During the pandemic, and in any year, the Annual Appeal of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington provides crucial support for people, said Mary O’Meara, the executive director of the archdiocese’s Office of Deaf and Disabilities Ministries.

Noting how the Annual Appeal during the pandemic has provided funding for her office’s expanded mental health outreach at a time of isolation and anxiety for people of all ages, O’Meara said the appeal is “not only a lifeline, but it’s also an anchor for the continuity of the services… The Annual Appeal is vital for the success not only of various ministries, but also vital for the Church being that ‘field hospital’ that Pope Francis talks about.”

The 2021 Annual Appeal was launched at the beginning of the year, with the theme “Seeking Christ.” The appeal’s organizers said that theme was fitting amid the challenges people were facing during the pandemic. In announcing this year’s appeal, Cardinal Wilton Gregory noted that local Catholics through their sacrificial gifts can become Christ’s hand and feet and help people seeking Christ “to find Him in our Church.”

The Annual Appeal provides essential funding for the archdiocese’s charitable and educational outreach and supports dozens of ministries throughout the area. The appeal had its commitment weekend on Feb. 6-7, but a wintry mix of precipitation then and lower Mass attendance before COVID-19 vaccinations were widespread may have impacted participation in the effort.

“It really had to do with the state of Mass attendance in winter,” said David Cook, the Annual Appeal’s director.

The 2021 Annual Appeal has a goal of collecting $11.4 million in donations. According to the archdiocese’s website, as of Sept. 12, the Annual Appeal so far has raised $9.3 million from 18,614 donors. To help the Annual Appeal meet this year’s goal, about 40 parishes across the archdiocese will be holding in-pew drives this fall.

“The reason we’re doing that is parishioners who may not have had an opportunity to make a gift in February, to provide (them with) that opportunity to be able to make an impact on the 70 ministries that are part of the appeal,” Cook said.

The outreach supported by the Annual Appeal include vocations, clergy and religious support; Catholic education and catechesis; college, hospital and prison ministries; pro-life and evangelization ministries; pastoral and social ministries; communications outreach; and Catholic Charities. The appeal’s brochure notes that 100 percent of donations to the appeal go toward those programs and ministries and are not used for any other purpose.

Cook said that during the pandemic, “the needs are greater, and the appeal is supporting ministries that serve those needs, whether spiritual, mental or communal.”

In September, O’Meara’s office had a workshop featuring mental health therapists who provided training to parish representatives, to help them develop or strengthen outreach to people living with mental health challenges.

She noted that her office for years has worked with parish-based groups providing that kind of support, including the Upper Room Support Group hosted by St. Patrick’s Parish in Rockville that helps people who have lived through a traumatic life experience; Stephen Ministry at several parishes where trained laypeople provide one-on-one support to people dealing with challenging situations like the death of a spouse, a cancer diagnosis or the loss of a job; Vet’s Voices, a support group hosted at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Washington providing spiritual healing for veterans; the Serving Our Seniors program at Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish in Owings assisting seniors to age in place; the counseling program at St. Jerome’s Parish in Hyattsville; and a monthly rosary and Mass at St. Francis Deaf Catholic Church in Landover Hills for those living with mental illness.

“We have programs that focus on children, and programs that focus on seniors,” said O’Meara, noting the challenges of isolation and disconnection faced by people of different ages during the pandemic. Her office, which is funded by the Annual Appeal, has done a series of mental health webinars. She added that programs helping people with mental health difficulties are “the epitome of accompaniment. It’s exactly what it means to meet people where they are… to journey together and learn what supports people need.”

Speaking about the importance of the Annual Appeal, Molly Herrera, the program director for the archdiocese’s campus and young adult ministry, said, “We wouldn’t be able to do the work we do without it.”

Funds from the appeal help support and staff campus ministry at six local universities and colleges: the University of Maryland at College Park; George Washington University, American University, Howard University and Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.; and St. Mary’s College in St. Mary’s City.

