United in Faith and Solidarity: Supporting the Annual Collection for the Church in Latin America

(Photo courtesy of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

As Catholics across Colorado begin the new year, the weekend of January 24–25 brings an opportunity to express solidarity with our brothers and sisters to the south through the annual Collection for the Church in Latin America. Sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), this special collection supports pastoral ministries in Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean — regions where the Church often lacks the resources it needs to meet the spiritual and material needs of the faithful.

Rooted in the missionary spirit of Pope Leo XIV, whose own ministry was marked by service to the poor in Peru, the collection exemplifies the universal Church’s call to reach out in love beyond national borders.

“This annual collection exemplifies the spiritual journey of Pope Leo XIV,” said Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, SDV, bishop of Fall River, Massachusetts, and chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America, and one of the bishops overseeing the effort.

Since its founding in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, the Collection for the Church in Latin America has invited U.S. Catholics to stand in unity with communities whose struggles — poverty, violence, displacement and spiritual need — mirror many of our own concerns about human dignity and justice.

The collection provides essential funding for initiatives that strengthen families, form lay leaders and support vocations, evangelization, youth ministry, care for victims of violence and pastoral responses to social challenges. In 2024 alone, more than $8 million was granted to 344 projects that brought Christ’s mercy and hope to struggling communities throughout the hemisphere.

For Catholics wary of political or social controversy surrounding issues such as immigration, this mission reminds us of the deeper unity that binds all members of the Body of Christ. The Church’s outreach to Latin America is not rooted in political ideology but in the Gospel command to love our neighbor as ourselves, to pray for one another and to share both spiritual and material goods generously.

Gifts to this collection are a concrete expression of that command. Whether supporting faith formation for teenagers or helping lay leaders minister to children and families amid social hardship, contributions help ensure that the Gospel reaches those in greatest need throughout Latin America.

Catholics may give at parish Masses during the weekend of January 24–25 or online through platforms like iGiveCatholic. When donating at parishes, faithful are asked to make checks out to their parish with "For the Church in Latin America" in the memo line.

In participating, the faithful join a longstanding tradition of mutual support and communion with the Church in Latin America — a witness to the universal call to love with a generous heart and to serve with a joyful spirit.

For more information, visit www.usccb.org/latin-america.