FALL RIVER — With a theme of “Sharing Faith and Hope” as its backdrop, the 77th annual Catholic Charities Appeal in the Fall River Diocese came to a close on June 27  reaching a total of $4,606,363. Though it did not set a record, this year’s Appeal did register the third highest total in its history, coming within 3.7 percent of a new all-time high.

Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all who supported the Appeal, which provides funding for the charitable programs, ministries, and services sponsored by the Fall River Diocese.

“In these challenging times for our Diocese and the Church, I am so grateful to our priests, deacons and the faithful of our Diocese for their continued commitment and faithful support of our mission of serving God’s people here in southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands. Once again this year you have shown extraordinary generosity. Many, I am sure, made great sacrifices and continue making sacrifices to reach out to those who are in need of our services,” said Bishop da Cunha.

“Please be assured that your sacrifices and your generosity will not go unnoticed and without its reward. My gratitude is accompanied with my sincere prayers for all of you, your loved ones, and all your intentions. May the good Lord reward you with His constant blessings and protection. “

Mike Donly, interim director of the Catholic Charities Appeal, stated, “So many positive things can be taken from the results of this Appeal, including a total realized that will allow the Diocese to continue its more than seven decades of ministering to the neediest among us in a sensitive and compassionate way.

“The emphasis on dollars and cents is to be expected, yet we never want to lose sight of the fact that the true purpose of the Appeal is to allow us to minister to our brothers and sisters among us. This is not something to be taken lightly as Jesus reminded us in John’s Gospel, ‘Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do’ (John 14: 12). That’s not a subtle hint, and obviously our pastors, parish staff personnel and generous parishioners have taken it seriously once again.”

Donly says that the success of this year’s Appeal shows the generosity of the thousands of parishioners from around the diocese and their commitment to “Sharing Faith and Hope” to those in need, as well as the tremendous amount of work done by pastors and parish staff in administering the Appeal.

“The faithful of the Diocese of Fall River should certainly be most proud of the results of our 2018 Catholic Charities Appeal,” he concluded.

Visit the Catholic Charities Appeal website for the listing of parish Appeal totals.

Diocese of Fall River
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