By Bishop Larry Silva
“We cannot escape the Lord’s words to us, and they will serve as the criteria upon which we will be judged: whether we have fed the hungry and given drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger and clothed the naked, or spent time with the sick and those in prison. cf. Mt 25:31-45.” (Pope Francis, call for a Jubilee Year of Mercy, April 11, 2015)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
In December we begin the Jubilee Year of Mercy. On November 22, we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, when there will be a special second collection for the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).
CCHD funds community and economic development programs across the United States that help people in need join together to make decisions, seek solutions to local problems and find ways to improve their lives and communities in alignment with Catholic Social Teaching.
Here in Hawaii, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development has supported a wide range of projects working with the most vulnerable, including HOPE Services Hawaii and the Pu‘a Foundation helping women returning from prison and families affected by incarceration.
This second collection on the weekend of November 21/22 is the primary source of funding CCHD so that it can offer new hope every year to the most vulnerable struggling throughout the United States. Please remember, 25 percent of the collection’s proceeds stay in our diocese to support merciful work here with the vulnerable.
Help us defend human dignity and mercifully witness to Jesus. I encourage you all to give generously to this CCHD collection. God bless you!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Larry Silva
Bishop of Honolulu
