Archdiocesan family invited to unite ‘All for the Glory of God’ in 2022 DSF appeal

Father Christian Bui baptizes a young boy during an Easter Vigil Mass at St. Edward Catholic Church in Spring in 2021. The Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization helps form catechetical leaders to teach and inform newly baptized children. (Photo by Michelle Eisterhold/For the Herald)

HOUSTON — The faithful are encouraged to come together as a unified Archdiocesan family to glorify God and bring forth the presence of Christ to those in need by supporting the 56th annual Diocesan Services Fund (DSF) campaign.

The 2022 DSF appeal, “All for the Glory of God,” will be held in 154 Catholic parishes across 10 counties in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, beginning Feb. 5 and 6.

Each gift to DSF benefits more than 60 ministries that provide for the needs of thousands of people within the boundaries of the Archdiocese. Together, the ministries offer diverse programs and services in the broad areas of teaching, evangelizing and worship; nurturing and strengthening families; promoting, preparing, and supporting the clergy; ministering to the sick, poor, and incarcerated; and special grants and aid to poor parishes.

“Supporting the DSF makes these important 60-plus ministries possible,” said Daniel Cardinal DiNardo. “It is when we come together as the Body of Christ that we can accomplish so much. Your support changes lives and brings the presence of Christ into our communities!”

Three DSF-supported ministries are featured in the 2022 appeal, including San José Clinic, the Family Life Ministry, and the Young Adult and Campus Ministry (YACM).

San José Clinic, which is celebrating its centennial, provides quality healthcare and education to those without insurance and with limited access to such services in an environment that respects the dignity of each person. According to Maureen Sanders, president and CEO of San José Clinic, the ministry’s mission is made possible through the dedicated service of 52 staff members and more than 300 volunteer healthcare providers and other community volunteers from institutions of higher learning, retirees, and church groups and other faith-based and community service organizations.

Sanders said a wide range of medical services are provided that encompass primary medical care, 15 different specialties (gynecology, cardiology, and neurology), dental care, eye care, pharmaceuticals, mental health, diagnostic services, disease state management, physical therapy, and counseling.

Sanders said the DSF funding is critical to San José Clinic’s operating budget.

“As Texas continues to lead the nation in uninsured residents, DSF funding is critical to our clinic’s mission,” said Sanders. “Every day, we work to ensure that these residents in our community can receive the care that they need. In turn, many of these patients are able to continue their important essential work in industries like agriculture, hospitality and construction, allowing them to support their families and improve our overall community.”

The second featured DSF-supported ministry, the Family Life Ministry, is part of the Archdiocesan Pastoral and Educational Ministries and provides more than 50 programs in the following areas: discernment of marriage, marriage preparation, couple enrichment, parenting education, ongoing support and assistance with transitions, and many other programs and services.

Whether in direct service or education, these ministries require critical funding to remain in operation. Out of each gift given to DSF, 100% of every dollar goes directly to supporting these ministries.

According to Ricardo Medina, director of the Family Life Ministry, the main focus is to provide families with creative and effective responses, strategies, and goals to help create a better society and world by strengthening marriages and family units.

Medina encourages all clergy, parish staff, parents, couples and young adults in the Archdiocese to “consider the Family Life Ministry as their partner in this beautiful journey of forming, revealing, enjoying and protecting our communities of love present at every home.”

“For better or worse, in sickness and in health, we are called to serve every person in our community as a member of the family of God,” Medina said. “Each day, our ministers search for best options, empower the network of collaborators, develop initiatives for addressing underserved needs, and roll out ministries in collaboration with our parishes, striving to maintain a homogeneous and high-level implementation. This level of specialization is beyond the capabilities of any parish, and it is only possible through the ongoing work of a focused team Archdiocesan-wide.”

DSF-supported Young Adult and Campus Ministry (YACM), which also is a part of Pastoral and Educational Ministries, provides worship, formation, retreats, leadership and fellowship opportunities for young adults in their late teens, 20s and 30s.

YACM offers assistance to more than 50 parishes in English and 40 parishes in Spanish (or bilingual). The ministry also offers college students opportunities to find community, encounter Christ in prayer, and be formed as disciples of Jesus at Catholic Newman Centers located at five universities within the Archdiocese.

“Our campus ministry programs seek to ensure the Catholic students on their campuses find a home at the Newman Center and within the Catholic Church,” said Angie Pometto, director of YACM. “We are helping to form these young people as disciples of Christ while in college, who will then continue to actively live their Catholic faith after graduation by serving in their own parishes.”

Cardinal DiNardo said he is grateful for the continued support and generosity of the faithful in the Archdiocese that helps the annual DSF appeal.

“Your support of DSF is crucial to the efforts of our Archdiocesan family in accomplishing so much good,” Cardinal DiNardo said. “Above all else, I ask you to pray for our local Church, for the success of DSF, for the ministries that are supported by DSF, and that we may strive to be closer to Christ with each passing day.”

For more information about the Diocesan Services Fund, how to contribute go to archgh.org/dsf.

The many ministries supported by the Diocesan Services Fund include:

TEACHING, EVANGELIZING AND WORSHIP
Apostleship of the Sea
Catholic Schools Office
Chapels (Holy Cross and Warren)
Communications Office
Ecumenism Commission
Office of Evangelization and Catechesis
Office of Worship
Pastoral and Educational Ministry

MINISTERING TO THE POOR, THE SICK AND THE INCARCERATED
Angela House
Catholic Chaplain Corps
Catholic Charities
Correctional Ministries
Foreign Missions
Office of Justice & Peace/Catholic Campaign
for Human Development
Our Daily Bread
San José Clinic
St. Dominic Center for the Deaf

PROMOTING, PREPARING AND SUPPORTING THE CLERGY
Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza Priest Retirement Residence
Clergy Formation and Chaplaincy Services
Clergy Pastoral Outreach
Department of Seminarians
Good Leaders, Good Shepherds
Ministry to Priests
Office of Permanent Diaconate Ministry
Office of Vocations for Priesthood
& Religious Life

NURTURING AND STRENGTHENING FAMILIES
Aging Ministry
Camp Kappe
Ethnic Ministries
Family Life Ministry
Family Retreat Center at Circle Lake
Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization
Office of Hispanic Ministry
Pro-Life Activities
Special Youth Services
St. Dominic Village
Vicar for Judicial Affairs (Metropolitan Tribunal)
Young Adult and Campus Ministry