Parish Social Ministry, a Catholic Charities Maine program, is pleased to announce that eleven local parishes will receive Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) Parish Grants totaling $16,500.
Parish Social Ministry provides leadership, guidance, Catholic social teaching education, and training to empower parishioners to compassionately serve people of all faiths living in their communities.
The grants, ranging from $1,000 to $4,000, will be used to support community-based initiatives that empower those in need to make ongoing life changes and become more self-sufficient while offering parishioners the opportunity to serve those less fortunate.
The parishes and ministries receiving the funds are:
The CCHD Parish Grants are designed to fund ministries that make transformational changes for those they serve, not just through direct assistance. The mission of CCHD is made possible by the generous support of Catholics in the United States, especially through an annual collection taken up in most parishes in November. From this collection, 25% of the proceeds remain in Maine, while the remaining 75% is collected by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to distribute for larger national funding opportunities. Maine agencies and organizations that address the systemic root of poverty can also apply for these national funding opportunities.