June 26, 2025
Dear Friends in Christ,
Greetings in the name of the Lord!
Though Soviet communism in Eastern Europe ended in the early 1990’s, its destructive effects linger in the societies where it once ruled. Under the communist system, cultural values of charity and volunteerism disappeared. Rapid, sometimes harsh economic transitions led to a state of materialism that has left many poor and dependent such as children, seniors and persons with disabilities.
Latin America has suffered similar effects. Years of political, social and economic upheaval, rapid changes in leadership and systems have likewise taken their toll on so many, with families and the vulnerable suffering the most.
Both Eastern Europe and Latin America are populated largely by our Catholic brothers and sisters. The collection for the Church in Eastern Europe and the collection for the Church in Latin America are ways for Catholics in the United States to unite more closely with our brothers and sisters in faith throughout these expansive regions.
The collection for the Church in Latin America supports diocesan pastoral catechetical and family life ministries, seminary studies and formation programs for religious brothers and sisters. The collection even helps the poorest dioceses obtain basic necessities that they otherwise would be unable to afford, leaving them unable to minister to the faithful. For more information on the Church in Latin America and the many projects funded by the collection, please visit www.usccb.org/latin-america.
When you participate in the collection Church in Central and Eastern Europe, you help the Church in Slovakia, Albania and more than twenty-five other countries accompany people who still experience the hardships and wounds caused by communism. Your support for and promotion of the Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe is crucial to the success of ministries that affirm the dignity of children, youth and other vulnerable people and show them the love and mercy of Jesus. For more information about the collection and who it supports, visit www.usccb.org/ccee.
Please be as generous as you can to both of these collections, and thank you, in advance, on behalf of those who benefit from your donations.
With every good wish, I am.
Your friend in Christ,
Most Reverend William D. Byrne
Bishop of Springfield
Checks should be made payable to Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield or Diocese of Springfield.