Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama
Post Office Box 12047 (35202-2047)
2121 Third Avenue North Birmingham, Alabama 35203
205-838-8322
Office of the Bishop
June 9, 2021
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is time for our special collection for the Mission Cooperative Plan Appeal (MCP). The collection will be taken up on the weekend of June 26th and 27th. The heartfelt generosity that you have always given to the missions is greatly appreciated by those who are less fortunate. I hope we can make this appeal a very successful one.
The Missionary Cooperative Plan (MCP) of the Diocese of Birmingham works to foster the spirit of mission in our parishes. Each year, in cooperation with the national office of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, missionaries from Catholic organizations are invited to visit parishes to share their experiences and ask for financial support and prayers.
Saint John Paul II in his Encyclical Letter "On the Permanent Validity of the Church's Missionary Mandate," Redemptoris Missio, stressed the necessity of missionary cooperation:
"Local churches, although rooted in their own people and their own culture, must always maintain an effective sense of the universality of the faith, giving and receiving spiritual gifts, experiences of pastoral work in evangelization and initial proclamation, as well as personnel for the apostolate and material resources."
This year the funds received from this collection will directly help support the following participating groups:
Diocese of Irinjalakuda, India - Bishop Pauly Kannookadan Diocese of Kumba, Cameroon, Africa - Bishop Agapitus Nfon Diocese of Maiduguri, Nigeria - Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme Diocese of Matagalpa, Nicaragua--Bishop Rolando Jose Alvarez Lagos Diocese of Timor Leste-Archbishop Joseph Marino
These mission dioceses will benefit greatly from the collection taken up in the parishes. This is our way of showing our care and support for the foreign missions.
Blessings to you and your families!
Gratefully yours in Christ,
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Sennan gracia
Most Reverend Steven J. Raica Bishop of Birmingham in Alabama
Pastors/Administrators: Please share this information the weekend of June 19-20. The collection will take place the following weekend, June 26-27.