Please support the Catholic Charities Appeal

By Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi

In 1931, then-Bishop Toolen called upon the people of our then-diocese to put faith into action by establishing an appeal to help our neighbor. The Catholic Charities Appeal began in 1931 and 93 years later we continue to assist our neighbors, remembering the words of Jesus: “What you did for the least of these you did for me.” Thank you to all who generously support the Appeal. I pray God blesses each of you.
Thousands of people in the southern half of Alabama are blessed by our generosity to the Appeal through the more than 30 ministries that it makes possible: emergency assistance with food, rent, utilities, adoption services, language classes, help with prescription drugs, prison ministry, college campus ministry, counseling for families and individuals, assistance for pregnant mothers, assistance for children whose parents are in prison, ministry to seafarers in the Port of Mobile, etc.
To those who have supported the Appeal in the past and to those who have not yet done so, I ask for your generous support of the 2024 Catholic Charities Appeal.
I realize that there are reasons which may make us reluctant to give a pledge.
Some may feel that their donation may be too small to make a difference. Any amount helps. Any amount. A drop of rain may not seem significant, but together those simple drops can create a great river. Together, as the people of the Archdiocese of Mobile, we can do a lot of good. God is not impressed by the amount of the donation, but by the amount of the sacrifice in making the donation. Recall that when Jesus saw people making their donations at the temple, it was the widow who donated two small coins which caught His attention and approval. (Mk 12:41)
Some may feel that people who benefit from the Appeal ought to take care of their own needs and don’t deserve the help. I pray God would never have that attitude toward me. I pray God will never treat me as I deserve, but rather treat me with mercy. Jesus cautions us that: “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Mt 7:2) People fall on difficult times. Sometimes it is their fault, sometimes not. Our attitude should not be to judge how they got to this moment, but how can I help. As the old saying goes: “There but for the grace of God goes me.”
Some may feel that they have challenges of their own and are not in a financial situation to give anything. If that is true, then please pray for the Appeal—prayer is powerful. May all of us pray for the success of the campaign. At the same time, the fact that an act may require sacrifice does not excuse us from making the act. Fr. James Coyle was a priest of our Archdiocese who was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in 1921. In his final sermon to his parishioners before he was murdered, he said: “Give until it hurts, then and only then is there sacrifice.” Anyone who looks upon the crucifix must realize that to join in the love of Christ requires sacrifice.
In our human frailty, we tend to search for the easiest way out. We usually need many reasons to do something, but usually only one reason not to act. There are many reasons to make a pledge, but we may instead focus on the one reason which holds us back from doing so. Good people, the fact is that generosity to others whether of our time, talents or treasure, is our way of saying thank you to God for all the blessings we have. Nothing is ever truly “ours.” Everything we have is only loaned to us for a while and then God requires an accounting of us as to how we used His gifts which He lent us. God does not need anything from us, but He has made clear that if we wish to show our love and gratitude to Him, we do so by the way we treat others.
Again, thank you to all who have supported the Appeal in the past. To all, I ask that you please consider supporting our Annual Catholic Charities Appeal.