The Catholic Faith Appeal, the Diocese of Venice’s annual assessment of all parishes in the area, assists with many programs here in Southwest Florida. From the Catholic Charities support for Golden Gate Senior Citizens and Immokalee Migrant Workers, to the Seminarian programs, the CFA is an essential program that we must focus our gifts to in any way we can. However, it has come to my attention that many of our Parish Family members may not understand the CFA and what it is for. The CFA is a Diocesan contribution in which all the members of the churches in Southwest Florida work together to support the central services we all rely on at Catholics and active community members. There are several essential efforts that rely on the CFA:
- Catholic Charities: As a leading provider of social services, Catholic Charities supports over 40,000 people with programs like direct assistance to pay their utility bills, emergency intake programs for those that have become homeless, ending human trafficking in our backyard, citizenship assistance, and veteran housing.
- Catholic Schools: It costs a tremendous amount to provide a high-quality education, and the CFA supports the Catholic Schools in the area to ensure all members of our community can have access to this faith-based education system through high school
- Vocations: From the Seminarian programs that instruct our future priests and deacons to providing support for the 35 different women’s religious orders and 26 different communities of brothers and priests within the Diocese, the CFA ensures we provide for the education and well-being for those who have dedicated their lives in service to us and our faith.
Next weekend, we have dedicated all our gifts as part of our CFA Kick-Off. All the proceeds of the Parish Family will go to assist the Diocese in these worthy programs above and so much more, so please give generously.