Even in the midst of today’s turmoil and uncertainty, the Church and other charities still need our financial support. Even more so now because our neighbors’ needs have skyrocketed.
Dioceses and parishes are meeting the challenge, scaling up assistance programs for emergency food, organizing volunteers to reach out to shut-ins and developing new ways of evangelizing in the digital age.
We all play a role in making sure our Church ministries continue during and after the coronavirus threat ends.
In “normal” times, the Sunday envelop is part of our Catholic culture and handing a nearby little one something to put in the collection basket is not only fun but teaches young ones the importance of caring for others.
Online giving is an alternative today, not only during the current crisis but also when travel, vacations and other events take us away from our home parish.
Check with your parish to see if they already have this option. If not, California dioceses have online portals that can point you in the right direction:
· Archdiocese of Los Angeles – https://www.givecentral.org/appeals-form-registration/acp5dd3230d6a6c0/user/guest
· Archdiocese of San Francisco – https://sfarch.org/lifeline
· Diocese of Fresno – https://dioceseoffresno.org/online-giving-support/
· Diocese of Monterey – https://www.dioceseofmonterey.org/giving
· Diocese of Oakland – https://www.oakdiocese.org/parish-support
· Diocese of Orange – https://www.rcbo.org/give-and-serve/
· Diocese of Sacramento – https://www.scd.org/catholic-foundation
· Diocese of San Bernardino – https://www.icbyte.org/online-giving/
· Diocese of San Diego – https://www.sdcatholic.org/
· Diocese of San Jose – https://www.dsj.org/ways-to-give/mysundayoffertory/
· Diocese of Santa Rosa – http://srdiocese.org/content/livestreaming
· Diocese of Stockton – https://stocktondiocese.org/office-of-development-stewardship
Many parishes also use Faith Direct, a service that allows regular online giving to hundreds of parishes around the nation. The website has a look-up page to see if your parish participates.
The crisis will not last forever and no one should jeopardize their own situation by giving more than their circumstances allow but many of us can still help to maintain the work of the Church through this tough time.