“It’s astonishing, and I couldn’t be more grateful. It’s evident that the people of our Diocese are mission minded.”
That’s the reaction Father Al Sceski shared when talking about the sum total of $1,134,490 the people of the Diocese of Harrisburg contributed overall to the missions in fiscal year 2023-2024.
The breakdown includes $342,338 given to the annual Missionary Cooperative Program – the summertime appeal when missionaries from around the world visit our parishes to speak about the needs of the mission Church – and $792,071 contributed to the initiatives of the National Office of the Pontifical Missions in the United States, namely the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Society of St. Peter Apostle and the Missionary Childhood Association.
“With the backing of our bishop and the support of our pastors, principals, mission moderators and directors of religious education, our Diocese keeps the efforts and the needs of the missions at the forefront,” said Father Sceski, Diocesan Director of the Office of Pontifical Missions.
“The more you talk about the missions and bring it to the attention of our people, the more people are touched by the stories and are willing to give. Our people are being inspired,” he said.
Ranked 9th in the Nation
With its collective $792,071 contributed to the three programs of the National Office of the Pontifical Missions in the United States, the Diocese of Harrisburg ranks an impressive 9th among 175 Dioceses that donated to the missions last year.
It’s even more impressive when you consider that of the other Dioceses ranked in the top 10, three are more than double, two are more than five times, and two are more than 10 times the size of Harrisburg – with 247,660 – in terms of its Catholic population. In fact, of the 175 Dioceses that gave to the National Office last year, Harrisburg ranks 70th in Catholic population.
“It’s remarkable to see, and the people of our Diocese should know that we are so grateful for their contributions,” said Father Sceski. Last year, the Diocese of Harrisburg ranked 18th overall in terms of contributions to the national programs.
“It’s about visibility. Every year, we’re building on getting the message out about the needs of the Missions and showing people how we are indeed connected to our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Our Diocese takes seriously all the Societies of the Office for Pontifical Missions,” he said.
Here’s a look at what each one is about:
- The Society for the Propagation of the Faith is the Church’s official organization for mission aid. It provides assistance for pastoral and evangelizing programs, for catechists and catechetical work, to build churches and chapels, for the work of religious communities in health care and education, and for communication and transportation needs. In our Diocese, financial contributions come from the World Mission Sunday collection in October and the Propagation of the Faith Membership Sunday collection in February, as well as bequests, gifts and monthly donations from the faithful.
- The Society of St. Peter Apostle financially supports the education of candidates for the priesthood and religious life in the developing world. It invites individuals to support the education of candidates for the Catholic priesthood in the developing world and to support the formation of men and women candidates for the religious life in the missions. Today, some 30,000 major seminarians, mostly in Africa and Asia, receive an annual subsidy of $700 per student.
- The Missionary Childhood Association promotes mission awareness for school children. Its primary aim is to encourage children to share their faith with children in the developing world through their prayers, personal sacrifices and financial offerings.
A fourth initiative, the Pontifical Missionary Union, is a spiritual apostolate that inspires clergy, religious and catechists to encourage others to become missionaries themselves.
The National Office of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States operates under the Holy Father through the Dicastery for Evangelization.
Hand-in-Hand with Missionaries
The Diocesan Office of Pontifical Missions is marveling at the astounding generosity of parishioners ahead of next month’s celebration of World Mission Sunday. It’s a day for Catholics around the world to unite as one community of faith in prayerful and financial support of missionaries.
“It’s a time when people are learning more about the stories from the missions, and it’s resonating with them,” said Karen Harding, the office’s administrative assistant.
“Over the years, from the office’s first director, Msgr. Joseph Schmidt, to Msgr. Leo Beierschmitt, Msgr. George Lentocha, Father Robert Sharman and now Father Sceski, each director of this office has really pushed awareness of the missions. In turn, our pastors and principals have put it out there to our people, and they have really come through,” she said.
“This is all driven by the bishop’s support,” she added. “Bishop Timothy Senior, Bishop Ronald Gainer and those before them have long been supportive of this office and of the missions.”
The children in our Catholic schools and religious education programs are a large part of the Diocese’s contributions to the missions, especially through their donations to the Missionary Childhood Association and a winner nearly every year in the MCA’s Christmas Artwork Contest.
“It’s inspiring to see that our children are getting involved too through the MCA – they’re raising money through various fundraisers, dress-down days and classroom competitions to see who can raise the most money,” Father Sceski said. “We’re grateful to the mission moderators and teachers who are helping our kids understand what it means to be a missionary in today’s world.”
“Two-thirds of the world has not heard the Gospel. The people of our Diocese are changing that,” Father Sceski said. “At one point decades upon decades ago, Harrisburg was a missionary Diocese. Now we’re helping other places throughout the world so that they can grow and flourish and help others. It’s how the faith is spread.”
Learn more about the Office of Pontifical Missions at www.hbgdiocese.org/missions.
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
