Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries

MINISTRIES OF HOPE

Now more than ever, your generous support for the Annual Appeal is offering spiritual and material comfort and, ultimately, the blessing of HOPE to those we are called to serve, while bringing you into closer communion with the Living Christ and your archdiocesan family.

*Percentages reflect uses of 2020 Appeal funds.

Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities of Baltimore receives a substantial portion of Annual Appeal funds and uses them to help carry out its mission of providing care and services to our neighbors in need. Programs of outreach, like Our Daily Bread, Sarah’s House, My (Read More)

Parish Rebates

When you give to the Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries, one-quarter to one-half of your gift, depending on whether your parish has reached its Appeal goal, is rebated back to your parish. Traditionally, parishes use rebates to complete long desired (Read More)

Vocations

Fortunately, our Archdiocese is currently seeing a resurgence in men who have embraced their calling to the Priesthood, with a nearly record number now in seminarian formation. These men, who have committed themselves to Christ, His Church (Read More)

O’Dwyer Retreat House

More than 50 years ago, retreat house founder Monsignor Clare J. O’Dwyer dreamt that this house would serve as a “Spiritual Powerhouse for Young People,” and that dream came true. But now with the challenge and health concerns associated with the current pandemic, the O’Dwyer Retreat House has had to make significant improvements (Read More)

Faith Formation

The Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Division of Catechetical and Pastoral Formation offers support to parish and school leaders in forming missionary disciples of all ages, on their journey to loving Jesus and His Church. Formation for the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, and the (Read More)

“The O’Dwyer Retreat House uses the Annual Appeal grant to help offer retreats at a discount rate to groups in need of assistance. Without this money many groups who certainly need and deserve to have a quality retreat simply could not afford it and their young people would not have the Encounter with Jesus in the same way as a retreat provides.”

Phil Howard
Director
Monsignor O’Dwyer Retreat House

St. Vincent de Paul, Baltimore

St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore is a leading provider of community services to people suffering from the effects of hunger, homelessness, and poverty in the Baltimore region. With 21 programs and 40 parish-based volunteer conferences across the Archdiocese, St. Vincent de Paul serves (Read More)

Black Catholic Ministries

The Office of Black Catholic Ministry exists to empower the laity to evangelize and spread the Good News. The office works on behalf of the Archbishop to ensure the full participation of Black Catholics in the mission of the Church. This is accomplished by fostering opportunities for Black Catholic youth (Read More)

Hispanic Ministry

Affirming the gifts and contributions of Hispanic Catholics, the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Hispanic Ministry seeks to help pastors and parishes provide more opportunities for their parishioners to engage in the life of the Church and to help shape its evangelization mission. Unfortunately, Hispanic communities in our state (Read More)

Apostleship of the Sea

A non-profit, all-volunteer organization, Apostleship of the Sea remains steadfast in its mission to offer a genuine welcome and safe haven to mariners, fishermen, and their families. With the coronavirus pandemic forcing seafarers to work and live on ships for months-on-end, with cautions to not go on land, the Apostleship of (Read More)

Cathedrals

Two iconic cathedrals, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, both active parish communities, have served important roles in America’s Catholic heritage. The Basilica, America’s “first Cathedral,” has been the sight of many major historical moments in the life (Read More)

“Without the Appeal, we simply would not be able to run any of our programs. All evangelization, catechesis, and formation programs that help Hispanic Catholics in our archdiocese would come to a halt. There simply would not be enough resources to provide assistance to parishes and pastors in their accompaniment of Latino Catholics and to integrate them in the life of the Church. The Appeal is imperative to our ministries.”

Lia Salinas
Director
Hispanic Ministries

Hospital Chaplaincy

Hospital Chaplains are ministers of comfort and solace for patients with serious, life threatening illnesses and for their loved ones. Chaplains offer spiritual sustenance and lend an empathetic ear to those who are failing in health and those who are preparing for, or grieving, a heartbreaking loss (Read More)

Youth Ministry

Young people in the Church are active agents of the Gospel. Through mission, they offer up their gifts to help build God’s eternal Kingdom and to realize their own callings towards justice and reconciliation. Appeal grants are available to help pay the salaries of archdiocesan youth ministers (Read More)

Camp GLOW

Camp GLOW (God Loves Our World) has been an annual summer tradition, providing spiritual development and social enhancement to hundreds of persons with disabilities for over 40 years. Though circumstances required the camp to be held virtually this year, over 100 participants were able to enjoy (Read More)

