Each one of these has come about because of a special need in order to assist the church in its growth and in its organization in different parts of the world and due to different circumstances.
Let us take for example the collection for the church in Eastern Europe. During the communist era, the Church was devastated. Churches were closed, convents were closed, and many buildings were destroyed–if not totally demolished. Chancery buildings, rectories for priests, convents for sisters–all of these were badly damaged.
When the possibility of reopening the life of the church in a free society came about, obviously the bishops of the United States wanted to reach out and help. The only way to do so, as in most cases with national collections is to come to you–the people of God, the faithful and in so doing ask you to contribute the best you could to this particular need in Eastern Europe. At that time the monies were given to the national conferences such as the Catholic Conference in Poland, the Czech National Conference in Czechoslovakia, or the Czech Republic, etc.
After so many years and the needs continue, the grants given to the churches in Eastern Europe are now given through diocesan grants requested by a local bishop for a particular need. For each of the national collections listed above a committee is set up of bishops, laypeople and consultants to both visit the places where the grants are requested or to review the necessary criteria for each request.
Personally, I am now serving on the special collection for the Church in Africa. I am edified by so many efforts on the part of African Bishops’ Conferences to construct the church in a way that is both viable and responding to the greater needs of people.
The beauty of the work that we do with the collection for the Church in Africa is that we see bishops reaching across their diocesan lines in building unity and peace with other African dioceses. What we all hope for one day a united world, a peaceful world, a just world will be long in coming. However, these collections, in my opinion, do assist the Church as an agent of reform, an agent of peace, an agent of harmony.
Therefore, I would ask each of us in the Diocese of Corpus Christi to be cognizant that when these collections come, we do what we can. Perhaps you cannot give to all of them, but the more that we are able to give, the more we become a part of the universal Church–that we open our hearts not just to our local parish or our local diocese or our national Church, but we are a Catholic Church that reaches beyond the limits of national boundaries. We are one faith, one baptism and one body in Christ. Let us do what we can to make our contribution to a peaceful and harmonious world God bless you for all your sacrifices you do.