UCA allows Catholics ‘to gratefully share what God has given us’
Craig and Diana Moorman, left, of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Franklin, and Michele, Joshua and Brian Neary of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bloomington pose for a group photo during a United Catholic Appeal dinner at the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis on Oct. 27. (Photo by Natalie Hoefer)
By Natalie Hoefer
As the three-year National Eucharistic Revival gets underway, the theme for this year’s United Catholic Appeal (UCA) is “United in the Eucharist.”
Archbishop Charles C. Thompson explained the connection between the Eucharist and the appeal during a Mass and dinner in Indianapolis on Oct. 27 for Miter Society members—those who give $1,500 or more to the annual effort that supports ministries in central and southern Indiana that go beyond the scope of a parish, such as Catholic Charities, seminarian formation, supporting retired priests and more.
“It’s an effort from our baptismal call to holiness to mission that we carry out all the various ministries and services as Church, as the archdiocese throughout central and southern Indiana—39 counties, 126 parishes, 67 schools, three different Catholic health care facilities, two Catholic universities, two Catholic seminaries, and the list goes on and on and on,” he said during his homily at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.
“What we’re about with our time, our talent and our treasure to carry out these many services is not just our human merit, is not just our human endeavor, but it all has to be intimately rooted in the Eucharist.
“So, this beautiful theme of ‘United in the Eucharist’ is especially connected to this three-year eucharistic revival.”
The archbishop reminded the roughly 200 people present that, while giving our time, talent and treasure, we must be “Christ-centric.”
“Remember, we represent something greater than ourselves,” he said. “We are the body of Christ. We share the mission of Christ as privileged members of his body, of his Church.
“We have to be bold. We have to be courageous. Without the Eucharist, it’s difficult for us to do that.”
The nature of the world today makes it even more difficult to carry out our baptismal mission, the archbishop noted.
“But as Jesus said in today’s Gospel—‘I must continue on my way today, tomorrow and the following day’ [Lk 13:33]—we cannot let the world deter us. Like Jesus, we must stay focused today, tomorrow and the next day.
“And that’s why our United Catholic Appeal is so important. It allows us to continue to bring the good news of God’s love, of Jesus’ saving grace, of his path of truth, to continue to transform not only lives but to transform our society, transform our world.”
During his talk at a dinner in the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis after the Mass, the archbishop offered statistics for ways in which archdiocesan ministries were able to contribute to lives in central and southern Indiana last year. (See related article)
One of those ministries is supporting the formation of archdiocesan seminarians. It is a ministry close to the hearts of Francisco and Lisa Delima of St. Lawrence Parish in Indianapolis.
“It used to be American priests went out to do work in third-world countries,” Francisco said. “Lately, I’ve noticed a lot of foreign priests coming to the U.S. making up for the lack of priests here.”
“It is our priests who keep the Church going,” Lisa added.
Priests like Father Anthony Hollowell, pastor of St. Paul Parish in Tell City and St. Mark Parish in Perry County. He concelebrated the Mass along with six priests.
“As priests, it’s important for us to give as much as it is for the faithful,” he said. “And it’s a joy [to give] as a priest, to know you can contribute to the bigger mission of the archdiocese, bigger than even what we can do at the parish.”
When he retires, Father Hollowell will benefit from the support of the United Catholic Appeal in caring for retired archdiocesan priests. This cause is important to Jim and Clarine Baker of St. Bartholomew Parish in Columbus.
“We ask for our donation to go to help retired priests because we have had so many wonderful priests in our past,” said Clarine. “They deserve a good future, and times have changed so much—costs have gone up so much, and it takes a lot to survive.”
Brian and Michele Neary of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bloomington find it difficult to identify one specific area to designate their UCA donations.
Giving to the archdiocesan appeal is “just the right thing to do,” said Brian. “I think it’s just another step from working within your local parish, you know, to try to expand and see what else can we do to help priests, seminarians and people in need beyond our parish.”
The couple brought their son Joshua to the Mass and dinner, just as they have brought their daughter previously.
“We just want to give them the experience to see why we give [to the UCA], to see how our money can do good work in a broader way. We can’t do it all ourselves necessarily, but we can put [our contributions] with others so more work can be done.”
As a sophomore at Culver Military Academy in Culver, Ind., Joshua noted the school is known for forming future leaders.
“I thought [coming tonight] would be a good experience and allow me to see what my parents are doing and what I could do in the future,” he said.
While he is too young to have contributed to the appeal, Joshua has contributed his time to the
St. Vincent de Paul Society in Bloomington. But he recognized that “there are people in just as much need in other places.”
Places like one of the five areas in central and southern Indiana served by a Catholic Charities agency, all of which benefit from donations to the United Catholic Appeal.
“No matter what you contribute financially, you have our deepest thanks for everything you do to support the United Catholic Appeal and the many ministries and services that we carry out in this archdiocese,” Archbishop Thompson said in his closing remarks at the dinner.
“Your ongoing support of the United Catholic Appeal enables us to make a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters, our friends and our neighbors throughout the archdiocese. …
“The Eucharist is not an object. It is a person—Jesus Christ. We need to respond to the Eucharist, to the person Jesus Christ, every day by going out to the world to gratefully share what God has given to us.”
(To learn more about the United Catholic Appeal, go to www.archindy.org/UCA or call the archdiocesan Office of Stewardship and Development at 800-382-9836, ext.1415.) †
