join me and your fellow Catholics throughout our diocese by making a gift to our 2024 Diocesan Ministries Appeal. By helping your neighbors in such a profound and beautiful way, you are responding to the words of Pope Saint John Paul II: We are an Easter people, and Hallelujah is our song!

Visit https://dopappeal.org to make a gift today.