Bishop's Annual Appeal
Bishop's Message
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Our Gifts. Our Call. Our Mission. This is our theme for the 2011 Bishop’s Annual Appeal. Saint Teresa of Avila said, “Yours are the eyes through which Christ looks with compassion on the world; yours are the feet with which He walks to do good.” The Bishop’s Annual Appeal reminds us that Our Lord Jesus does indeed act in and through us.
Your generosity to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal supports 30 diocesan ministries including our newly formed Pro-Life Office. The sacrificial gifts you provided last year enabled Catholic Charities to assist more than 54,000 individuals with emergency assistance, family support services and counseling. Additionally, through your generous donations, the Diocese provided grants to 24 small parishes to help meet expenses and continue to provide a vibrant Catholic presence in eastern North Carolina. Your contributions assist in our outreach to both young people and adults through the offices of Hispanic Ministry, African Ancestry Ministry, Catholic Schools, and the Catholic Formation and Evangelization department. Your participation in the Bishop’s Annual Appeal also demonstrates your ongoing support for our seminarians, who long to serve you and your families as priests one day.
These are just a few of the ways your sacrificial gifts support our Diocese. I ask for your support of the 2011 Bishop’s Annual Appeal and for your prayers for the success of all the Bishop’s Annual Appeal ministries. We are called to respond to God’s abundant blessings by sharing our gifts with those in most need, by remaining faithful to our baptismal call and by living our mission to go forth as instruments of the Lord’s healing and miraculous love.
Know that I am ever grateful for your generous support of the Bishop’s Annual Appeal. May Our Lord Jesus bless you and may Mary Our Mother watch over you now and always.
Sincerely in Christ,
Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge
Bishop of Raleigh