DATE: February 8, 2001
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information, Contact:
Bud Bunce (503) 233-8373
bbunce@archdpdx.org
COLLECTION FOR THE CHURCH IN CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE
On Ash Wednesday, February 28, parishes in the Archdiocese of Portland
have
the opportunity to take up the Collection
to Aid the Church in Central and Eastern
Europe. The theme of the collection this
year is "Enduring in Faith and Hope," which
recalls the courage of the people keeping
their Catholic faith alive, while living in the
former communist bloc countries.
After fifty years of being nearly defenseless against atheistic communism's
drive
to eliminate religious life and practice,
the Church now is free, but stripped of the
infrastructure to support the former religious
richness. Church buildings were destroyed
or confiscated for secular and government
use. The churches need to be rebuilt and
converted back to places of worship. Catechetical
centers are needed to educate the
young and prepare them for the sacraments.
Priests, nuns, and lay ministers need to
be trained to nurture the faith of the
people, and help is needed to develop and publish
Catholic literature, including Bibles,
to enrich their faith.
Through the generosity of Catholics in the United States, the work of rebuilding
the Church in Central and Eastern Europe
has begun. Yet the needs are great and
more help is needed. Proceeds from the
collection go to support seminaries, social
service programs, youth ministry, church
restoration, pastoral centers and the spread of
the gospel message through the mass media.
Last year the Archdiocese of Portland sent $32,595 to help with this work.
Catholics in western Oregon are again
asked to be generous in their support and aid to
the Church in Central and Eastern Europe.
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