Tuition Assistance

Appeal funds allocated for tuition assistance afford approximately 350 families the option of an academically excellent, Christ-centered, Catholic school education for their children. Archdiocesan Catholic schools equip young learners with the educational and moral foundations upon which (Read More)

Prison Ministry

Despite having abused his or her freedom and making bad decisions, a prisoner never loses human dignity. Prison Ministry is a ministry of love and healing that fosters opportunities for new beginnings for prisoners and families affected by incarceration. Prison Ministers are messengers of hope — hope in (Read More)

“Without funding raised through the Annual Appeal, 20% [of our students] would not receive tuition assistance to attend our Catholic schools. This would impact the enrollment of our Catholic schools and possibly force the closure of a few of them.”

Ashley Conley
Director
Parish and School Finance

Retired Priest Care

Even in retirement, our Archdiocese’s priests continue to devote their lives to God and His people wherever they can, celebrating Mass and the Sacraments, and making themselves available to those in need. A priest’s commitment to serving Christ’s Church breathed into existence at his discernment and fortified by his life-long ministry (Read More)

Respect Life Programs

The Respect Life Office’s mission is to promote respect for life in all stages. With so many people feeling isolated and anxious due to the coronavirus, it is crucial that the Church provide meaningful opportunities for families and individuals through Respect Life Office ministries, which assist those most vulnerable. With suicide, domestic violence (Read More)

College Campus Ministry

Catholic Campus Ministry at our colleges and universities is one of the most important and fruitful ministries in the Church today, creating missionary disciples in a new generation. It is here where vocations are often discerned and where young people encourage each other in faith. Over the past year, College Campus Ministers have expanded their (Read More)

Parish Planning

The Office of Pastoral Planning serves as a resource for parishes, schools and other Archdiocesan entities as they undertake planning in support of the mission of the Church. In 2015, when he issued the call to missionary discipleship in his pastoral letter, A Light Brightly Visible, Archbishop Lori listed a number of obstacles (Read More)

Clergy Special Assignments

The Annual Appeal assists with priest wellness, helping cover the costs of a priest’s medical leave or educational leave to pursue advanced studies. Thus, gifts in support of the Appeal help to ensure that our Clergy serving at parishes, schools, and other beloved Catholic institutions, can most effectively minister to the faithful, even in times of uncertainty.

Baltimore Child Abuse Center

Special Education & Inclusion Programs

Within the Archdiocese of Baltimore, our academic vision is to nurture and sustain the God-given gifts of every student in service to the Mission of Jesus. We recognize the need to provide support and resources to students with learning differences and disabilities. Through a concerted effort between educational and support staff, administrators, and the Department of Schools (Read More)

Disabilities Ministry

The Office of Disabilities Ministry provides evangelization, advocacy, faith formation, catechetical training, resources, and website assistance for persons with disabilities, their families and caregivers, pastors and clergy, catechists, and parish staff in an effort to make all persons welcome and included throughout our Archdiocese. Disabilities ministry ensures that the best practices for full inclusivity are implemented across our Archdiocese.

Holy Father

Although most of us belong to a local parish community and all of us are members of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, we recognize that we are also invested stakeholders in the life of a worldwide Church that relies upon our support for its future health and vitality. A portion of Appeal funds is forwarded to the Holy See to serve the mission and future of the universal Church as our Holy Father envisions them.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Crisis Pregnancy Centers and Maternity Homes are an integral part of our community and crucial to the mission of the Gospel of Life. The challenges of the pandemic are presenting Crisis Pregnancy Centers with more abortion-determined women who feel hopeless about their pregnancies, as well as women seeking a quick reversal of chemical abortions. With most volunteer staff temporarily unable to assist, as many are (Read More)

Evangelization through Media

Our mission as Catholics is to spread the Good News of Jesus. Our Communications department is committed to using different types of media to inform, inspire, and enlighten all on the peace that can only come from a personal relationship with Jesus. The basic message focuses on how being Catholic provides the opportunities to develop and deepen an individual’s relationship with Jesus, and is communicated through (Read More)

“It bears repeating that Appeal funds are never used for purposes other than those stipulated in the [Appeal] Spending Plan, which does not include costs incurred by the Archdiocese for any reason.”

James Hamilton
Chair
Annual Appeal Allocations Oversight Committee

Text box item sample content

Appeal Home

Parish Resources

Our Progress

MAKE A GIFT