The Annual Collection of the Bishops for the Needs of the Canadian Church

Next Sunday, September 30, the annual collection of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) for the needs of the Canadian Church will be held. The funds collected will be used to finance a major part of the CCCB’s activities.

Founded in 1943, the CCCB comprises the bishops of Canada’s 71 Catholic dioceses. Through the involvement of its members, the organization works on national and international issues and activities in various areas, such as ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, social justice, aid for developing countries, protection of human life, family, liturgy, etc.

Each Canadian diocese contributes to the finances of the CCCB by paying an annual assessment established on a per capita ratio, based upon the number of Catholics registered in their respective territories according to the 2001 Statistics Canada census.

The annual contribution of the Archdiocese of Montreal, which has 1,494,132 registered Catholics, is $ 280,598. The funds raised during this coming Sunday’s collection in the diocese will be applied to this contribution.

There are numerous special collections, and money is scarce. But I think it is worthwhile to support an organization such as the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

I thank you in advance for your generosity.

+ Jean-Claude Turcotte
Archbishop of Montreal