That campus outreach has been “incredibly” important during the pandemic, Herrera said. “Everything shifted, but ministry never stopped. But they had to quickly adjust and figure out how to reach out and connect with students, especially because it was such an isolating time,” she said.

Herrera added that “almost everyone shifted to a virtual space.” She noted that the Catholic Student Center at the University of Maryland had more than 30 online Bible study groups during the pandemic, and at American University, upperclassmen reached out to new students, inviting them to participate in campus ministry there. 

Matt Aujero, a Catholic campus minister at the University of Maryland since 2013, noted they had to be creative with ministries during the pandemic, shifting programs to Zoom, holding retreats on campus and having gatherings outside.

“In college, students are still trying to find their identity as adults. To accompany them and allow them to find their identity in Christ is a huge honor and duty for us,” he said, noting an inspiring sign of hope. “This past year, we had three men enter the seminary and two women enter religious life.”

Ryan Mulligan, who just started serving as a campus minister at George Washington University’s Newman Center, smiled and said that as the new school year began, “We set hours for the Newman Center. Students were disappointed it was only open until 9 p.m. They are so eager to get back and get involved… In a world of continued uncertainty, the students know they have the Newman Center to go to.”

Cook, the Annual Appeal’s director, said, “The Church is working in both senses of the phrase. We’re at work even more so because of the needs of the pandemic. It’s also working in the sense that the faithful have been moved to serve their community. We’re mobilized, inspired by our faith.”

He added that in a challenging time, “the Annual Appeal is an opportunity to unite, through the mutual sharing of our gifts, to meet the spiritual and temporal needs of our local Church.”

Donors can go online to give.adw.org to make a gift to the Annual Appeal that will be credited to their parish.

Ministry leaders praise impact of archdiocese's Annual Appeal

The 70 ministries supported by the Annual Appeal of the Archdiocese of Washington include offices that provide key services for local Catholic schools, parish religious education programs and the training of future priests. Leaders in those areas praised the impact of the appeal, saying it provides crucial funding for their work.

Kelly Branaman, the archdiocese’s Secretary for Catholic Schools and its Superintendent of Schools, said, “I am particularly grateful for the support provided through the Annual Appeal each year. The monetary resources provided from Annual Appeal make it possible for the Catholic Schools Office to provide numerous resources to support our schools. As we embark on a new school year, with increased enrollment in most of our schools, we depend on the support of the Annual Appeal more than ever to help provide a quality Catholic education for our students.”

Those programs of the Catholic Schools Office supported by funding from the appeal include professional development for principals and teachers, resources to support curriculum and instruction, and support for parent communication to promote parent engagement.

The Annual Appeal also supports the outreach of the archdiocese’s Office for Catechesis.

Sara Blauvelt, the archdiocese’s director for catechesis, noted, “Parish catechesis encompasses not only children in parish religious education programs, but also the catechumenal process (RCIA) of welcoming youth and adults into full Communion with the Catholic Church, ongoing adult formation and Baptism preparation. The Office for Catechesis supports parish ministers as they strive to provide catechesis that helps each baptized person grow in maturity of faith. This requires creativity and attention to provide a variety of different models and pathways to meet differing needs.” 

She added, “The greatest joy of catechesis - whether at the diocesan level, parish leader or volunteer catechist – is to help people fall in love with Jesus Christ and choose to follow Him.”

The Annual Appeal also supports the training and formation of seminarians studying to be the next generation of priests for the archdiocese, who will provide the sacraments to people at all stages of life in local parishes.

The Archdiocese of Washington currently has 76 men in priestly formation. The archdiocese’s Saint John Paul II Seminary in Washington has 49 seminarians this year, including 15 seminarians studying for the archdiocese.

Father Carter Griffin, the rector of the Saint John Paul II Seminary, said, “The seminarians and faculty who live and study at Saint John Paul II Seminary are deeply grateful to those who support the Annual Appeal. They are making a direct contribution to the formation of prayerful, solid, and joyful priests for future ministry in this archdiocese and around the country. I cannot adequately my appreciation to those who make this work of grace possible.”