WASHINGTON—The
annual Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe will be held in
most parishes on Ash Wednesday, March 1, with the theme: “Restore the Church,
Build the Future.” The collection supports pastoral, evangelization, and
construction projects, as well as scholarships in Central and Eastern Europe,
and Central Asia.

In
2016, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee on Aid to
the Church in Central and Eastern Europe awarded $7 million through more than
200 grants. Projects supported through the collection address a variety of
needs of the Church in countries of the former Soviet Union. These projects
focus on providing pastoral care and developing resources to build the faith of
those who still struggle in a post-communist society.

“Remembering
our brothers and sisters around the world who are struggling is a humbling way
to begin the season of Lent,” said Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago,
chairman of the Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern
Europe. “As we begin this penitential season, we remember those in Central and
Eastern Europe who have made great sacrifices to keep the faith alive in their
communities, and who share a legacy of faith with us through the many
immigrants who came to America from these lands.”

The
Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe oversees the
Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe as part of the USCCB
Committee on National Collections. More information about the collection can be
found at www.usccb.org/ccee. Shareable
resources to promote the collection can be found at www.usccb.org/ccee/collection.

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Keywords:
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Committee on National Collections,

Collection
for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Eastern
Europe, Soviet Union

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Norma Montenegro Flynn
O: 202-541-3202

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops