Want to help hospital ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis? How about campus ministry or prison ministry? Or meet needs in the Latino and Native American communities while making Catholic education more affordable for needy families, assisting the archdiocese in meeting the costs of forming seminarians and lending a hand to those facing unexpected pregnancies?

People can do all of the above and more, all at the same time, by donating to the archdiocese’s Catholic Services Appeal, which kicks off Feb. 3-4 at parish Masses and continues through 2024. The theme is “Giving is Faith in Action.” The appeal supports 19 key ministries in the archdiocese.

“I think it’s a great way to be one Church,” said Loma Ince, director of finance and operations at All Saints in Lakeville, after a Jan. 17 meeting of parish administrators and pastors with Archbishop Bernard Hebda. With one common annual appeal, the archdiocese can support people with differing needs, she said.

This year’s goal is $8.5 million. Last year, people donated nearly $8.3 million, leaving room for growth.

In a video to be shown in parishes, Archbishop Hebda emphasizes the people served and the generous giving that makes it possible. In his talk at the ACC, the archbishop recalled his experiences in campus ministry, working with seminarians and being ministered to in a hospital.

None of that work could happen in the archdiocese without the appeal, he said.

“It made it real to me, that we really need the Church to be present as people face some difficult decisions in their own lives,” the archbishop said. “But even as so often they might be isolated from their families and friends, it’s important for the Church to be there. That work of supporting our chaplains in our hospitals is only possible with the Catholic Services Appeal.”

In an interview after the presentation, Houghton said the appeal is critical to serving needs in the archdiocese, and she was thrilled with the turnout of pastors and parish leaders. Their support “was palpable,” she said. “I could feel it in the room.”

“We know that many of these ministries would not be able to complete their mission without the appeal,” she said.

CSA MINISTRIES

American Indian Ministry; Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women; Campus and Young Adult Ministry; Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis; Catholic Elementary Schools; Catholic High School Scholarships; Deaf Ministry; Elevate Life; Evangelization; Hospital Chaplains; Latino Ministry; Office of Marriage, Family and Youth; Prison Ministry; Seminarian Room and Board; Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Twin Cities; St. Lawrence Newman Center; Venezuelan Mission; Youth Ministry.