The Catholic Home Missions is an organization founded in 1924 by the American Board of Catholic Missions (ABCM) with the aim of helping and supporting poor
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
s in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Their effort focuses principally on providing religious education. Since 1998 U.S. bishops have conducted an annual appeal in parishes across the country, with the proceeds going to dioceses in the United States and its territories.
History
In 1919 missionary directors from throughout the United States met at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
to organize a national missionary society, the American Board of Catholic Missions, to serve the missions at home and abroad. Their focus was soon changed when the
Society for the Propagation of the Faith
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith (Latin: ''Propagandum Fidei'') is an international association coordinating assistance for Catholic missionary priests, brothers, and nuns in mission areas. The society was founded in Lyon, France, in ...
was founded in Rome, with offices in countries around the world, for the support of missions worldwide. In 1924 the national mission society was refounded as a society in support of those missions in the United States and its territories that did not receive funds from the Propagation of the Faith. In 1972 ABCM became the Bishops' Committee on the Home Missions, a standing committee of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...
(USCCB).
Work
In 2016 parish collections across the United States provided $9 million for programs in 84 dioceses, ranging from evangelization, to Hispanic ministry, to education for seminarians and lay ministers. An annual report is produced by the USCCB Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions. The Subcommittee also produces a quarterly newsletter ''Neighbors'' which acquaints Catholics with the various missionary works being subsidized.
See also